Digital badges are a great way for associations to recognize members for completing continuing education, certifications, and other professional achievements. The problem is what happens behind the scenes.
If your LMS or AMS requires staff to export CSV files, manually trigger badges, or move information between systems, offering digital credentials can create another administrative task for your team.
With CE21, Credly digital badging is built into the learning workflow. Once the integration is configured and a badge is connected to the appropriate requirements, CE21 can automatically send the earned credential to Credly when a member completes the required steps.
That means less work for staff and a simpler experience for your learners.
Why Digital Badges Matter
A certificate is useful, but a digital badge gives members another way to show what they have accomplished.
Credly badges can be shared on LinkedIn, in email signatures, on websites, and in other places where professionals showcase their skills and credentials. Each badge includes information about the achievement, including the criteria that were met and the organization that issued it.
For associations, there is another benefit. When members share a badge, they are also putting your organization’s educational programs in front of other professionals.
The challenge is making that happen without creating more work for your staff.
How CE21 Handles Credly Badging
The basic idea is simple: configure the badge once, connect it to the appropriate requirements, and let the system handle the rest.
1. Connect Your Credly Account
After CE21 enables the integration, a Credly Integration menu appears in your administrative settings.
Your staff enters the Credly Organization ID, Client ID, and Client Secret to connect the two systems.
That’s the one-time account setup. From there, badge configuration happens within your CE21 catalog.
2. Connect a Badge to Your Requirements
When you create or edit a product in CE21, you can select a Credly Badge Template from the templates synced from your Credly account.
You then connect that badge to any credit on the product, as long as the product has at least one Certificate Requirement and Certificate attached to it.
Once those pieces are in place, the product is configured to issue the badge when the learner completes the required steps.
No custom coding is required.
3. Let CE21 Handle the Badge
This is where the administrative work drops away.
When a learner completes the requirements for a program, CE21 communicates with Credly automatically.
Those requirements can include things such as passing a quiz, submitting an evaluation, or meeting attendance requirements.
Credly then emails the learner about the new badge. A first-time Credly user can create or log into an account to accept it, while returning users can configure their account to automatically accept incoming badges.
Staff Can See What’s Happening
Automation is helpful, but staff still need to be able to see what has happened.
In CE21’s Administrative Manager, staff can view a customer’s earned credentials directly from the customer’s profile. Badge records show whether a credential is Pending, Granted, or Revoked.
If a badge needs to be revoked, staff can manage it directly from the record.
Members can also see their own badges in their CE21 account under the Credly Badges tab. Their earned badges appear as visual cards showing the badge and its current status.
The Point Is Less Work, Not More Technology
Digital badging should be something your association can offer members without creating another process for staff to manage.
That’s the advantage of having the Credly workflow inside the same learning management system where your members are already completing courses, earning credits, and meeting program requirements. Once the integration is configured, CE21 can take care of the handoff to Credly as those requirements are completed.
If you’re evaluating a new LMS or association management system and digital credentials are part of your plans, it’s worth asking a simple question: What does my staff actually have to do every time a member earns a badge?
With CE21, the answer can be: not much.