At 2026 Badge Summit, University of Phoenix leader shares strategies for meaningful digital credentials

Director of Microcredentials and Innovation Credential Strategy Cate Tolnai led sessions exploring employer-informed microcredentials, veterans' skills and the University's million-badge journey

PHOENIX, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- University of Phoenix announces that Cate Tolnai, Director, Microcredentials and Innovation Credentials Strategy, led three sessions exploring employer-informed microcredentials, veterans' skills and the University's million-badge journey at the 2026 Badge Summit, held July 13–15 at the University of Colorado Boulder and virtually on August 4.

Tolnai joined education and workforce leaders to examine how institutions can design digital credentials that make assessed skills more visible, meaningful and useful to learners and employers. Her sessions addressed the signals communicated by microcredentials, the experiences of veterans translating military learning into civilian contexts, and lessons from University of Phoenix's journey to issuing more than 1 million digital badges.

Now in its 11th year, the Badge Summit brings together leaders and practitioners from K-12 education, higher education, workforce development, industry, government, nonprofit and cultural organizations to advance digital credentials, Open Badges and Learning and Employment Records.

Making microcredentials meaningful to learners and employers

During the Badgesplaining talk, "Microcredentials, Major Shrug: What Are We Really Signaling?" Tolnai examined a central challenge facing the credentialing community: While many microcredentials recognize that learning has occurred, they do not always communicate what a learner is prepared to do next.

The session explored how institutions can move beyond credentials that simply acknowledge participation or completion by incorporating employer perspectives, assessed competencies and forward-looking design. These elements can help transform a microcredential into a clearer and more differentiating signal of a learner's capabilities.

"Digital credentials should do more than document that learning happened — they should help learners clearly communicate what they know, what they can do and how those capabilities connect to what comes next," said Tolnai. "When institutions incorporate assessment evidence, employer voice and learner needs into credential design, badges can become trusted signals that give individuals greater agency in telling their learning and skills stories."

Making veterans' skills more visible

Tolnai co-led with Sanjana Seth, senior manager at Jobs for the Future (JFF), the session, "When Skills Become Visible: Veterans' Stories from the Field," which centered the experiences of veterans navigating the transition between military service, education and civilian employment.

The discussion explored how digital credentials and skills-based approaches can help individuals identify, validate and communicate capabilities developed through military service and other learning experiences. By making those competencies more visible and portable, credentialing systems can help veterans articulate the value of their experience in language that educational institutions and employers can more readily understand.

The session reinforced the importance of designing credential systems around the learner's complete experience rather than limiting recognition to traditional academic pathways.

Sharing lessons from more than 1 million digital badges

In "Our Million Badge Story: A Game-Based Badging Adventure," Tolnai led an interactive exploration of what it takes to build and scale a large digital credential ecosystem.

Rather than presenting a traditional case study, the session invited participants to navigate decisions, challenges and tradeoffs drawn from the evolution of digital badging at University of Phoenix. Topics included credential governance, assessment, technology, learner engagement, institutional collaboration and the operational considerations involved in moving from an initial credentialing concept to a sustainable ecosystem.

University of Phoenix announced in March that it had issued its 1 millionth digital badge. The milestone reflects the University's multiyear investment in skills-aligned curriculum and credentials designed to help working adults translate learning into clear, shareable evidence of assessed capabilities.

Digital badges at University of Phoenix are grounded in demonstrated skills rather than participation alone. They are supported by faculty oversight, cross-functional governance, labor market information and industry engagement. Learners can share earned badges through professional networking platforms, digital portfolios and online resumés.

Connecting learning, assessment and career-relevant skills

Tolnai's participation at the Badge Summit reflects the University's broader approach to developing learning experiences that connect curriculum, assessment and skills recognition.

Associate, Bachelor's and master's degree programs at University of Phoenix include career-relevant skills sought by employers. As learners complete courses, they acquire skills which may be added to their professional profiles, allowing them to document progress throughout their educational journey rather than waiting until graduation to communicate what they have learned.

The University offers nearly 200 digital badge opportunities across undergraduate, graduate and professional development courses. Some badges are also organized into structured pathways that demonstrate how related competencies build over time.

"Scaling a credential ecosystem requires more than technology," Tolnai said. "It requires shared standards, thoughtful governance, faculty engagement and a consistent focus on what will provide genuine value to learners. The Badge Summit gives practitioners an important space to share what is working, examine unresolved challenges and collaborate on a more connected credentialing ecosystem."

About the 2026 Badge Summit

The Badge Summit is an annual gathering focused on digital badge credentials, microcredentials, Open Badges and Learning and Employment Records. The event convenes participants from education, workforce, industry, government, nonprofit and cultural organizations to share emerging practices, explore credential interoperability and advance equitable, learner-centered approaches to skills recognition.

The 2026 event included Badgesplaining presentations, Table Talks, interactive sessions and collaborative experiences designed to support practical problem-solving and cross-sector learning. A virtual Badge Summit featuring prerecorded and live sessions took place Aug. 4.

Learn more through the 2026 Badge Summit program and the Badge Summit website.

About University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix is Built for Real Life. 50 Years Strong. The University innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world through flexible online learning, relevant courses, academic AI pillars, and skills-mapped curriculum for associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs. Active students and alumni have access to Career Services for Life® resources including career guidance and tools. For more information, visit phoenix.edu.

SOURCE University of Phoenix