Staff FAQs

What is the USP - University Skills Passport?

The University Skills Passport (USP) is a portable, verifiable digital credential developed by University of Galway in partnership with vendor SureCampus, to empower students to recognise, track and articulate their transferable skills gained both in and beyond the classroom with confidence and credibility.

Digital badges are issued to record and recognise skill development. All of these badges are centrally accumulated on the USP platform. At any point in time perhaps to create an application or a CV, or in preparation for interview, a student can generate their own USP to view an inventory of their skills, and the activities that they have completed to develop them. Finally, upon graduation each student will receive their degree parchment, their academic transcript and their USP - University Skills passport.

How can I get involved?

If you would like to issue a digital badge for your module or co/extra curricular activity see Badge Set up Process for more information.

Why should I get involved?

Support Students, showcase achievements, enhance employability:

Students can struggle to recognise and articulate their skills and achievements. The USP enables students to recognise the value of their learning and to articulate the skills that they have developed.

With employers increasingly seeking graduates who can demonstrate not just academic success but evidence of broader competencies such as communication, teamwork, leadership, and adaptability, the USP fills a critical gap. While universities have long supported holistic student development, capturing and credentialing this learning in a verifiable, meaningful way has remained a challenge until now. By participating in this platform, you are not only enhancing the student experience but also enabling students to stand out in a competitive job market.

Boost your Co/Extracurricular Activity's Visibility:

The co/extra-curricular landscape of the university is rich, diverse and dispersed across faculties and departments. The USP platform hosts all co/extra-curricular offerings in one central place, making it easier for students to discover and engage with your activity.

Can one module have many badges?

Yes. Typically there is a 1.1 relationship module : badge. A badge may be awarded on the basis of a threshold grade of an entire module OR an assessment element within a module. In some instances, for example for a 10 credit module, or a module that takes place across two semesters, you may choose to award more than one badge for different elements within the module. If you would like help to determine how best to approach badging for your module please contact USP@universityofgalway.ie.

Who confirms the badge criteria?

The module/activity owner confirms what criteria they require the student to successfully complete before they are issued a badge. 

How is the badge verified for students?

The module/activity owner verifies that the student has successfully completed all required criteria before forwarding on their details for badge issuance.

Can the module owner specify what grade the student must get to achieve the badge?

Yes, the module owner specifies the criteria they require the student to have successfully completed before they will get a badge. This may be a threshold grade.

Where do I email my activity data so that a badge can be issued?

Contact usp@universityofgalway.ie with your request and we will give you access to a sharepoint folder to upload your data too. 

Where do I get my Activity ID number?

Contact usp@universityofgalway.ie

When setting up a new badge can I retrospectively issue it to students who have successfully completed the module/activity in previous years? 

Yes, once you have the proof that the student completed and passed all the necessary criteria to receive the badge. Note: the student must be a registered student to receive the badge.

Can I issue USP badges to other third parties e.g. primary/secondary school students, employers?

No. You can only issue USP badges and the USP document to registered students at the University of Galway.

What if the lecturer changes on the module, does the badge retire?

This should be determined by the current module owner. The module owner can choose whether or not to proceed with the badge or to retire the badge at any time.

Can students download the USP?

Yes, from the USP platform and also from Parchment/Digitary.

Where do students go if they have queries? 

Students can contact USP@universityofgalway.ie. If a student queries why they have not received a digital badge the administrator may refer the query to the badge owner. The badge owner determines the list of students to whom the badge is awarded and the administrator issues the badges for the list provided.

How long do students have access to their badges when they leave/graduate?

The student will be able to access their USP (University Skills Passport) along with their transcript of results and diploma supplement in their Parchment/Digitary account. Students can access their Parchment/Digitary account after they have graduated and left the university. They should create their parchment account while they are a student linking the account to a personal email address. See Parchment/Digitary for more information. If a student has difficulty accessing their USP they can contact usp@universityofgalway.ie 

What if the title for my badge is too long?

The number of characters for the title should be no more than 50. 

The number of characters for the primary text on the badge is 26 and for the secondary text 34.  Some variability is possible given the interplay between both texts.

How specific do I need to be when completing the verification section of the setup form?

Quite specific in describing the type of validation process you will be using to verify that this activity has been satisfactorily completed by the student, e.g., attendance log, formal assessment breakdown, what is the passing grade for this module etc.

What am I basing my skills selection on?

You can select up to 5 skills and/or dispositions from the DF Skills Framework, Graduate Attribute mapping and associated constructs.

For a co/extra-curricular activity, what size image should I provide as a banner for my activity on the website?

We require a png/jpeg high quality 696x312px image that will represent your activity on the USP website. You can email this image to usp@universityofgalway.ie