How We Automated Postman Student Programs with the Badgr API

Mei’lani Eyre

June 25, 2021

Since launching the Postman Student Expert Program at the beginning of this year, we’ve received thousands of applications from determined and talented students across the globe who are dedicated to growing their API literacy. The knowledge gained from the Postman Student Expert training is just one part of the program. Another key element is the Open Badge issued to those who have completed the program, provided through the online platform Badgr.

Examples of Postman Student Experts sharing their badges on LinkedIn

This badge can be shared online through sites like Twitter and LinkedIn. The most popular way we’ve seen students showcase their Postman Student Expert badge is by adding it as a certification to the Education section of their LinkedIn profile. Several students have told us that having this certification available to employers has helped them receive job interviews and even pay increases. With this in mind, it’s clear to us that the Postman Student Expert badge can have a huge positive impact on a student’s professional aspirations, so it’s imperative that we award these badges to students in a timely manner.

Up until a few months ago, processing submissions from the training was an extremely manual process, taking up to two weeks to finish. So, as Postman’s student community manager, I was determined to  find a solution to make my, and the whole Student Programs team’s, life a lot easier. The result? I implemented the Badgr API to automatically award Postman Student Expert badges to students who successfully completed the training.

Here’s how it works:

1. Students fill out a form to submit their finished Postman Student Expert training collections.
2. We use a private collection in Postman to verify each submission for eligibility.
3. Students who have successfully completed the training are automatically awarded their Postman Student Expert badge through the Badgr API within minutes.

This workflow has taken a major step out of the way for the Student Programs team, and it is helping successful students receive their badges faster than ever before. On top of that, we’ve utilized the Badgr API for badge verification on our Discord server and in other Student Programs workflows.

I also want to give a huge shout-out to the Badgr team for the service they provide. Without them, there wouldn’t be a Postman Student Expert badge, so thank you for your work and your wonderful API!

If you want to earn your Postman Student Expert badge, you can start the training here. If you run into trouble, no worries, join the Postman Student Community Discord to get support from the community and Postman team in your learning.