InfoZign: Ehime University Micro-credential Research Group Adopts Open Badge Factory – Digitally Certifying Grassroots Community Activities
InfoZign Inc. announced that the Ehime University Micro-credential Research Group has adopted the digital badge issuance platform "Open Badge Factory." This initiative has launched a proof-of-concept for "low-stake badges," which digitally certify grassroots community activities like disaster drills and volunteer work, confirming high acceptance of digital certification.
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- 📰 Published: May 8, 2026 at 00:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 7, 2026 at 15:32
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 7, 2026 at 18:01 (2h 29m after Collected)
InfoZign Inc. (Headquarters: Taito-ku, Tokyo) announced that the "Ehime University Micro-credential Research Group," led by Professor Eiji Tomida of the Faculty of Education, Ehime University, adopted "Open Badge Factory," a digital badge issuance and management platform compliant with the international standard Open Badges 3.0, in February 2026.
The group has commenced a proof-of-concept for "low-stake badges," which visualize and certify "small-scale community activities that were traditionally difficult to prove," such as participation in disaster drills and volunteer work, using digital badges. At the inaugural issuance seminar on March 21, 2026, badges were issued to 53 out of 69 participants, and almost all high school students immediately accessed QR codes on their smartphones, confirming a high level of acceptance for digital certification.
Joint seminar with Kagawa University held on March 21, 2026 (69 participants)
Eiji Tomida, Ph.D. (Psychology), Professor, Faculty of Education, Ehime University / Graduate School of Regional Resilience / Data Science Center, etc.
■ Background of Adoption – What are "Low-Stake Badges"?
Low-stake badges are an initiative to visualize and certify activities that, while not possessing high authority like official qualifications or degrees (high-stake), are genuinely meaningful for local communities and individual growth, as open badges. In his previous research, Professor Tomida has consistently questioned the value of "small-scale activities that were traditionally difficult to prove," such as participation in disaster drills, volunteering at food pantries, and contributing to local hackathons.
Ehime University has seen a growing issuance of open badges in recent years, and this research group independently adopted Open Badge Factory to create an environment where trials could be conducted agilely as research, without going through the university's overall decision-making process. OBF was chosen because it complies with international standards and supports automated issuance via API.
■ Results of Initial Issuance: Conducted at a seminar with 69 participants
On Saturday, March 21, 2026, the first issuance of participation certificates was conducted at the joint seminar "Educational Psychology Useful for School for High School Students" (Kagawa University Faculty of Education Lecture Room 412), a collaborative project between Kagawa University Faculty of Education and Ehime University Faculty of Education.
Seminar Overview:
Number of participants: 69 (high school students, guardians, teachers)
Number of badges issued: 53
Number of badges received: 32
The badges were intentionally issued manually to gain insights for future automated issuance system development by experiencing the entire issuance flow. When presenting the badges, almost all high school students immediately accessed the QR code on their smartphones, confirming a high level of acceptance for digital certification.
Quoted from materials presented at a panel session at the Active Learning Society held on March 22, 2026 (figures as of March 22)
■ System of "Low-Stake Badges": 12-Quadrant Matrix
Professor Tomida proposes the "12-Quadrant Matrix," a framework for systematically classifying and certifying diverse local learning and activities. By combining three axes – "Space (on-site vs. remote)," "Time (synchronous vs. asynchronous)," and "Subject (self vs. others vs. objects)" – a badge system capable of accommodating all types of community activities is constructed.
[Examples of Use]
"On-site, Synchronous, Others": Interaction with local residents during disaster drills, participation in local hackathons
"Remote, Asynchronous, Objects": Reporting dangerous locations on hazard maps, completion of online learning
(Reference) Tomida & Kawamura (2026) "Functions of Low-Stake Badges Connecting Local Potential to Deep Learning Through Universities," Bulletin of the Center for Science Education, Faculty of Education, Ehime University, Vol. 5
■ Future Developments
As an immediate key project, collaboration is progressing with the NPO "Specified Non-profit Organization U.grandma Japan" in Uwajima City. A system is currently being built to automatically issue open badges via the OBF API to volunteers who have handled each process of bringing in, sorting, and delivering food to food pantries, upon completion of their tasks.
Automated issuance of open badges via API for local NPO activities is rare in Japan as of 2026, and this group's initiative is attracting attention as a pioneering case.
■ Reasons for Adopting Open Badge Factory
Compatibility with API, meeting the requirements for building an automated issuance system
Comprehensive web-based issuance management tools, allowing the research group to conduct trials quickly
Prompt and courteous support from staff
■ Organization Overview (Adopting Organization)
Organization Name: Ehime University Micro-credential Research Group (Professor Eiji Tomida Laboratory, Faculty of Education, Ehime University)
Location: Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture
Website: https://tomidalab.com
Adopted Solution: Open Badge Issuance System Open
The group has commenced a proof-of-concept for "low-stake badges," which visualize and certify "small-scale community activities that were traditionally difficult to prove," such as participation in disaster drills and volunteer work, using digital badges. At the inaugural issuance seminar on March 21, 2026, badges were issued to 53 out of 69 participants, and almost all high school students immediately accessed QR codes on their smartphones, confirming a high level of acceptance for digital certification.
Joint seminar with Kagawa University held on March 21, 2026 (69 participants)
Eiji Tomida, Ph.D. (Psychology), Professor, Faculty of Education, Ehime University / Graduate School of Regional Resilience / Data Science Center, etc.
■ Background of Adoption – What are "Low-Stake Badges"?
Low-stake badges are an initiative to visualize and certify activities that, while not possessing high authority like official qualifications or degrees (high-stake), are genuinely meaningful for local communities and individual growth, as open badges. In his previous research, Professor Tomida has consistently questioned the value of "small-scale activities that were traditionally difficult to prove," such as participation in disaster drills, volunteering at food pantries, and contributing to local hackathons.
Ehime University has seen a growing issuance of open badges in recent years, and this research group independently adopted Open Badge Factory to create an environment where trials could be conducted agilely as research, without going through the university's overall decision-making process. OBF was chosen because it complies with international standards and supports automated issuance via API.
■ Results of Initial Issuance: Conducted at a seminar with 69 participants
On Saturday, March 21, 2026, the first issuance of participation certificates was conducted at the joint seminar "Educational Psychology Useful for School for High School Students" (Kagawa University Faculty of Education Lecture Room 412), a collaborative project between Kagawa University Faculty of Education and Ehime University Faculty of Education.
Seminar Overview:
Number of participants: 69 (high school students, guardians, teachers)
Number of badges issued: 53
Number of badges received: 32
The badges were intentionally issued manually to gain insights for future automated issuance system development by experiencing the entire issuance flow. When presenting the badges, almost all high school students immediately accessed the QR code on their smartphones, confirming a high level of acceptance for digital certification.
Quoted from materials presented at a panel session at the Active Learning Society held on March 22, 2026 (figures as of March 22)
■ System of "Low-Stake Badges": 12-Quadrant Matrix
Professor Tomida proposes the "12-Quadrant Matrix," a framework for systematically classifying and certifying diverse local learning and activities. By combining three axes – "Space (on-site vs. remote)," "Time (synchronous vs. asynchronous)," and "Subject (self vs. others vs. objects)" – a badge system capable of accommodating all types of community activities is constructed.
[Examples of Use]
"On-site, Synchronous, Others": Interaction with local residents during disaster drills, participation in local hackathons
"Remote, Asynchronous, Objects": Reporting dangerous locations on hazard maps, completion of online learning
(Reference) Tomida & Kawamura (2026) "Functions of Low-Stake Badges Connecting Local Potential to Deep Learning Through Universities," Bulletin of the Center for Science Education, Faculty of Education, Ehime University, Vol. 5
■ Future Developments
As an immediate key project, collaboration is progressing with the NPO "Specified Non-profit Organization U.grandma Japan" in Uwajima City. A system is currently being built to automatically issue open badges via the OBF API to volunteers who have handled each process of bringing in, sorting, and delivering food to food pantries, upon completion of their tasks.
Automated issuance of open badges via API for local NPO activities is rare in Japan as of 2026, and this group's initiative is attracting attention as a pioneering case.
■ Reasons for Adopting Open Badge Factory
Compatibility with API, meeting the requirements for building an automated issuance system
Comprehensive web-based issuance management tools, allowing the research group to conduct trials quickly
Prompt and courteous support from staff
■ Organization Overview (Adopting Organization)
Organization Name: Ehime University Micro-credential Research Group (Professor Eiji Tomida Laboratory, Faculty of Education, Ehime University)
Location: Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture
Website: https://tomidalab.com
Adopted Solution: Open Badge Issuance System Open