Badge Sandpit

Curious about how digital credentials actually work?

The Badge Sandpit gives you a low-pressure, hands-on way to try them out. Over three weeks, you’ll explore a range of credentialing platforms, earn real badges, experiment with Learning and Employment Records (LERs), use AI skills and career tools and get a feel for Rich Skill Descriptors (RSDs) - all at your own pace.

This is not a sales pitch. There are no demos or product walkthroughs, just a chance to play, learn, and figure out what works (and what doesn’t) in a supported, community-driven space.

Hosted by Wendy Palmer, Director of Lifelong Learning Practice and author of The Lifelong Learning Edge, the Badge Sandpit brings together leading technology providers and innovative educators to create a space for exploration, experimentation, and conversation. Wendy has led global initiatives in microcredentials and digital learning, working with universities, industry, and governments to shape the future of recognition.

New challenges will be promoted each week, but you can complete them anytime. Most activities take under 20 minutes and many will offer real digital badges you can keep. We’ll wrap things up with a live Showcase Webinar in December, where we’ll highlight participant stories, surface insights, and look at what’s next for recognition in learning.

Open to educators, RTOs, universities, employers, designers, and anyone curious about the future of credentials.

What Kind of Challenges Can I Expect?

The Badge Sandpit is designed for exploration - no tests, no pressure, just short, practical activities that let you play with digital credentialing tools and ideas.

Here’s a taste of what you might do:

• Claim a Badge: Try out a badge platform and experience what it’s like to earn and store a digital credential.

• Design a Badge: Use a simple design tool to sketch out your own badge concept.

• Explore a Skills Library: Navigate a Rich Skill Descriptor (RSD) library and find a skill that matters to your work.

• Test a Learner Record: See how Learning and Employment Records (LERs) or Comprehensive Learner Records (CLRs) work in practice.

• Tell a Badge Story: Practice curating or storytelling with digital credentials to reflect your skills and experience.

• Compare Platforms: Try out two different platforms and reflect on the user experience.

• Build a Micro-Credential Map: Sketch a pathway showing how small credentials could stack in your organisation or context.

• Experiment with AI Tools: Explore how AI can help identify your skills, map career pathways, or generate badge evidence.

The goal? To deepen your understanding of digital credentials through hands-on experience, and to provide the insight, inspiration, and confidence to advance your own practice or supporting your organisation’s goals. (And yes, you’ll collect a few great badges along the way.)

Free. Flexible. Fun. Come and play in the Sandpit.

Instructions and Support

When the event begins on 17 November, you’ll receive a welcome email with everything you need to get started.

You’ll then receive regular updates with:

• New challenge links

• Tips, prompts, and examples

• Invitations to live webinars and Q&A sessions

• Stories and insights from other participants

Support will be available throughout the event, and you can ask questions or share ideas at any time.

Badge Sandpit HQ (Substack Site)

All challenges, resources, updates, and reflection spaces will live on our dedicated Badge Sandpit Substack site.

You’ll have everything in one easy-to-access location, delivered straight to your inbox, so you can dip in and out at your own pace, whether you’re committing 20 minutes or diving deep.

Stay tuned for live virtual events

Throughout the event we’ll also host live Q&A sessions and deep-dive webinars with platform partners and guest experts. These sessions will give you the chance to ask questions, see behind the scenes, and explore how digital credentials are being used in practice. Some sessions will be free, with a small fee applying to selected deep-dive webinars.

With thanks to our supporting networks and organisations, who are helping make the Badge Sandpit a reality.

The Badge Sandpit was inspired by an event at the 2025 Badge Summit, read more about it in Exploring the Badge Summit's Petting Zoo.