> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.learnterms.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Badges and cohort board

> Track earned badges, understand the cohort board, and use shared progress signals without turning LearnTerms into a popularity contest.

## What badges are for

Badges give LearnTerms a lightweight social layer. They are not the main event, but they are useful because they make effort visible.

In a shared cohort product, that matters. Students like seeing that work is happening around them, and admins like having a public signal that the platform is alive.

## How badge awards show up

When you earn a new badge, LearnTerms can surface it in an award modal. That moment is intentionally more visible than an ordinary toast.

The app shows:

* the badge name
* the badge description
* the issuer
* the badge artwork

Once you acknowledge it, LearnTerms marks the award as seen.

## Where to browse badges

The main badge catalog lives at `/badges`.

That page shows:

* all published badges
* how common each badge is
* who issued it
* optional internal details when the internal detail view is enabled

For most students, the important question is simple: what kinds of progress and participation does the product choose to recognize?

## Where to see cohort activity

The cohort board lives at `/cohort`.

This page is more social than the badge catalog. Instead of listing every possible badge, it shows the people in your cohort and highlights recent badge activity.

## What the cohort board emphasizes

The current cohort page focuses on:

* your cohort identity
* member count
* leaderboard-style sorting
* alphabetical sorting
* search by classmate name
* recent badge slots for each member

The board is not a full analytics page. It is meant to be lightweight, readable, and social.

## How to use the board well

Use the cohort board when you want to:

* confirm your cohort is active
* recognize classmates who are engaging consistently
* find people quickly with search
* get a pulse on participation without opening admin analytics

It is a better tool for atmosphere than for diagnosis.

## What badges should and should not do

Badges should:

* reinforce momentum
* make effort visible
* make the cohort feel shared instead of isolated

Badges should not:

* replace real studying
* become your main metric of progress
* pressure you into performative activity

If a badge helps you re-engage with a module, it is doing its job. If it becomes the goal by itself, you are probably using it wrong.

## Reading the cohort board correctly

The board is interesting, but it is not the same as mastery.

A student can:

* earn badges without being exam-ready
* study deeply without caring about badge visibility
* show up late in the cycle and still finish strong

Treat the board as a layer of context, not a final judgment.

## Best habits

* Check the cohort board occasionally, not constantly.
* Let badges motivate you back into study flow, not away from it.
* Use the catalog when you want to understand what the product celebrates.
* Focus on your modules first and the social layer second.

## Related guides

* [Dashboard and recent activity](/students/dashboard-and-recent-activity)
* [Studying a module](/students/study-flow)
* [History](/overview/history)