A badge is a small coloured label on a course card and on the course page. It tells students something true about the course: many people chose it, students rate it highly, it is growing fast, or it has just come out. NSDP works badges out every night from the course's own numbers; nobody can buy one.
The four course badges
| Badge | Colour | How a course earns it |
|---|---|---|
| Bestseller | Amber | Among the top 10% of courses in its category by learners (students enrolled or completed), with at least 50 learners. |
| Top Rated | Green | An average rating of 4.5 stars or more from at least 20 approved student reviews. |
| Trending | Orange | At least 15 new learners in the last 30 days, and at least 50% more than in the 30 days before. |
| New | Blue | Published in the last 30 days. |
Why a badge does not come and go
- A course needs the full bar to earn a badge.
- Once earned, it keeps the badge until its figure falls clearly below the bar: about 10% under (for example, under 45 learners for Bestseller), or 0.1 star under for ratings.
- If the review figures cannot be read one night, badges stay as they were rather than disappearing.
- When a course stops being published, its badges are removed at the next nightly run.
Where the figures come from
- Learners are students who are enrolled or have completed the course. Refunded and dropped enrolments do not count.
- Ratings are the approved student reviews shown on the NSDP website.
- Bestseller compares a course only with courses in the same main category (for example, Development or Marketing).
FAQ
Our course meets the bar but has no badge yet.
Badges are worked out once a night. Check again tomorrow; the website shows the change within a few minutes of the nightly run.
A badge disappeared. Why?
Its figure fell clearly below the bar, the course was unpublished, or NSDP removed it after a check. Badges come back by themselves once the course meets the bar again.
Can a badge be bought or requested?
No. Badges follow the numbers. NSDP may very rarely award one by hand, always with a recorded reason.