01 · STRUCTURE
Capture the recognition
Represent the credential as structured information rather than relying only on a rendered certificate.
04 / RECOGNITION PATHWAYS
Make recognition portable, structured and verifiable.
Digital Credentials turn an Academy recognition record into a structured digital representation that can be carried, shared and verified beyond the platform.
Structured Recognition
Portable
Verifiable
Evidence-Linked
The digital credential layer
The recognition becomes data as well as a document.
Astraal Academy's Digital Credentials layer is designed to make recognition useful across systems and contexts. The learner should be able to present an achievement while authorised recipients can understand what it represents and verify its provenance.
A digital credential is not a stronger claim merely because it is digital. Its trust comes from defined achievement, issuer authority, identity assurance, evidence context and verification.
02 · CONNECT
Link the evidence context
Maintain appropriate relationships to the programme, assessment, capability evidence or experience behind the recognition.
03 · VERIFY
Make authenticity checkable
Provide a controlled verification path through which the credential's status and provenance can be confirmed.
Digital credential lifecycle
From achievement to portable proof.
01
Establish
Confirm the achievement and its recognition conditions.
02
Issue
Create the authorised credential record.
03
Structure
Represent identity, achievement and context digitally.
04
Verify
Enable controlled authenticity and status checking.
05
Share
Allow the learner to present the credential appropriately.
06
Maintain
Reflect corrections, status changes and lifecycle events.
Credential anatomy
A useful digital credential carries context with the claim.
Identity
Who earned it?
Verified recipient identity associated with the credential and the applicable identity assurance process.
Achievement
What was earned?
Defined programme, certificate, badge or other recognised achievement represented by the credential.
Issuer
Who recognised it?
Authorised Academy issuer or issuing authority associated with the recognition.
Criteria
What were the conditions?
The relevant achievement, completion, assessment or participation criteria behind the recognition.
Evidence
What supports it?
Appropriate links or references to supporting evidence and provenance without exposing unnecessary personal information.
Status
Is it current?
Issue state and applicable lifecycle information such as active, corrected, superseded or revoked where relevant.
Digital credential record
The visible credential and the authoritative record should remain connected.
The learner may see a compact digital credential. The Academy needs a richer underlying record so that the meaning and provenance of the recognition can be maintained.
Credential ID
Unique identifier for the digital credential and its associated recognition record.
Recipient identity
Verified learner identity associated with the credential.
Credential type
Programme credential, certificate, badge or other defined recognition type.
Achievement
The defined achievement represented by the credential.
Criteria
Applicable completion, assessment or achievement conditions.
Issuer
Authorised Academy issuer and relevant issuing authority.
Evidence links
Appropriate references to supporting evidence, portfolio work or verification records.
Status
Current lifecycle state and relevant issue or status-change information.
Illustrative digital credential
Astraal Academy · Applied AI Capability
Issued to a verified learner following defined programme and assessment requirements. The credential presents the achievement while retaining structured context for verification and evidence linkage.
VERIFIABLE · ACTIVE
Portability
Portable does not mean uncontrolled.
Learners should be able to carry recognition into professional contexts while retaining control over when and how personal information and supporting evidence are shared.
Learner-controlled
The learner should have appropriate agency over presenting and sharing their credentials.
Context-aware
Recipients should be able to understand what the credential represents before relying on it.
Evidence-linked
Where appropriate, the recognition can point toward supporting evidence without exposing everything by default.
Verifiable
Authenticity and current status should be checkable through an appropriate verification mechanism.
Where digital credentials can travel
One recognition can serve several professional contexts.
LEARNER PROFILE
Professional identity
Present selected verified achievements as part of the learner's broader professional identity.
PORTFOLIO
Evidence context
Connect recognition with relevant projects, artefacts and demonstrated capability.
OPPORTUNITY
Career and project contexts
Share appropriate proof when applying for jobs, projects, fellowships, apprenticeships or other opportunities.
Trust & governance
Digital form does not remove the need for governance.
Issuer authority
Credentials should originate from authorised Academy processes and issuers.
Identity assurance
The credential should be associated with the correct learner identity.
Evidence integrity
Claims should remain connected to the evidence and conditions that support them.
Privacy by design
Verification should expose only information appropriate to the purpose and permissions.
Status integrity
Changes to credential status should be reflected in the authoritative record.
Clear claims
The digital credential should never imply capability, employment or recognition beyond what was actually established.
Connection to the learner journey
Digital Credentials become the portable proof layer of the journey.
01 · LEARN
Learning creates achievement context
Learning outcomes and programme activity provide the foundation for recognition where defined.
02 · BUILD + OPPORTUNITIES
Experience creates evidence
Applied work and real-world experience can provide relevant supporting evidence when the programme or credential design calls for it.
03 · CREDENTIALS
Recognition becomes portable
The digital credential makes the recognised achievement structured, shareable and verifiable.
Credentials ecosystem
From achievement to trusted digital proof.
01 · ACHIEVEMENTWhat was established
02 · RECORDWhat was recognised
03 · DIGITAL CREDENTIALPortable proof
04 · VERIFICATIONWhat can be checked