Instructure Acquires Concentric Sky, Adds Badges to Learning Platform
Instructure has announced the acquisition of Concentric Sky, maker of the Badgr digital credentialing platform.
Badgr is currently the default micro-credentialing tool within Instructure's Canvas learning management system. With the merger, Badgr will be fully integrated into Canvas and rebranded as "Canvas Badges." In addition, the Badgr Pro tool suite will be available to Canvas customers as a paid upgrade, offering unlimited badging, leaderboards, analytics and personalized pathway progress visualizations in a bundle called "Canvas Credentials."
Canvas Credentials will enable institutions to "seamlessly award badges that verify and track academic achievements, including competency-based education," the company explained in a news announcement. With the stackable, shareable credentials, students will be able to track their personalized learning journeys and carry proof of their competencies and skills development.
"We know colleges and universities are seeking innovative new ways to support non-traditional learners and that those students want greater agency to demonstrate skills and achievements to potential employers," said Steve Daly, CEO of Instructure, in a statement. "With Badgr, the Concentric Sky team has developed the gold standard for verifiable, skill-aligned micro-credentials, fast becoming the currency between learning outcomes and employment opportunities. This deal enables us to continue to expand the Instructure Learning Platform to support the evolving needs of all types of educational institutions and the diverse student populations they serve."
"From day one we've been focused on helping learning organizations connect people to opportunities and delivering a more equitable future by changing the way the world recognizes achievement," commented Wayne Skipper, founder and CEO of Concentric Sky. "The power of the Instructure Learning Platform is its commitment to openness and equity, and our two companies share a fundamental belief in the importance of open technology standards for advancing equity in education. Instructure has demonstrated a strong desire to carry that work forward and I feel confident that together we can accelerate our mission to advance learning at every level."
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Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].