The university language centre as an open-badge issuer: New directions in ESP assessment and accreditation

In the present article, we demonstrate the utility of Open Badge certifications in documenting ESP, EAP and EMI courses. Open Badges are online records of achievement which document field-specific, soft and technical skills. They consist of a visual image and a set of embedded metadata, they are endorsed by the institution which issues them and are recognized at an international level. The information packaged within the badge image file is provided in an open source format and can be shared on social media platforms, as part of an online e-portfolio, as a link on an electronic CV, and on the platform which hosts the Badge. As of 2019, Turin University Language Centre offers Badges in “English for the Social Services” (B1 and B2), “English for Administrative Purposes” (A2, B1 and B2), “Academic Writing and Presentation Skills” (B2 and C1) and “English Medium Instruction” (B2 and C1). We will argue that Open Badge certifications are particularly suited to ESP, since they provide a record of specific hard and soft skills and of innovative teaching and learning practices which go undocumented in conventional certifications and on academic transcripts. We will emphasize the “glocal” quality of these certifications, inasmuch as they are internationally recognized awards tailored by local providers in response to local demands. We will suggest that this perspective is valuable for ESP training. Although ESP learners need to be able to share their credentials on international platforms, using a common language, it is important that we do not lose sight of the specific characteristics of professional activities at a local level. We will further argue that the University Language Centre is, in many ways, ideally suited to issue these kinds of certification.