A qualitative exploration on the benefits and challenges of digital badges

Rachael Hains-Wesson
RMIT University, Australia

Digital badges have emerged as a defining issue in contemporary scholarship, shaping how knowledge is created, shared, and contested. This has been especially of interest in employability, employment, and career development learning. To assist with exploring such a technological phenomenon in higher education, this study examines nineteen postgraduate international students' and four human resource banking employers' perceptions about the benefits and challenges of digital badges as a career prospective tool in an Australian higher education institution. While often digital badges visually represent skills attained, their acceptance in professional settings remains under-researched. The following investigation was conducted through individual and focus group interviews and where employers recognise the potential of digital badges in hiring and displaying prospective candidates' skill attainment, while raising concerns about digital badge credibility and value. The findings suggest that the awareness of digital badges remains low amongst students and employers, highlighting the need for targeted support to enhance understanding and adoption of digital badges. The findings also underscore the necessity of collaboration between higher education and industry to establish a standardised framework to help ensure digital badging authenticity and relevance. A key recommendation is to provide students with tailored resources clarifying the role of digital badges in higher education, workforce transition, and lifelong learning. Additionally, there is an urgent need to support both students and employers in increasing digital badge awareness, acceptance, credibility, and application to support career development. Addressing these gaps may strengthen digital badges as recognised tools that bridge higher education and industry, supporting both student employability and workforce needs.
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Author: Rachael Hains-Wesson PhD (UWA), PhD (Deakin), is a Professor of Education and Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Rachael is a Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Young Australian recipient and has been recognised with a University of Western Australia Convocation and Teacher Excellence award. She has received a QS Reimagine Education team award (2020) and an Australian National Award for University Teaching (AAUT, 2021). Rachael was awarded an Elon University (USA) work-integrated learning research fellowship, and her research interests include work-integrated learning, academic development, and authentic assessments. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaelhainswesson/ ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1549-4504 Email: rachael.hains-wesson@rmit.edu.au Please cite as: Hains-Wesson, R. (2025). A qualitative exploration on the benefits and challenges of digital badges. Issues in Educational Research, 35(4), 1568-1584. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/hains-wesson.pdf