Independent Microcredential Certification

Credentials that mean something.

Vervain Verified independently certifies microcredentials against rigorous quality standards and real-world industry relevance — so learners and employers can trust what a badge represents.

Certified Quality · Industry Verified

A trusted standard in a crowded credential landscape

Microcredentials are proliferating faster than the tools to evaluate them. Learners invest time and money in credentials that may not reflect real skill. Employers sift through badges of unknown quality. Institutions struggle to signal that their offerings are genuinely rigorous.

Vervain Verified exists to solve that problem. We are an independent certification body that evaluates microcredentials against a unified rubric — combining our seven core quality pillars with foundational instructional design standards and responsible AI usage guidelines.

Institutions that earn Vervain Verified certification receive a one-year verification certificate, a listing on our public registry, social media recognition, and the ability to issue Vervain Verified digital badges to their learners.

Our name is deliberate. Vervain has long been associated with protection, integrity, and the sanctity of agreements. Those values sit at the heart of what we do: every certified credential is a promise kept.

Our Seven Certification Pillars

1
Specific & Relevant SkillsMeasurable competencies mapped directly to career applications.
2
Industry RecognitionEmployer-endorsed content validated by working professionals.
3
Stackable CredentialsPart of a broader academic or career pathway.
4
Assessment-Based ValidationRigorous, real-world tasks that confirm skill mastery.
5
Short & Focused FormatTime-efficient, modular learning that fits busy professionals.
6
Digital Verification & PortabilityShareable badges and certificates aligned to open standards.
7
Affordable & AccessibleTransparent pricing, inclusive delivery, and accommodation support.
3
Part rubric framework covering quality, instructional design, and responsible AI
1-yr
Certification term with annual renewal to ensure continued currency
7
Core certification pillars grounded in industry and learner needs

The Vervain Verified Registry

Every credential listed here has passed our full three-part rubric review — seven quality pillars, foundational instructional design standards, and responsible AI guidelines. One-year certifications are subject to annual renewal.

What certification means

A Vervain Verified credential has been independently reviewed against our published rubric. Learners can be confident that the skills taught are industry-relevant, the assessments are rigorous, and the format respects their time. Employers can trust that badge holders have demonstrated genuine competency.

Institutions submit their rubric and supporting evidence for review. Our review process typically takes 2–4 weeks, after which institutions receive detailed feedback regardless of outcome.

Apply for Certification

How Certification Works

1
Submit your rubric & evidence
Institutions complete the Vervain Verified rubric and attach supporting course documentation.
2
Independent review
Our reviewers evaluate your submission against all three parts of the rubric — quality pillars, instructional design, and AI standards.
3
Detailed feedback
You receive a scored review with specific notes on every criterion, whether approved or not.
4
Certification & listing
Approved credentials receive a one-year certificate, registry listing, and digital badge rights for learners.
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Registry Launching Soon

Vervain Verified is currently accepting applications for our inaugural cohort of certified microcredentials. Be among the first institutions to earn the Vervain Verified mark — contact us to begin the process.

Start Your Application
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Becky Borello
M.Ed., MBA
Founder & Principal Reviewer · Vervain Verified, LLC

Rebecca Lee Borello, M.Ed., MBA

M.Ed. — Chatham University MBA VoiceThread Certified Educator Pittsburgh, PA

Becky Borello is an instructional technologist, adjunct professor, and the founder of Vervain Verified, LLC — a certification service she built to bring transparency and rigor to the rapidly expanding microcredential market.

With dual graduate degrees in Education and Business Administration, Becky brings a rare combination of pedagogical expertise and operational acumen to the work of credential evaluation. Her career has been rooted in higher education, where she has spent years at the intersection of instructional design, emerging technology, and faculty development.

As Assistant Director of the Office of Instructional Technology and Teaching Development at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Becky advises faculty on course design, integrates new technologies into learning environments, and stays at the leading edge of developments in AI, competency-based education, and microcredentials. That practical, day-to-day engagement with how courses are actually built — and what makes them work — informs every aspect of the Vervain Verified rubric.

Becky founded Vervain Verified because she saw a gap: a market full of microcredentials and no independent, transparent standard for evaluating them. She designed the certification framework from the ground up, grounding it in established instructional design principles, industry-relevance criteria, and forward-looking responsible AI standards.

Experience

Founder & Principal Reviewer
Vervain Verified, LLC
Independent microcredential certification body serving higher education institutions, online learning platforms, and corporate training providers.
Assistant Director, Office of Instructional Technology & Teaching Development
Chatham University · Pittsburgh, PA
Leads instructional technology strategy, faculty development, and course design quality initiatives across the university.
Instructional Technologist & Adjunct Professor
Chatham University
Designs and supports technology-enhanced learning experiences; teaches in her area of expertise as adjunct faculty.
VoiceThread Certified Educator
VoiceThread
Capstone project focused on helping pre-service teachers learn how to flip the classroom using VoiceThread.

Ready to certify your microcredential?

Whether you're applying for certification, exploring a consultation, or just learning more — we'd love to hear from you.

Contact Information

Location Pittsburgh, PA

Services Available

Microcredential Certification (1-year term)
Rubric Development & Consultation
Faculty & Developer Workshops
Digital Badge Licensing
Marketing & Recognition Listing