Managing your digital badges

You can view the public verification page for your badge. If you share your badge, for example in your CV or LinkedIn, people who click on the badge link will see this page.  

To view the public verification page:

1. Login to your Parchment Digital Badges account. (Opens in new tab.)
2. Go to the My Badges tab.
   • If you are in your personal badge space rather than the University of Edinburgh space, this tab will be named Backpack.
3. Click on the badge you want to view the public verification page for. The badge information page opens.
4. Underneath the name of the badge, click the link to 'View public page'.
5. The public verification page for the badge opens in a new tab. 

The public verification page contains details of who the badge was issued to, when it was issued, if it has been verified, how you earned the badge, and if or when it expires. 

Some digital badges have an option to print a certificate that includes the badge name, your name, issue and expiry dates, and a QR code that links the viewer to the public verification page.  

To save your digital badge as a pdf file for printing:

1. Log in to your Parchment Digital Badges account. (Opens in new tab.)
2. Select the My Badges tab.
3. Find the badge you wish to print a certificate for.
4. Click on the vertical ellipses (three dots) for the badge to get more options.
5. Select Print.
6. Check that the preview of the certificate looks okay.
7. Click the Print button.
8. Follow the prompts to save the pdf file or print to a printer. 

Troubleshooting: 

• If there is a problem with your name on the certificate, you may be able to fix it using the Edit Recipient Name button. If your correct name is not a choice in the list, contact your badge issuer to have the badge re-issued to the correct name.
• If you do not see an option to print the certificate, then it's likely your badge issuer has not enabled this option. 

Your Parchment Digital Badges account may include multiple spaces.  If you are trying to find a badge, one thing to check is that you are in the correct account space to see that badge.  

• Personal account space: View all of your digital badges across your different spaces and manage your account settings.
• University of Edinburgh space: View your University of Edinburgh digital badges. You may also be able to view other badges here if you have made them visible to the University space.
• Other spaces: If you have earned other badges from organisations who also use Parchment Digital Badges, you may also have their space containing those badges. 

To navigate between the account spaces:

1. Log in to your Parchment Digital Badges account. (Opens in new tab.)
2. Click the Select Space tab.
3. From the drop down, choose the space you wish to view.
   1. For the University of Edinburgh, select Organisation under the University space heading.
   2. For your personal account, select Account under the Parchment Digital Badges Personal heading.

The spaces are organised similarly to each other. The main differences is that the My Badges area of the University space is called the Backpack in your personal account space.  

To create a collection:

1. If you are in the University of Edinburgh badge space, use the Select Space tab to switch to your personal account in Parchment Digital Badges.
2. Select the Backpack tab.
3. Select the Collections tab.
4. Click Create Collection.
5. Give your collection a name and short description explaining the theme of the collection.
6. Then click Create.

To add badges to a collection:

1. From inside the collection, click the Add Badge button.
2. Put a tick or check mark to select each badge you want to include in the collection.
3. Then click Add.
4. The badges you selected appear in your collection.

To share a collection:

1. Use the Select Space tab to go to your personal account space in Parchment Digital Badges.
2. Select the Backpack tab and then the Collections tab.
3. Open the collection you wish to share.
4. If the collection is listed as private, click the button to Make It Public.
5. Then click Share.
6. A panel opens with options to share the collection as a link, HTML embed, or via social media or LinkedIn.
   • For more information about these sharing options, see our guidance on Sharing Your Badge.
   • Note that collections can only be shared to LinkedIn and social media as a post in your feed. They cannot be shared to your LinkedIn profile at this time. 

To remove badges from a collection:

1. Use the Select Space tab to go to your personal account space in Canvas Credentials.
2. Select the Backpack tab and then the Collections tab.
3. Open the collection you wish to remove a badge from.
4. On the badge image card, select the vertical ellipses (three dots).
5. Click Remove from Collection. 

To edit the name and description of a collection:

1. Use the Select Space tab to go to your personal account space in Canvas Credentials.
2. Select the Backpack tab and then the Collections tab.
3. Open the collection you wish to edit.
4. Select Edit.
5. Make any changes to the collection name and description.
6. Click Save. 

To delete a collection:

1. Use the Select Space tab to go to your personal account space in Canvas Credentials.
2. Select the Backpack tab and then the Collections tab.
3. Find the collection you wish to delete.
4. Select the vertical ellipses (three dots).
5. Select Delete.
6. Follow the prompts to confirm you want to delete the collection. 

You may have open digital badges you have earned outside of the University that you would like to add to your Parchment Digital Badges account.

To manually upload an open digital badge:

1. Download the digital badge file from its other location. Keep it saved as the file type it downloaded as (e.g., PNG, SVG, etc.).
2. Log in to your Parchment Digital Badges account.
3. Go to the My Badges tab.
4. Select the Others tab to add a non-University of Edinburgh badge.
5. Click the Add Badge button.
6. An Import Badge panel opens.
7. Upload your badge file in the file upload area.
8. Click Import.
9. Check the badge appears in your My Badges area.
10. If the added badge does not appear in the My Badges area, choose the Select Space tab and change to your personal account space. Then check the Backpack tab. 

If you do not have a digital badge file downloaded or if the downloaded file doesn't import correctly, you can also try adding the badge in other ways. The badge import panel offers options to use the badge's URL link in the other badge management tool or to use the JSON code, which can often be downloaded from the other badge management tool.  

Note that the badge must be an open digital badge to be added to your account. Some digital badges may be proprietary and not transferrable between badge management tools. 

You can download your open digital badges for use offline, for backup storage, or to move between digital badge management tools. 

To download your digital badge:

1. Log in to your Parchment Digital Badges account and go to the My Badges space.
2. Find the badge image and click the vertical ellipses (three dots) to see a drop-down menu of more options.
3. Select Download.
4. The badge will download to your device as a ‘PNG’ file. 

Be sure to keep the downloaded badge as a PNG file to maintain the metadata (information) contained within the badge. This is the data that can be used to verify the badge. 

There may be times when you wish to remove a badge from your account, such as for an expired badge.

If you choose to remove a current badge from your account, it's a good idea to download the badge first so that you have a backup file if you wish to use the badge in the future. 

To remove a badge from your account:

1. Log in to your Parchment Digital Badges account and select the My Badges tab.
2. Find the badge image and click the vertical ellipses (three dots) to see a drop-down menu of more options.
3. Select Remove.
4. Confirm you wish to remove the badge by clicking the Remove button.

At times, you may wish to add email addresses to your account:

• It's a good idea to always have a personal email address on the account as well as work and school emails. This will help you maintain access to your badges even after graduation or moving on.
• If you earn a badge that is issued to another email address, you will need to add that email address to your account in order to view and manage the badge. 

Note that to add an email, you will need access to the email account to receive a verification code. 

To add an email address:

1. Log in to your Parchment Digital Badges account and choose the Select Space tab.
2. Under Parchment Digital Badges Personal, choose Account.
3. Click your name at the top and, in the panel that opens, choose Account settings.
4. Find the section titled Account emails.
5. Click the Add email button.
6. Enter the email address you'd like to add and click Continue.
7. Check your email for the verification code, enter it, and select Verify.
8. Check the list of account emails to make sure the added email appears in the list. 

The email marked 'primary' in your account emails is the email you use to log in to your Parchment Digital Badges account. There may be times when you need to change this. 

For example, if you have been using your work or school email to log in, and you are graduating or moving on, you need to change the primary email for login to your personal email address.  If you lose access to the primary email for login, you may lose access to your account and digital badges. 

To change the primary email for login on your account: 

1. Log in to your Parchment Digital Badges account and choose the Select Space tab.
2. Under Parchment Digital Badges Personal, choose Account.
3. Click your name at the top and, in the panel that opens, choose Account settings.
4. Find the section titled Account emails.
5. Locate the email address you wish to make the primary email for login.
6. Click the vertical ellipses (three dots) for that email address.
7. Select Make primary.
8. Check the account emails list to make sure this email address is now marked as 'primary'.

At times you may wish to remove an email address from your account. Please be aware that if you remove an email address, the digital badges that were issued to that email address will no longer appear in your account. 

To remove an email address:

1. Log in to your Parchment Digital Badges account and choose the Select Space tab.
2. Under Parchment Digital Badges Personal, choose Account.
3. Click your name at the top and, in the panel that opens, choose Account settings.
4. Find the section titled Account emails.
5. Locate the email address you wish to remove.
6. Click the vertical ellipses (three dots) for that email address to see more options.
7. Select Remove.
8. Confirm you wish to delete this email address by clicking Delete email. Again, be aware that this will remove any badges associated with this email address.
9. Check the account emails list to make sure the email address was deleted. 

Your account settings can be found in the personal space of your Parchment Digital Badges account and include items such as personal information, password settings, emails, and linked accounts.

To access your account settings:

1. Log in to your Parchment Digital Badges account and choose the Select Space tab.
2. Under Parchment Digital Badges Personal, choose Account.
3. Click your name at the top and, in the panel that opens, choose Account settings. 

Personal information in your account includes your first name, last name and occupation or job title. 

To update your personal information in your account:

1. Log in to your Parchment Digital Badges account and choose the Select Space tab.
2. Under Parchment Digital Badges Personal, choose Account.
3. Click your name at the top and, in the panel that opens, choose Account settings.
4. Click the button to Edit personal information.
5. Make any changes to your name or occupation/job title.
6. Click Save. 

You should only use the Parchment Digital Badges account settings to change your password if you use a basic email login. 

If your primary email is set to a University login, or if you are logging in with a linked account like Google or Microsoft, you should change the password in that provider, not in the Parchment account settings. 

To change your password for basic email login in to this account:

1. Log in to your Parchment Digital Badges account and choose the Select Space tab.
2. Under Parchment Digital Badges Personal, choose Account.
3. Click your name at the top and, in the panel that opens, choose Account settings.
4. Click the Set password button.
5. Select the email address you will use for the password reset process from the dropdown menu.
6. Check your email for a verification code.
7. Enter the verification code and click Verify.
8. Type in your new password and confirm it by entering it again.
9. Select Reset password. 

You can link your Parchment Digital Badges digital badges account to certain social media and other accounts, such as a Google or Microsoft account. 

If you are a University of Edinburgh student or staff member, you will also see your University account linked to your Parchment Digital Badges account. This is what allows you to log in using your University login information.

To link an account:

1. Log in to your Parchment Digital Badges account and choose the Select Space tab.
2. Under Parchment Digital Badges Personal, choose Account.
3. Click your name at the top and, in the panel that opens, choose Account settings.
4. Find the section titled Linked accounts.
5. You can choose from certain accounts by clicking the appropriate button.
   • For example, to link your LinkedIn account, click the LinkedIn button.
6. Log in to the other platform when asked to do so.
   • For example, if you clicked LinkedIn, you will be asked to enter your LinkedIn login information.
7. Read the confirmation message about exactly which information Parchment Digital Badges will receive from the other platform.
8. Click Allow if you wish to proceed. 

If you later wish to unlink the accounts, simply click the Unlink option beside the account and follow the prompts. 

If you have accidentally created two Parchment Digital Badges accounts, you can link them (as described above) or merge them. Merging the two accounts copies your badges from one account into another and before removing that account. 

Merging accounts is not reversible, so generally we recommend linking two accounts where possible. However, there may be situations where merging accounts is necessary.

When you merge accounts, make sure you start the merge process from the account you wish to keep as your primary email and login account. 

To merge two Parchment Digital Badges accounts:

1. Log in to the Parchment Digital Badges account you wish to keep as the primary account login.
2. Choose the Select Space tab.
3. Under Parchment Digital Badges Personal, choose Account.
4. Click your name at the top and, in the panel that opens, choose Account settings.
5. Find the section titled Merge accounts.
6. Click the Merge account button.
7. Enter the email address you use to login to the other account.  The email address you enter here will have its account merged into the account that you have open.
8. Check the email address you entered for a verification code.
9. Enter the verification code and click Continue.
10. Read the merge accounts message to make sure you are merging the accounts as planned.
11. Click Merge User.
12. A confirmation message will pop up to indicate if the merge was successful. 

If you wish to delete your Parchment Digital Badges account, you can do so in the Account settings. 

It's a good idea to first download your digital badges. You can keep the files as backup or to add to another open digital badge management tool at a later time. For guidance around downloading badges, see the section on managing your badges on this page. 

If you later decide to re-create your Parchment Digital Badges account, badges awarded by the University will be restored (as long as the email address they were issued to can be added to the account). Badges issued outside of Parchment Digital Badges will be lost and will need to be added again if you wish to use them with the account. 

Note that to delete your account, you will need access to the account's primary email address. 

To delete your account:

1. Log in to the Parchment Digital Badges account you wish to keep as the primary account login.
2. Choose the Select Space tab.
3. Under Parchment Digital Badges Personal, choose Account.
4. Click your name at the top and, in the panel that opens, choose Account settings.
5. Find the section titled Delete account.
6. Click the Delete my account button.
7. Check your email for a verification code.
8. Enter the verification code when prompted and click Verify.
9. Read the account deletion message carefully.
10. If you still wish to delete your account, enter the primary email address for the account and click Confirm.