UWA Advance activities and badges

Co-Curricular Leadership at UWA recognises the varied range of skills and attributes required for a student to represent stakeholders, working as a leader to influence and support others, assuming responsibilities to achieve community objectives, or participating in activities where leadership capabilities are being developed and learned. Students who are awarded a Leadership Badge have demonstrated significant effort and commitment to their activities, roles, and/or the people they serve.

Awarding of a Careers and Employability Badge recognises active engagement in employability activities and pursuit of career development. Students who are awarded this badge have demonstrated engagement in practical, real-world experiences, skills and knowledge, supported by reflective practice. They can clearly articulate their skills and experiences, prepare professional career documentation, and engage proactively with industry opportunities.

Entrepreneurial students can identify opportunities and generate new ideas to create economic or social value. Students who have completed Entrepreneurial activities develop stronger business enterprise capabilities through participation in real world experiences that facilitate business development or social enterprise and applying skills in an organisational context such as non-profit, corporate, or government.

Professional development is improving your skills and knowledge through learning and training to further your career. Completing activities approved by UWA Advance is a way of building your experience and knowledge, reflecting on your development and contributing to your future career. Approved activities may include training programs, certified accomplishments and short-term professional experience.

Through participation in study abroad, international collaborations and/or internationally focused projects, students develop intercultural competence and a global perspective. Students receiving the Global Citizen badge have learned to recognise and negotiate cultural differences, and to appreciate the connection between the local and the global. They have also experienced the benefits of drawing on diverse viewpoints to address issues or solve problems.

Students who receive this badge have exhibited an ability to use or develop ICT technologies in the service of stakeholders. They have demonstrated proficiency in deploying one or more digital technologies to address problems or deliver solutions, and an understanding of the social contexts and uses of ICT technologies.

Recipients of the Indigenous Awareness badge have participated in cultural training activities that have expanded their understanding of Australian Indigenous culture and knowledge.

Many students make valuable contributions to communities through volunteering their time. Volunteering activities are wide-ranging and hands on. The Community Impact award recognises the efforts of students who have made a sustained effort to support one or more communities over an extended period, demonstrating ongoing commitment to service, and giving their time and talent to supporting other people and groups.

A co-curricular activity is an activity, program or learning experience that is separate to, but complements academic learning and/or contributes to a student’s personal and professional development. For the purpose of badging, selected activities have been categorised based on the type of engagement, learning or development outcomes that will occur through undertaking the activity.

Activities are generally ungraded and not eligible for academic credit, with some exceptions (e.g. Study Abroad).

Co-curricular activities that are part of the badging program have been assessed and aligned to a badge. Approved UWA Advance activities will be published on the UniHub website and will also be identifiable by a badge icon that has been attributed to the activity. You can also search for UWA Advance activities using keywords on UniHub. You will progressively start seeing these icons across websites identifying activities that have been approved for badging

Each approved co-curricular activity has been assessed against the awarding criteria. In some instances you will be able to earn a badge for completion of one activity; in other cases you will be required to complete additional activities in the same badging category. Each co-curricular activity indicates the awarding level and how that activity might contribute to other badges.

Your badge will be awarded to you as part of completing the activity. You will not have to apply for a badge as the Activity Coordinator will keep a record of your participation. Once you have met the awarding guidelines the digital badge will be automatically awarded to you through the My eQuals platform. 

You will receive an email notification from the My eQuals platform that a badge has been awarded to you. Log into the platform and follow the easy prompts to share your badge.

Each co-curricular activity has been assessed for learning and skills development, participation requirements and awarding criteria. Approved activities are assigned a primary Badging Category (Leadership, Careers and Employability, Entrepreneurial/Innovation; Professional Development; Global Citizen; Digital Capability; Indigenous Awareness; Community Impact). Some activities require more participation than others, so you might need to complete two or more activities from the same Badging Category to be awarded a digital badge.

Yes, volunteer work is an important contribution to community and to your development journey. A Community Impact digital badge will be awarded for approved volunteering activities that have been conducted through any of our recognised volunteer providers. You must complete at least 40 hours of volunteering within one calendar year to be awarded a badge.

Generally the awarding of a digital badge is only for activities where you haven’t received payment or study credit. There are some exceptional circumstances (e.g. Study Abroad); however, individuals will be required to provide a reflective statement outlining their experiential learning.

The My eQuals platform is the official repository for badges. From here you can digitally share badges and other qualifications with employers and social media platforms such as LinkedIn.