Napster Learn includes a built-in badge system that recognises and rewards learner progress automatically. Badges are awarded based on the type of content completed and the level of engagement achieved.
How badges work
Badges are earned automatically as learners complete courses, skills, and sessions. Admins can also create custom badge templates with specific rules. Every badge has two defining properties: the assigned object (what type of content it is for) and the award meaning (what level of achievement it represents).
Assigned object types (shape)
| Type | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Course | A single course |
| Curriculum | A multi-course learning track |
| Pulse Session | A live AI conversation session |
| Simulation | A practice scenario or role-play simulation |
Award meaning types (colour)
| Award | What it means |
|---|---|
| Participation | The learner started and engaged with the content |
| Achievement | The learner hit a meaningful milestone (e.g. halfway completion) |
| Completion | The learner finished the content |
| Mastery | A skill has been validated at depth — the learner demonstrated genuine competence |
The leveling system
For Course badges, the platform uses an automatic leveling system: a learner's badge tier rises progressively as they engage with the content — Participation when they start, Achievement at the halfway milestone, and Completion when they finish. No manual award is required.
Skills validated by badges
Each badge can have up to 8 skills associated with it. When a learner earns the badge, those skills are added to their Talent Profile, providing a verifiable record of competency development.
Auto-generated vs. custom badges
- Auto-generated — published courses, curriculums, and simulations get a badge automatically. No admin action needed.
- Custom — admins can create bespoke badge templates with specific rules, names, emoji or letter glyphs, and custom skill associations.
Creating a custom badge (Admin)
- Go to Content → Badges → New Badge.
- Select the Assigned Object (Course, Curriculum, Pulse Session, or Simulation).
- Select the Award Meaning (Participation, Achievement, Completion, or Mastery).
- Enter a Badge Name (up to 60 characters).
- Choose a Glyph — an emoji (preferred) or letter fallback rendered in the award colour.
- Add up to 8 Skills Validated by this badge.
- Pick the specific course, curriculum, or session this badge is tied to.
- Click Create badge.
Where learners see their badges
Badges appear in the learner's Talent Profile under the Badges tab, and are summarised in the Overview tab as part of their learning snapshot. Badges can be shared externally.
See also: Skills Recognition and Career Growth in Napster Learn for Enterprise