Recommendation to Require AchievementCredential.awardedDate

[kayaelle]

In previous version of Open Badges, concepts of issuance date and awarded date could be more easily and accurately conflated. Badges were "issued" once as hosted or signed json files when the issuer determined that the badge was earned. Claiming could happen at any time afterwards.

With Open Badges 3.0, a decision may be made by an organization that a badge was earned or conferred ( awarded date) but the badge may not actually issued until it is signed by the issuing application. And a badge may be re-issued many times after it has been awarded.

This can cause confusion in the display of the badge in wallets and applications because an issuance date may not reflect when the badge was earned. In previous versions of open badges, issuance date was typically stable, but will Open Badges 3.0, issuance cate could change and be a date many years after it was earned.

For example, a degree may be conferred (award date) in 2021 but issued on demand to the learner on different dates in 2021, 2022, and 2030. It would make no sense for the app displaying the credential to show that it was issued in 203o when it was earned in 2021. If there isn't an award date available, it has no choice but to display that date.

The recommendation is to require AchievementCredential.awardedDate so that the data can reflect accurate information about when the badge was earned. If the badge is signed on the day that it is awarded and not able to be re-issued at a later time, then the dates would be the same and that would also be accurate.