Julian Prior and Sam Taylor, learning technologists at Southampton Solent University, presented on open digital badges to the Hampshire Branch of the British Computer Society on October 20, 2014. Open badges can recognize skills, motivate goal achievement, and indicate quality. Badges are digital images with attached metadata like issuer, criteria, and expiration date. They can reward transferable skills, give learners control of their data, use an open framework, and recognize skills along a learner's path. Khan Academy, Chicago Summer of Learning, and DigitalMe are some examples of badge issuers. The presenters discussed potential issues with badges and had attendees brainstorm and design their own badge ideas.