Workshop - Open Badges in Education

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Digital Badges in Education

Nikola Milikicnikola.milikic@gmail.com

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Outline

• Learner scenario• Problems with educational landscape• Defining a badge• Badging process• Examples of applying badges• Task for you

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Learner Scenario

• Sara, an 18-year-old web developer

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What are the problems with formal diplomas?

(Discuss in groups in 5 minutes)

TASK 1

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Problems with educational landscape

1. Diplomas present an incomplete picture– Do not capture learning outside of classroom

2. Diplomas lack transparency and granularity– Program and course outcomes not granular and

transparent

3. Connecting learning and career pathways– Slow response on market demands

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What is a Badge?

• A Badge is a symbol or indicator of one’s accomplishment, skill, quality or interest

• Examples like Boy and Girl Scouts, Foursquare etc.

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Open Badges

• Open Badge is a digital reward which can be stored inside a student's ‘digital backpack’

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Open Badges

• Badges can be achieved by completing tasks and goals

Smithsonian quest badges, link: http://smithsonianquests.org/

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Badge Metadata

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Potential roles of badges in education:- Primary - Secondary- Higher formal education- Vocational- Online learning and MOOCs

(5 minutes)

TASK 2

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Potential Roles in Education

Primary Secondary Higher Vocational OnlineCertification for extra curricular experience

Acknowledging skills

motivation

motivation Visibility of a badge

Map competences to task

Specifying prerequisites for specific competence/course

Uniform standards of information

Self-regulation (indicator of a progress)

Self-assessment

(filled based on Task 2 responses)

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Potential Roles in Education

‘Signposting’ in the Learning Space - Badge Pathways

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Badging Process

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Earners and Backpack

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Displayers

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Opportunities

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Participants in a badging process

• Issuers - create badges, make them available to earners and award them

• Earners - apply for badges and display them

• Displayers - display badges earned by particular earners

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BuzzMath

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BuzzMath

• Content Knowledge Badges - view of student’s progress and accomplishments

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BuzzMath

• Process Knowledge Badges - acknowledge and reward students for positive behaviors

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BuzzMath

• Achievement Badges – small attainable goals for students; intended to motivate the student

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BuzzMath - Decimals Badge

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Badge the UK

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Pathways for Lifelong Learning

• Providence After School Alliance – PASA

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Grading Soft Skills - GRASS

• Developing innovative pedagogical approaches and ICT tools to support:– to develop novel pedagogical approaches to support

continuous development of learners' soft skills

– to incorporate these approaches in daily practices, at multiple levels of education

– to develop a rich, structured set of soft skills metrics

Project website: http://grass.fon.bg.ac.rs/

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Open Badges Infrastructure (OBI)

• Developed by the Mozilla Foundation

• Used to issue, earn and display badges

• Applications are able to share, stack, combine, and include badges issued by other applications.

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Platforms Supporting Badges

• Moodle

• Blackboard

• Mahara

• PebblePad

• OpenMooc

• Wordpress (BadgeOS)

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Learner Scenario Revised

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TASK 3

• Divide in groups of 4 members

• Find a use case for using badges in education (e.g. classes you teach, attend etc.)

• Design 2-3 badges (15 min)

• Present your badges (10 min)

• Badge Canvas: http://bit.ly/digital-badge-canvas

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Credits

• Mozilla Wiki, “Open Badges presentation materials”

• Acclaim, “Open Badges for Higher Education”

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Digital Badges in Education

Nikola Milikicnikola.milikic@gmail.com