Key Takeaways:
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Learner success requires more than talent, it needs clarity, proof, and a trusted record.
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Each digital credential standard plays a unique role, but they work best as a team.
As we get ready for the 2026 Winter Olympics, it got us thinking about all the dedication and work the athletes and their teams go through to reach this pinnacle of success.
It isn’t just about talent, although the athletes have plenty of it. It also takes true understanding of their sport and what is required of them, it’s showing their ability to produce results leading up to the world stage, and keeping a record of those achievements so they can lift up the rest of the team. When thinking about it this way, earning medals in the Olympics is a great way to think about how digital credentials support learner success.
In the world of digital credentials, three 1EdTech standards work together like a well-trained Olympic team. Each one plays a different role, but they depend on one another to help learners succeed.
Let’s meet the team!
CASE® — The Course Setter
Most events start with a carefully designed course. Whether it’s a ski run or a skating program, athletes need to know what the course looks like and how they’ll be judged.
CASE (Competencies and Academic Standards Exchange®) is the course setter of the team.
CASE defines the skills, knowledge, and learning goals that matter. It makes sure everyone, schools, learners and employers, agrees on what skills mean and what standards are being used. Because CASE puts these standards into a shared digital format, they can be used across many systems and organizations.
Thanks to CASE, learners aren’t competing on a mystery course. Their achievements are clearly tied to official, trusted standards.
Open Badges 3.0 — The Medal Winner
When athletes finish an event, they earn medals that show what they achieved, and everyone knows what each medal represents.
Open Badges 3.0 are the medal winners of the team.
These digital badges recognize specific achievements and skills. Learners can share them online, on résumés or in digital wallets. Each badge includes details about what the learner did and what skills they demonstrated.
Open Badges 3.0 are secure and hard to fake, so schools and employers can trust them. Learners decide which medals to display and when, giving them control over how they present their accomplishments.
CLR Standard® — The Official Record Keeper
Medals are important, but they don’t tell the whole story. Athletes also have official records that show every event they competed in, their progress, and their full career history.
The Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) Standard is the team’s official record keeper.
A CLR brings together all of a learner’s achievements: courses, badges, certificates, degrees and even learning outside the classroom, into one secure digital record. Over time, learners may have more than one CLR, each showing a different stage of their journey.
CLRs help learners show growth, connections between achievements, and lifelong learning, not just one moment of success.
Stronger Together: A Gold-Medal Team
Each team member has a special role:
- CASE sets the course
- Open Badges award the medals
- CLRs keep the full record
When they work together, learners get a clear, trusted way to show what they know and can do. A learner can earn a badge for a skill, have it tied to official standards through CASE, and store it in their CLR for future opportunities.
That’s how learners train, compete, and stand on the podium with confidence.
Together, this gold medal team helps learners shine today, tomorrow, and throughout their lifelong learning journey.
Build Your Team: 2026 Digital Credentials Summit
Whether you’ve already started training or need to build your team, 1EdTech’’s community is here to help. Join us at the 2026 Digital Credentials Summit in Philadelphia, February 18 - 20, 2026!
View the full agenda and register here: https://www.1edtech.org/event/dc/summit/2026
About the Author
As 1EdTech’s program manager for digital credentials, Rob Coyle is committed to expanding the success of digital credentials with CASE, Open Badges and the Comprehensive Learner Record Standard to support learning and acknowledge the skills and competencies mastered through formal and informal education and life experiences. Rob recognizes the limitless opportunities that arise from meaningful discussions between education institutions, edtech suppliers, and learning providers to understand the needs of all stakeholders.
Rob graduated from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, with a Master of Education degree focused on education administration and edtech administration.
