Digital Microcredential Taxonomy Microcredentials at UTMB Health

Categories

Badges awarded through the UTMB Digital Microcredential Program will fall into four categories:

Recognition
Recognition badges are verifiable digital records that recognize effort, participation, or acknowledgement of service awards.
Competency
Competency badges are verifiable digital records of assessed mastery of knowledge, skills, proficiencies, and/or abilities in a defined context.
Completion
Completion badges are verifiable digital records that acknowledge completion of two or more competencies which contain evidence of mastery of knowledge, skills, proficiencies and/or abilities in a defined context.
Capstone
Capstone badges or certificates are verifiable digital records of rigorously assessed capstones or completions across multiple competencies or domains indicating synthesis and mastery within a defined context.

Levels

Within each of these badge categories, there are three possible levels of badges (low, medium, high) that may be awarded to allow for differentiating time commitment, assessment rigor, modality and prerequisite knowledge. Leveling is an optional dimension for badge design. If there is only one level for a given badge within a given context, the level bars may be left off the badge design.
image depicting bars below the name to show the level

Metadata

All badges and certificates contain metadata with detailed information about the achievement and earning criteria. The claim of mastery based on assessment distinguishes competence, completion and capstone badges and certificates from recognition badges which do not require evidence of learning.

Design and Visual Hierarchy Recognition, Competency, Completion, and Capstone (RCCC)

Design

The badge design incorporates consistent visual elements, such as shape and color, to signify badge categories and levels.

Recognition Badge
Recognition Badge
The circle’s continuous, unbroken shape symbolizes inclusivity and the ongoing nature of achievement. It reflects the idea that recognition is not about a single point in time, but about the ongoing contributions and efforts that lead to personal and collective growth.
Competency Badge
Competency Badge
The triangle’s pointed shape symbolizes direction, clarity, and precision, representing a focused, individual skill or area of knowledge. Like an arrowhead, it signals targeted growth.
Team sience training
Completion Badge
The square’s equal sides and solid form reflect reliability and balance, reinforcing the idea of something fully earned and whole. Its modular nature also makes it ideal for stacking or combining into higher-level credentials or programs.
UTMB Capstone Badge
Capstone Badge
The octagon, with its eight equal sides, symbolizes complexity, balance, and interconnectedness, representing capstone and completions across multiple competencies or domains.

Visual Hierarchy

Build a Completion Badge
Build a Completion Badge
Multiple Competencies make up a Completion Badge
Build a Capstone Badge
Build a Capstone Badge
Multiple Competencies and Completions make up a Capstone Badge

Digital Certificates

The following image is an example of the design options and color of the optional digital certificates.

UTMB John Smith certificate of Rural Telehealth

Competency pathways

Competency pathways can be developed to help the badge earner visualize the pathway of stacked competencies moving from individual competencies to completion of badges to capstone awards. An example from the Team MAPPS pathway is shown below.

A new example from the TeamMAPPS pathway