To certify or not to certify, that is the question

How can NGOs certify learning easily and securely?

Breaking the dependency on the project website

In the M9C project we are enhancing the original 9 Conversations programme for those refugees wishing to start a business as well as developing a new train the facilitator course to help those offering the 9C programme. In most cases these will be offered in an NGO or volunteer context. Therefore the tech we recommend must be simple, low cost and reliable. Our 9 Conversations course was scheduled over nine sessions where the main aim was to complete the nine sections of an Osterwalder Business Model Canvas template. For each of the nine sessions we defined what participants had to do to achieve the badge for overall completion of the course.

Sample specification of the fourth session: To complete step 4, participants must have:

• completed a value proposition canvas (VPC)
• added a brief version of the VPC to their BMC template
• completed the customer segment section of their BMC
• engaged with the group either to describe their BMC in detail or to give feedback on someone else's BMC
• added a reflective entry to the learning diary that addresses at least one of the prompt questions

One challenge was how could you record progress of individual participants, without forcing them to create an account on the Learning Management System that is very much tied to the project coordinator? This is a perennial problem of Erasmus projects, that once the funding stops, there are fewer resources to maintain the original LMS. We suggest three possible solutions:

1. Digitally signed PDF certification

A digital signature refers to a secure electronic signature that is generated using a digital certificate and cryptographically bound to the document using public key infrastructure (PKI). This means that the PDF file is digitally verifiable. Many companies offer this service including Adobe.

2. Qryptal QR-code digitally signed printable certification

Qryptal is an example of a commercially available certification solution. The service produces a printed certificate that is digitally verifiable. Currently you could certify 250 people for $50 in one calendar month. The QR code leads to more information about the credential and how it was earned.

3. European Digital Credentials for learning (EDC)

The EU is aware of the need for easy ways to certify learning away from the major educational organisations and has been working on an expansion of the Europass suite of tools. Whereas the M9C project has been working extensively with the EU Skills Profile Tool for the refugees who originate from outside the EU, the Europass set of tools replicates many of those functions and extends them. Europass allows EU citizens to create a CV, e-portfolio and get credit for digital skills. For course organisers EDC offers the possibility to accredit their courses (whether on digital skills or not) securely free of charge. This is done with a set of open source and free apps which allow the issuer of the certificate to upload a digitally verifiable XML file into the student's Europass portfolio. Find out more about becoming an issuer here.

A fourth solution is that the organisation offering the 9C and M9C courses has their own certification system.