open badges: supporting learning and employability by recognising skills development

Dr. Ian Glover, Technology Enhanced Learning team,

Student and Learning Services

Visual representation of achievement, experience, affiliation and/or interest - ideally distinctive and understood within a community.

Some examples:

“Badges mean nothing in themselves, but they mark a certain achievement and they are a link between the rich and the poor. For when one girl sees a badge on a sister Scout’s arm, if that girl has won the same badge, it at once awakens an interest and sympathy between them.” - Juliette G. Low, Founder of Girl Scouts of the USA

Link to criteria and evidence for award

Add security and verification can check whether a person was actually awarded a

specific badge

Have the credibility of the awarding body

Allow sharing of 'badge clusters' from different sources with others on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

Essentially, an image + embedded information

Open Badges Anatomy (Updated) by Kyle Bowen. CC-BY-SA.

Growing recognition that significant amounts of learning happens outside the classroom

Grade transcripts hide the truth about learning

Strong links with current trends such as MOOCs, Gamification, Mobile Learning

but can be used independently of these

Surface the learning 'hidden' in a transcript Encourage students to undertake co- and extra-

curricular activities

Helps recognise informal learning

Enables students to differentiate themselves from classmates

The rise of the Informal University? (MOOCs + Badges) * Awareness = Degree-equivalent?

Swiss Army Badge by Kyle Bowen. CC-BY-SA

Showing competency in a skill,

e.g. nursing students taking blood samples

Recognising extra-curricular activity

e.g. a music student participating in an orchestra

Representing co-curricular development

e.g. participation in Students' Union activities, such as chairing society meetings

Identifying common themes in a programme e.g. showing all modules that develop debating skills

Getting businesses and professional bodies involved e.g. co-creating badges that meet workplace skills, or

professional attributes

Build toward specialism badges e.g. students get badges that relate to their learning

journey, by reflecting their optional modules

Are there skills that students use and develop?

Do you have extra-curricular activities to encourage?

Do you want to draw links between learning and skills demanded by employers/professional bodies?

Indiana Jones and the lost badge by Kyle Bowen. CC-BY-SA

For greatest effect:

Make them as professional-looking as possible

Issue cross-module badges

Badges should push students to go beyond the minimum

Tell businesses/professional bodies about them

Link badges to 'real-world', desirable skills

Each badge must represent a substantial and meaningful skill or experience

Carpet Badging by Kyle Bowen. CC-BY-SA

Image creation OpenBadges.me (http://openbadges.me)

Online Badge Maker (http://www.onlinebadgemaker.com/)

Badge creation and issuing

badg.us (http://badg.us)

All-in-one system

Credly (http://credly.com)

Contact: Dr. Ian Glover

i.glover@shu.ac.uk