Canvas Credentials (formerly Badges) - No Longer Available
Canvas Badges/Canvas Credentials are no longer available as of December 2025
If you are interested in replicating badge or micro-credential functionality within your course or program, please contact LTS@boisestate.edu. The Learning Technology Solutions team is happy to consult with you on alternative approaches and help develop a plan that fits your instructional goals.
How to Access Old Canvas Badges
Log into badges.parchment.com
Follow prompts to access badges
Manual Badging in Canvas
Canvas no longer issues official badges for free, but you can still recognize skills and milestones using assignments, modules, and completion rules. These methods give students clear evidence of achievement without requiring new tools.
Core idea: a badge is just three things
Criteria | Verification | Recognition |
|---|
Criteria | Verification | Recognition |
|---|---|---|
What must be done | Proof it was done | A visible marker students can use |
Canvas can already do all three!
Option 1: Assignment-as-Badge (the simplest illusion)
Best for: One-off badges, skill checks, or milestones
How it works
Create a 0-point or 1-point assignment named something like:
“Badge: Discussion Leader” or “Skill Badge: Data Visualization”In the assignment description:
State badge criteria
Include a small badge image (PNG or JPG)
Use Complete/Incomplete grading
Manually mark Complete when criteria are met
What students see
A clear “earned” item in Grades
A badge image they can screenshot or download
Why this works
Completion status = badge awarded
Gradebook becomes the badge ledger
🪄 Faculty cognitive load: low
Option 2: Module Completion Badges
Best for: Progress-based or pathway badges
How it works
Create a module per badge
Add required items:
Assignment
Quiz
Page with reflection
Set Module Requirements and Prerequisites
Add a final “Badge Award” page with:
Badge image
“You earned this” language
Instructions for saving or sharing
What students see
Visual progress tracking
Locked/unlocked pathways that feel achievement-driven
Why this works
Modules already behave like achievement gates
Completion equals credential, even if informal
🪄 Faculty cognitive load: medium
Option 3: Gradebook Columns as Badge Signals
Best for: Multiple badges in one course
How it works
Create one assignment per badge
Use:
Complete/Incomplete, or
A fixed score (e.g., 100 = earned)
Group them in a dedicated Assignment Group: Badges
Optional: weight at 0% so they don’t affect grades
What students see
A clean “badge row” section in Grades
Clear evidence they can show advisors or employers
Why this works
The Gradebook is durable, exportable, and transparent
Faculty can sort/filter by badge earned
🪄 Faculty cognitive load: low to medium
Option 4: Quizzes as Auto-Check Badges
Best for: Skill verification badges
How it works
Create a quiz aligned to badge criteria
Set a minimum score requirement
Use quiz completion to unlock:
A “Badge Award” page
A follow-up assignment marked Complete
What students see
Immediate feedback
A clean cause-and-effect moment: pass → badge
Why this works
Canvas quizzes already verify mastery
No manual checking once set up
🪄 Faculty cognitive load: medium upfront, low later
Option 5: Badge Gallery Page (the “trophy case”)
Best for: Motivation and visibility
How it works
Create a Page: Course Badges
List all badge images with:
Criteria
“Earned if…” language
For earned badges:
Students upload a screenshot or reflection to a low-stakes assignment
Or faculty unlock a personalized page/module
What students see
A visual inventory of achievements
Something that feels collectible
🪄 Faculty cognitive load: medium, but delightful
Option 6: External Light-Weight Tools (still manual, but shinier)
Best for: Faculty who want shareable artifacts
Google Slides or Docs: badge certificates with names filled in
Google Drive folders: shared credential storage
Canvas stays the verification engine, external tools handle the polish.