University facilities: designing an Open Badge

The University of Naples Federico II has adopted Open Badges as a digital tool to certify skills and knowledge acquired in formal (university courses) and non-formal or informal contexts (seminars, laboratories, projects, transversal experiences). The initiative is part of the Athenaeum's commitment to educational innovation, skills enhancement and transparency of educational pathways.
An Open Badge is a verifiable digital credential containing information about the beneficiary, the issuing institution, certified skills, verification methods and training context. Its structure also allows it to be recognized outside the university, by institutions and companies.
The strength of the system lies in the portability, traceability and interoperability of the badges, which can be shared online, inserted into Curricula and easily verified. They represent a key tool for continuing education and microcertification, responding to the needs of an increasingly verifiable competency-driven labor market.
The issuance of Open Badges within the Athenaeum takes place according to a regulated and transparent process, defined by special guidelines that accompany internal structures at all stages: proposal, evaluation, drafting and publication.

The Open Badges of the University of Frederick.

The types of certifiable experiences are many. They can include, for example:

• language training courses;
• activities for the strengthening of soft skills and digital or transversal compe- tences;
• tutoring, peer education or mentorship experiences;
• participation in institutional projects or initiatives related to the university's third mission;
• intensive courses, thematic labs, workshops, specialized seminars.

The University of Naples Federico II with the project "OB Transversal Skills in Unina," promotes and supports interdepartmental and interuniversity interdisciplinarity, and provides students with the opportunity to acquire transversal skills in different areas, based on the European Union's guidelines on quality education, training and lifelong learning in order to ensure the full participation of the person in society and the labor market. The acquisition of such skills, ranging from digital competence to entrepreneurial competence and personal and social skills, will enable the enrichment of the student's educational curriculum.
The goal of the "OB Transversal Skills in Unina" project is to supplement the curricular skills acquired during the course of study in order to enrich one's resume with knowledge and skills that are increasingly in demand in the job search by human resources recruitment experts. The acquisition of these skills aims to provide the individual with the opportunity to acquire skills that are fundamental not only in work but also in daily life.
The soft skills are declined within the following eleven areas:

1. Safety in the world of work and professional ethics
2. Knowledge useful for employability
3. Communication
4. Sustainability
5. Leadership and entrepreneurship
6. Civic engagement
7. Science dissemination
8. Digital innovation
9. Innovative education
10. Performing arts as personal development
11. Inclusive language and promotion of gender equity.

Content required in the proposal

Each proposal for the release of Open Badges must be written on the appropriate format and must include:

• a detailed description of the badge that is to be activated, in which the meaning of the certification, the educational context of reference and the educational or professional purpose it is intended to pursue are clearly explained. It is important that the added value that the badge confers on those who obtain it, including in terms of spendability in academic, social or work contexts, clearly emerges;
• the identification of the specific skills and/or knowledge that the certified activity allows to acquire;
• the figure of the Responsible Referent to be identified within the proposing structure, from among the faculty or technical administrative staff who will be responsible for following all the operational phases of the badge. It is his responsibility to interface with the Commission, ensure the quality and correctness of the content, respond to any requests for clarification and take care of the submission of the final data;
• the typology of the badge, useful for classification and publication in the platform. Although there is no rigid taxonomy, it is important to distinguish, for example, whether the badge is related to soft skills, institutional training, third mission projects, language, digital, laboratory activities, or other recognizable categories.

How to apply for a badge from facilities:

• STEP 1. Proposal submission.
  - The Athenaeum Structure and the REFERENT OF EDITOR use only the Word BESTR template.
  - The proposal must be written using:
  - the language already established for the structure;
  - the lexical form consistent with other badges in the UNINA BESTR platform.
• STEP 2. Evaluation by the Commission.
  - The Commission verifies the contents of the proposal.
  - The request is approved or rejected according to the University Guidelines, with particular reference to:
  - consistency with institutional purposes;
  - compliance with the requirements
• PHASE 3. Pre-Redaction on Word BESTR template.
  After approval:
  The REDACTING REFEREE is asked, in collaboration with:
  - the Commission and/or technical staff of the Office of the Dean's Secretariat, to finalize the drafting of the Word format.
• STEP 4. Final drafting on Word BESTR template.
  The final Word BESTR template, is sent by the University Contact Person B. Majello to:
  - Domenico Dellisanti - BESTR Contact Person.
  - Lucia Malafronte - Office of the Prorettrice Secretariat (for reporting and monitoring)
  How to submit the BESTR Word template file.
  The file must be named with:
  Name of the Badge + Name and Surname of the REFERENT OF REDACTING.
• STEP 5. Drafting in platform.
  The BESTR Contact Person initiates drafting in platform in collaboration with the REDACTING REFERENT
  - other recipients are entered in CC:
  - monitor progress;
  - they intervene only when necessary.
  - the English translation is sent to the EDITING REFERENT for verification and approval.
• STEP 6. badge publication and activation.
  The BESTR Contact Person notifies the badge has been published in the platform.
  Sends:
  - the dedicated link to the badge;
  - the unique Excel CSV file for assigning to the badge holders.
• STEP 7. Assignment of the badge to the eligible persons.
  The ASSIGNMENT REFEREE completes the Excel CSV file(indicating in the field only and exclusively the institutional email nome.cognome@studenti.unina.it);
  - prints the CSV file in pdf and digitally signs it;
  - mails it to the Office of the Proctress Secretariat.
  The Office of the Prorector's Secretariat:
  - collects the files and sends them to BESTR for allocation.

The Office of the Prorector's Secretariat sends a communication containing instructions for downloading the Open Badge and an invitation to fill out a satisfaction questionnaire to those eligible.

Monitoring of Unina Open Badge assignments.
aimed at gathering students' opinions on the experience, with the goal of assessing the quality of the courses, analyzing their educational impact and constantly improving the service offered
https://forms.office.com/e/F4nkvDVDBj

Time windows for submission of proposals

In order to ensure an orderly and efficient process in the evaluation of proposals and the subsequent publication of Open Badges, three time windows have been defined in which requests can be submitted:
- January 1 to January 20;
- April 1 to April 20;
- October 1 to 20.
These requests should be processed by the Contact Person and sent on a special Word BESTR template form to the OB Commission at openbadge@unina.it .
For consideration, each proposal must be drafted according to the guidelines approved by the Academic Senate at its July 26, 2023 meeting.

Open Badge Commission

This is a collegial body with technical-scientific and methodological functions, aimed at ensuring quality, consistency and uniformity in the issuance of digital certifications.
Composed of.

• Prof.ssa Barbara MAJELLO - University contact person designated by the Rector
• Prof. Gerolama CONDORELLI - School of Medicine and Surgery
• Prof. Amedeo CAPOZZOLI - School of Polytechnics and Basic Sciences
• Prof. Domenico VISTOCCO - School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Prof. Paolo CIARAMELLA - School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine

The Commission is in charge of evaluating requests for the issuance of Open Badge digital certifications, verifying congruence with the University Guidelines, as well as monitoring the entire process of publishing and assigning badges on the BESTR platform (CINECA).
Within the framework of PRO3 Programming 2024-2026, the Open Badge Commission operates as a Working Group (WG) for the implementation of Indicator A-i, under the coordination of the University Contact Person and with the operational support of the Office of the Vice-Chancellor's Secretary.