Digital Badges
Improve your knowledge and gain experiences that enhance your education. Get the employment edge with digital badges.
Why are Badges important?
- Digital badges provide important learning outcomes beyond the classroom
- Badge requirements help you explore areas you might not have during your degree
- Through digital badges you achieve credit for your skills and experience-based learning
- Improve your digital professional profile and add badges to your LinkedIn profile, resumé, or online portfolio to highlight specific abilities that can give you an edge in the job market
1. Research Communications (Knowledge Mobilization) Digital Badge
The Research Communications (Knowledge Mobilization) digital badge recognizes demonstrated skill in communicating research clearly, ethically, and effectively to both specialist and non-specialist audiences. Earners of this badge have developed written, visual, and oral communication competencies commonly required in (research-based) roles across academic, government, nonprofit, and industry settings.
Through applied training and performance-based presentations, badge earners demonstrate the ability to translate complex research into plain language, develop professional research visuals, and deliver confident public presentations. They also show competency in applying knowledge mobilization strategies to ensure research findings are accessible, usable, and impactful beyond the academic environment and beyond.
This badge reflects that the earner can communicate research clearly across classrooms, conferences, and public settings.
There are two ways to earn this Digital Badge:
The Summer Research Institute (SRI) is a signature professional development series hosted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at the University of Regina. Designed for both undergraduate and graduate student researchers, the SRI runs from May through August and offers a blend of online and in-person workshops that help students strengthen their research skills, build confidence, and connect with the wider research community.
Throughout the summer, participants explore core competencies essential to academic research:
• academic and ethical research practices
• literature searching and review skills
• effective communication and presentation techniques
• Indigenous research methodologies (community-based research)
• tools, platforms, and strategies that support high-quality, responsible research
By attending workshops and engaging with peers, students gain practical skills, broaden their understanding of research in different disciplines, and prepare for future study, publication, or professional opportunities.
The SRI is not just a summer program—it’s the beginning of your journey as a researcher in our academic community. As you build skills and confidence, we invite you to take the next step and share your work beyond the program.
SRI participants are especially encouraged to present at the Student Research Showcase during Research Week in October. This event offers a supportive and engaging environment to display your poster, talk about your research, and connect with fellow students, faculty, and staff from across the university. Poster presenters will also be invited to participate in the UR Taste of Research celebration held in early November—a vibrant evening recognizing student research excellence across campus.
These opportunities extend the impact of your summer work and allow you to carry forward the momentum you’ve built throughout the SRI.
To earn the Research Communications Badge for the Summer Research Institute program, you must:
- Attend minimum 3 of the 6 workshops including the Knowledge Mobilization workshop (live in-person or via zoom (as available)).
- Participate in the Presentation & Feedback Session at the end of the program, by doing the 5 minutes presentation and developing a poster (as a slide), following the rubric, answering judges’ questions, and receiving judges’ feedback.
Time: 3 - 6 hours (workshops) + 3 hours (Presentation Session) + presentation prep time (5 hours)
Upon earning this Digital Badge, you will have earned the following skills:
- Open & Transparent Communication Practices
- Critical Information Analysis
- Research-Based Visual Storytelling
- Ethical AI Application in Communication
- Inclusive & Ethical Community-Based Communication
- Public Speaking & Presentation Delivery
- Knowledge Translation for Public Audiences
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition is a signature research communication initiative hosted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at the University of Regina. Designed for thesis-based master’s and doctoral students, the 3MT helps emerging scholars strengthen their ability to share their research clearly, confidently, and compellingly with a broad audience.
Throughout the competition season, students participate in information sessions, workshops, and coaching opportunities that build core skills essential to effective knowledge mobilization, including:
- distilling complex ideas into clear, accessible language
• structuring a short, memorable, audience-focused message
• designing simple, high-impact visual slides
• developing confidence and presence as a speaker
• communicating the value, relevance, and impact of their research
By engaging in these activities, students gain practical communication skills, deepen their understanding of how to share research beyond their discipline, and build confidence that supports future conference presentations, defenses, job talks, and public outreach.
The 3MT is more than a competition—it is a transformative opportunity to grow as a researcher and communicator within our academic community. Each stage of the process is designed to support students as they refine their message and strengthen their ability to make their research matter to others.
As an added benefit, 3MT finalists receive a special bonus opportunity: exclusive access to the INSIGHTS Workshop and one-on-one coaching to help them elevate their presentation ahead of the 3MT Finale. This tailored support provides finalists with personalized feedback that strengthens both their content and delivery.
Whether you aim to prepare for future academic milestones, increase the visibility of your work, or simply build confidence in expressing your research, the 3MT offers an engaging and supportive pathway to develop as a scholar and communicator.
To earn the Research Communications Digital Badge for the 3M Competition, you must:
- Attend minimum 3 of the 5 workshops, including the Knowledge Mobilization workshop (live in-person or via zoom (as available)).
- Participate in the Heats competition, presenting their 3MT entry, by doing the 3 minutes presentation and developing their static slide, following the rubric, and presenting before our panel of judges.
Time: 3 - 6 hours (workshops) + 2 hours (Heat Session) + presentation prep time (5 hours)
Upon earning this Digital Badge, you will have earned the following skills:
- Audience Engagement & Persuasive Delivery
- Public Speaking & Professional Research Presentation
- Research-Based Visual Storytelling
- High-Impact Research Communication
- Research Communication for Public Impact
2. Other Digital Badges
Other Digital Badges offered by the Centre for Experiential & Service Learning (CESL), include:
To view these Digital Badges, visit CESL's UR Path. |
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