microcredentialing: recognizing student learning with digital badges

Microcredentialing: Recognizing Student Learning with Digital Badges

Presenters

Cameron WillsResearch Associate

cwills@niu.edu@MetaWills

Stephanie RichterAssistant Directorsrichter@niu.edu

@slrichter

Slides available at j.mp/fsi15badges

The landscape of learning is changing…

Why Microcredentialing?

What are Badges?

Visual representations of achievements, learning, skills, interests, & competencies

Digital Badge

an online record of achievement, tracking the recipient’s communities of interaction that issued the badge and the work completed to get it

(The Mozilla Foundation & Peer 2 Peer University, 2012)

Digital Badges – Examples

Digital Badges – Examples

Badge Alliance

Microcredential

Awarded on the acquisition of specific knowledge or demonstrated competency of an identified skill

and validated by recognized professional bodies or educational institutions

(Elliott et al., 2014)

Badge vs. Microcredential

• Some debate on the difference• Formative vs. summative assessment

Common terminology

Lifecycle Creating > Issuing > Displaying

Stacking“Upgrading” badges to higher level achievements

EcosystemOverall badging architecture, including badges, platforms, and paths for earning

Challenges to Adoption

ValueDo badges/microcredentials mean anything? Do employers value them?

TrustAre issuers valid? Does the recipient deserve the badge?

Equivalency• How do badges compare to certificates or degrees?

Mozilla Open Badge Backpack

• Repository for saving badges• Framework for displaying badges

• Learn more at openbadges.org

Step 1: Create a Mozilla Persona Account

• Go to backpack.openbadges.org/• Click Log In or Sign Up • Enter your information

TIP: Choose an email address you can check during this session

Step 2: Give us your email address

• Go to j.mp/fsi15_claimbadge• Enter your name and the email address you

used for your Mozilla account

Note: Personal information will only be used to distribute the badges

Using Microcredentials in Teaching

Why Use Badges?

Recognition Motivation

ETR 531 – Educational Program Evaluation

12-week Graduate level course

Students working toward M.S. Ed in Instructional Technology

Badges rewarded students for mastering evaluation concepts

Badges for ETR 531

Evaluation Measures Mastery

Disability in Society MOOC

Perspectives on Disability

10-week Massive Open Online Course(MOOC)

Instead of grades, participants earned badges

Badges for Perspectives on Disability

Week 1

Week 10

Lessons learned

Students liked the badges & certificate

Was ideal for providing recognition without grading

Easy to set up

Discussion How would you use microcredentials or badges in your teaching?

Creating and Issuing Badges

Formula for Making Badges

Image + metadata = badge

Image

No secret – it’s just an image

Usually square

Metadata

• Proves that the badges was earned• Validates the issuer, the criteria, the evidence

Metadata is what creates trust in badges

Metadata{

"uid": "f2c20", "recipient": {

"type": "email", "hashed": true, "salt": "deadsea", "identity":

"sha256$c7ef86405ba71b85acd8e2e95166c4b111448089f2e1599f42fe1bba46e865c5" }, "image": "https://example.org/beths-robot-badge.png", "evidence": "https://example.org/beths-robot-work.html", "issuedOn": 1359217910, "badge": "https://example.org/robotics-badge.json", "verify": {

"type": "hosted", "url": "https://example.org/beths-robotics-badge.json"

} }

Learn More About Badge MetaDatawiki.mozilla.org/Badges/Onboarding-Issuer

Badge Images

Made with PowerPoint

Program EvaluationETR 531

PROSPECTUS

Program EvaluationETR 531

LOGIC MODEL

Program EvaluationETR 531

EVALUATION DESIGN

GREAT CONTRIBUTOR

ETR 531Program Evaluation

Program EvaluationETR 531

MEASURES

Program EvaluationETR 531

EVALUATION MANAGEMENT

Program EvaluationETR 531

EVALUATION PLAN

Program EvaluationETR 531

EVALUATION PRESENTATION

Other Tools for Making Badge Graphics

• Adobe Illustrator• Adobe Photoshop• Inkscape (free)

• OpenBadges.me

Issuing Badges

Tools for Creating Metadata

• BadgeKit• Purdue Passport• Credly• Blackboard Achievements

Create a Badge with Credly

1. Go to credly.com2. Click the Customize This button3. Create a Credly account if you want to save or

issue your badge

Accepting a Badge

Learn moreMozilla Open Badgeswww.openbadges.org/

Badge Alliancewww.badgealliance.org/

7 Things You Should Know About Badgeswww.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-badges

7 Things You Should Read About Badgeswww.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-read-about-badges

Questions?

Cameron WillsResearch Associate

cwills@niu.edu@MetaWills

Stephanie RichterAssistant Directorsrichter@niu.edu

@slrichter

Slides available at j.mp/fsi15badges