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ColoradoCommunityCollegeSystemDigitalBadgeInitiative|ANewParadigmforCredentials

TheColoradoCommunityCollegeSystem(CCCS)isuniqueacrossthenationbecauseofitsdualoversightof

thestate’scommunitycollegesandvocationaleducation.Becauseofitsuniqueposition,CCCScanpositionitselftosupplyeducational,industry,and

workforcedemandedcredentialswhileenhancingandcomplementingsecondaryandpost-secondary

educationpathwayswithdigitalbadges.ThispaperexploreshowCCCScanleveragedigitalbadgesasmicro-credentialstodocumentcriteria-basedaccomplishmentsandprovideaportable,verifiablemechanismtodisplay

competencyinnewsubjectareas,coursework,certificatesanddegreeprograms.

ColoradoCommunityCollegeSystemDigitalBadgeInitiative

ANewParadigmforCredentials

DigitalBadgeInitiative|ANewParadigmforCredentialsRepresentativesfromfourcollegesandtheSystemofficewhoareinterestedinprovidinganoverviewofhowdigitalbadgesshouldfunctionandbemanagedwithinoursystemcollaboratedtopreparethiswhitepaper.Eachoftherepresentativesshouldbeconsideredexpertsintheircollegesonthesubjectandshouldbeconsideredkeyplayersinimplementingadigitalbadgepilotontheircampuses.

Overview

TheColoradoCommunityCollegeSystem(CCCS)isuniqueacrossthenationbecauseofitsdualoversightofthestate’scommunitycollegesandvocationaleducation.Becauseofitsuniqueposition,CCCScanpositionitselftosupplyeducational,industry,andworkforcedemandedcredentialswhileenhancingandcomplimentingsecondaryandpost-secondaryeducationpathwayswithdigitalbadges.Thetermbadgehasdifferentmeaningsforpeople.Fourourpurposes,thetermbadgeequatestodigitalbadgesormicro-credentialsandrepresentashiftawayfromattendance-basedcertificatestocriteria-basedaccomplishmentsandprovideaportable,verifiablemechanismtodisplaycompetencyinnewsubjectareas,coursework,certificates,anddegreeprograms.

Digitalbadges

Digitalbadgesareanelectronicrepresentationandrecognitionofskillsandcredentialsearnedbyalearner.Inordertoreceiveadigitalbadge,participantsmustmeetalearningoutcomeordemonstratetheircontentmasteryornewskills.Twoarchetypesofdigitalbadgesareemerging:

● Participatorybadgesareachievementoriented,involvesurfacelearning,andtendtobeextrinsicmotivating.

● Skillbasedbadgesshowmasteryofskills,meetingcompetenciesthroughdeeplearningandtendstobeintrinsicallymotivating.Learnersearningskillbaseddigitalbadgesmeetsetlevelsofcompetenciesthatareevaluatedthroughauthenticassessment,rigorousrequirements,and/orindustrycertifications.

Educatorsandinnovativeindustryleadersagreethatdigitalbadgesareevolvingintoakeycredentialthatcanbeusedtomeetcurrenteducationandworkforceneeds.Therefore,abadgingsystemneedstobeframedinawaythat’sacceptabletohighereducationandworkforce.CCCSneedstobeproactiveintheestablishmentofadigitalbadgesystemortheywillbereactiveindealingwithproprietaryandfor-profitdigitalbadgesystems.

DigitalBadgeInitiative|ANewParadigmforCredentialsDigitalBadgesandKnownCredentials:ProvingCompetencyandConsistencyAcrossMultipleInstitutions

Nationallyandinternationallythereisanactiveconversationaroundthesubjectofaone-to-onematchbetweendigitalbadgesandknowncredentialssuchascoursesandcertificates.TheLuminaFoundation’sConnectingCredentialsFrameworksusescompetenciesascommonreferencepointstohelpunderstandandcomparethelevelsandtypesofknowledgeandskillsthatunderliedegrees,certificates,industrycertifications,licenses,apprenticeships,badges,andothercredentials.CCCSisfortunatetohaveaCommonCourseNumberingSystem(CCNS)forallcoursestaughtatthecollegesthatrepresentaprescribedsetofcompetencies

WhatCCCSProvides:● Consistencyacrosssecondaryandpost-secondarycoursesthroughtheuseoftheCCNS.● CourseswithintheCCNScarrythesameprefix,number,title,credits,description,

competenciesandoutline.● Easeoftransferforstudentsfromonecommunitycollegetoanotherandfromthe

communitycollegetothefour-yeareducationalinstitutionsthrougharticulationarrangementsbetweenhighschoolsandthecommunitycolleges(CCCS.edu).

Industryandemployers’valueCCCScertificatesanddegreesbecausetheyrepresenttrainingandpreparationdesignedtomeetworkforceneeds.TheCCNSprovidesconsistentrepresentationofspecificcompetenciesacrossmultipleinstitutions.ToachievethesamevalueinCCCSdigitalbadges,itisimportanttoapplythesametransparencytothedevelopmentofbadgecompetencies.

Digitalbadges● Provideavalidatedindicatorofanaccomplishment,skill,quality,orcompetency

acquiredinvariouslearningsettings(formalorinformal,online,ortraditionalclassroom.)

● Showverifiableevidenceabouttheskilllevel,competency,andaccomplishmentsofthebadgeearner.

● Addvaluetoourinstitutionsbecausetheyallowinstitutionstorespondtotheemergingdemandforalternativecredentialsandconnectingcredentialstocareerpathways.

Theincreasingfocusoncompetencybasededucationcombinedwiththedemandforalternativecredentials,positionsCCCS’sdigitalbadgeinitiativeinasupportingroletohelpthesystemachievetwooftheColoradoCommunityCollegeSystem’sStrategicPlan2015-2025boldsolutions:

● TransformtheStudentExperienceo BeginninginFiscalYear2017,develop10competency-basedcoursesperyear

DigitalBadgeInitiative|ANewParadigmforCredentials

o Designthreeacceleratedandcompetency-basedstrategicpathwaysperyearinstatewidedisciplineswithhighstudentdemandbeginninginFY2020

● CreateEducationwithoutBarriersthroughTransformationalPartnershipso Developcompetency-basedcriteriatograntcreditforpriorexperiencesinorder

towideneducationalpathwayswhilereducingtimetocredentialcompletiono Designexperientiallearningopportunitiesinallprograms.1

DigitalbadgeshelpfulfilltheboldsolutionsofCCCS’sStrategicPlanbecause:

● Theyarelearnerfocused,communitycentered,andindustrydrivenmicrocredentials.● Theyprovidevalidationofskillsandcompetenciesbutalsosupportlearningthatis

activelyinprogress.● Theyrepresentscaffoldingofskillacquisitionthroughdigitalbadgebasedlearning

pathwaysandcompetencymaps.● Theyimproveaperson’sabilitytoclearlydemonstratemasteryofskillsandknowledge

withevidenceratherthanthetraditionalmeasureoflearningassociatedwithseattime.● Theyprovideawealthofinformationcontainedintheassociatedmetadataincluding:

● theissuer● dateofissue● descriptionofcriteria/competency● evidenceofmeetingthecriteria/competency● standardsassociatedwiththebadge● expirationdateifneeded

Allofthemetadatacontainedinthedigitalbadgecanbevalidatedandverifiedtoensurethattheinformationcannotbetamperedwith,altered,ormodified.Digitalbadgesgiveemployersandworkforcecentersimmediateaccesstotheevidenceoflearningthedigitalbadgerepresents.

Badgeearners● Havetheabilitytocollectandcuratetheirknowledge,skills,andexperiencefromacrossthe

webinoneplace.● Retaincontroloverwhethertopublishtheirbadgesorkeepthemprivate.● Haveaneasywaytoshowaportfolioofskillswithoutthirdpartieshavingtowadethrough

amountainofdata.

1 ColoradoCommunityCollegeSystem,Strategic Plan 2015-2025: Goals, Key Strategies, Key Performance Measures,https://www.cccs.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/StrategicPlan.pdf

DigitalBadgeInitiative|ANewParadigmforCredentialsDigitalbadgesalsocontaininformationnotnormallyfoundonatraditionaltranscript.Themetadatais“baked”intothebadge,meaningthatthedataareembeddedintotheimagefile.Themetadataincludewhatthebadgerepresents,whoearnedit,andwhoissuedit.Otherdataincludeanexpirationdateifthecredentialisbasedonspecifictimesensitivecertifications.Althoughdigitalbadgesarestaticattimeofissuance,authenticatedchangescanbeenteredtoreflectthebadgeearner’snewname,effectivedatesofthecredentialiftheoriginaldatesarewrong,recertification,andadditionalevidencethatmaybeaddedtoabadge.

Additionally,adigitalbadgecanberevokedforavarietyofreasonssuchasacredentialisnolongervalid,thewrongbadgewasissuedtoanindividual,andanearnerdoesnotmeetthecriteriatomaintainaccreditationforthecredentialrepresentedbythedigitalbadge.

ChallengesThereareseveralchallengesColoradocollegesfacewhenstartingtostarttodevelopandissuebadges.Theseincludepressreleasesonbadges,assuringbadgesareindemandandusefulforindustry,identifyingabridgeplatform,andincreasingstudentdemandforbadgesineducationalsettings.

1. AspotlightonCCCSbadgesbythepressandmedia:RecentCCCSmediapressreleasesin2015stated“CCCSisdevelopinganewdesignationtoimprovestudents’abilitytogainemploymentandtomeetindustrydemands.Thedesignationiscalledabadge.Atthistimethefocusisonprogramsforthemanufacturingindustry.”2Informationfromtheinitialnewsreleasewaspickedupandrepeatedinseveralregionalandnationalpublications.WiththespotlightonColorado’sadvancementintodigitalbadges,itisurgentthatCCCSprovideausecaseorproofofconceptofdigitalbadges.

2. Lackofformalizedprocessesandframeworkforbadges:AsCCCSdevelopsitsdigitalbadgesystem,collaborationamongdifferentstakeholders(postsecondaryeducationandtraininginstitutions,stateandlocalcertificationandlicensingagencies,workforcecenters,businessesandindustries,civicorganizations)isessentialasthecomprehensivedigitalbadgeecosystemframeworkisdeveloped.Adigitalbadgeecosystemconsistsofissuers,earners,andconsumers/receivers.Theecosystemincludestheinterwovenprocessesofcreating,managing,issuing,earning,receiving,anddisplayingbadgeswiththetechnologywhichsupportsthevalidation,recognition,endorsement,andoverallacceptanceofbadgesbyrelevantstakeholders.Thisisacomplexsystemwhichrelieson

2 ColoradoCommunityCollegeSystem,The Colorado Community College System Develops a New Designation to Improve Students’ Ability to Gain Employment (PressRelease,June30,2015),https://www.cccs.edu/2015/06/the-colorado-community-college-system-develops-a-new-designation-to-improve-students-ability-to-gain-employment/


stakeholdersagreeingonthevalueofdigitalbadgesbecauseofthecompetenciesandevidenceofmasteryofcompetencycontainedinthemetadataofthedigitalbadge.

3. Selectinganappropriatebadgingplatformthatissecure,reliable,andcanbeintegratedwithinexistingstudentrecordsystems:Akeybarriertotheimplementationofadigitalbadgeplatformisthedifficultypost-secondaryinstitutionshaveinselectinganappropriatebadgingplatform.Theemergingdigitalbadgeplatformmarketplacehasproducedmanydigitalbadgebetaplatforms,not-so-reliableplugins,platform-hostingissues(spam,security,maintenancecosts,administration),andevenunexpectedunclearpublic-hostingpolicies.3Additionalitemstobeaddressedintheselectionofabadgingplatformincludeusers’privacy,securedlongevityofthecontentsandmetadata,andintegrationwithinexistingstudentrecordsystems.

4. ProspectivedemandfromK-12students:StudentsfromK-12institutionsinColorado,includingAuroraPublicSchoolsandDenverPublicSchools,receivebadgesfortheirK-12experiences.Digitalbadgeshelpstudentsdisplaytheskillsneededforapost-secondaryprogramthroughthecompetenciesmasteredinworkshopsattended,awardswon,andspecificprojectscompleted.Whilestudentsmaynotbeabletogainpost-secondarycreditfortheirlearning;however,badgeswouldshowprogressivelearning.BecauseoftheabilityofK-12studentstomorefullyengageintheirlearningjourneybyearningdigitalbadges,theyaregoingtoincreasinglydemanddigitalbadgesastheyprogresstotheirpost-secondaryeducationaljourney.

DigitalBadgePlatformDesign

Digitalbadgedevelopmentcanoccuratthelocal,state,ornationallevelofanorganizationorinstitution.Becausedigitalbadgesareequivalenttomicro-credentialsissuedbyaninstitution,establishingcriteriaregardingwhohastheauthoritytoissuesdigitalbadgeswithinaninstitutionorcompanyiscriticallyimportant.Forthepurposeofthispaper,theauthoritytoissuebadgesisdefinedasanindividual,department,orinstitutionthatCCCSauthorizesasadigitalbadgeissuer.Adigitalissuerhastheabilitytodefineacompetency;designtheassessmentforthatcompetency,anddesigntheimageandmetadata.

AsCCCSmovesforwardinthecreationofadigitalbadgeecosystem,itisimportanttoensurethatdigitalbadgesissuedbyanyCCCSauthorizedentityareenhancementstoanestablishedcourseorprogramofstudyandremainconsistentacrossallCCCScolleges.Tofacilitatebadgeconsistencyacrossmultipleinstitutionsandensurethevalueofdigitalbadgesasmicro-

3 W.I.O'Byrne,Challenges in launching and hosting an open, digital badge initiative, July31,2013,http://wiobyrne.com/challenges-in-launching-and-hosting-an-open-digital-badgeinitiative/

DigitalBadgeInitiative|ANewParadigmforCredentialscredentials,itisimportanttoapplythesametransparencytothedevelopmentofbadgesastheCCNShasprovidedforcourses.

Oncethebadgehasbeendesigned,ahostfortheonlinedisplaymustbeidentified.Thisonlinedisplayisreferredtoasabadgeplatform.Abadgeplatformaffordstheabilitytotrackthelocationofevidenceandsupportingdetailssothatdigitalbadgesareportable.Werecognizethatbadgeearnersbeartheresponsibilitytomanagetheirindividualportfoliosofdigitalbadgesreceivedincludingastoragesolution.Currentoptionsforthestorageanddisplayofearnedbadgesincludeweb-basedportfolios(e-portfolios),theMozillaBackpack,andsomesocialmediaapps.Web-basedtoolsgivebadgeearnerstheflexibilitytostorebadgesearnedinonecentral,portableportfoliotailoredtoeachinstanceofdisplay.Giventhatadultlearnersmayearnbadgesfrommultipleorganizationsandbusinesses,adigitalbadgeplatformsystemshouldallowformanagingandsharingaholisticviewofstudents,notonlytheirlearning-relatedaccomplishmentswhileatanyCCCSinstitution.

Aconcernofanyissuerofdigitalbadgesisthatabadgeplatformoffersmanylevelsofdatacontainedinthemetadatastoredinbadgesthemselves,primarily:requirements,achievementevidence,andtimestamps.Asnewdigitalbadgingplatformsenterthemarketplace,eachbadgingplatform,evenifbuiltwiththeMozillaOpenBadgeCode,usesslightlydifferentterminologytoexpressknowledge/skills/competences.Theinabilityofmetadatatobetransferredbetweendigitalbadgeplatformsandthelackofconsistencyamongbadgingplatformsencodedextensionswithinthedigitalbadgemetadataaremajorchallengestotheestablishmentandmaintenanceofalargescaledigitalbadgingecosystem.ItisimportanttounderstandthateventhoughCCCSconsidersitselfasystemofcolleges,CCCSistruly15separateentities(13brickandmortarinstitutions,CCCOnline,andthesystemadministrativeoffices)thatwouldbeinteractingwithinadigitalbadgeecosystem,inadditiontoColoradobusinesses,industries,workforcecenters,andothereducationalinstitutions.

Anadditionalconsiderationisanunderstandingofthewayinwhichthenewmicro-credentialsystemwouldfitintotheexistingstudentmanagementsystem.Todeliverthevaluepromisedbydigitalbadges,itisimportantthatdigitalbadgesandtheassociatedmetadatabestablefor5-10years.Competenciesidentifiedindigitalbadgesneedtogranularanddocumentcompetencybasedlearning.Untilanintegratedcompetency-basedstudentinformationmanagementsystemisavailablewithinourcurrentcourse/certificate/degreestudentinformationmanagementsystem,adigitalbadgingmanagementsystemshouldrunparalleltotheexistingBannersystem.

DigitalBadgeInitiative|ANewParadigmforCredentialsWhatSolutionsareAvailable

Asweestablishalargescale(enterprise)digitalbadgeecosystem,studentlearningoutcomesarestrengthenedthroughidentifiable,granular,observableunitsinherentinanevidencebasedbadgedesignthatisconsistentwithinthemetadatacode,OpenBadgeStandard.Itisimportantthattheuniformterminology,consistentextensions,andthesamecompetencysemanticsareused.TheessentialconsistencycanonlybeachievedifallCCCSinstitutionsuseasystem-widebadgingplatformwithauniformprocesstoestablishandissuedigitalbadges.Additionally,anybadgingplatformmustallowanindividualinstitutiontoretainownershipofthemetadataaswellasdownloadingandtransfercapabilitiesofthemetadata.

Withthisinformationinmind,inaseriesofmeetings,thetaskforcegeneratedastatementofworkandcriterianeededforapilotandenterprisebadgingplatformsolutiontobeusedtoevaluateexistingbadgingplatforms.TheCCCSBadgePlatformPilot-EnterpriseRequestforProposal(appendixA)wassentouttotheleadingbadgingplatforms:Acclaim,Badger,BadgeList,Credly,CSULogics,andRedCritter.Utilizationofastandardsetofcriteriaallowedthetaskforcetocomparelikeitemsacrossmanyplatforms.

Developmentanddeploymentofapilotdigitalbadgingplatformaveraged3-6months,andanenterprisesolutionbasedoffayearpilotvariedintimeframedependinguponwhetherimplementationisphasedorlaunchedsystemwide.

Recommendations

Toachievethedevelopmentofadigitalbadgesystemwhichincludeevidenceofthespecificskillsandcompetencies:

1. Implementatimelineinwhichoneormoreofthesuggestedpilotscanbedesignedandrunningwithin6months.

2. Secure$5,000infunding(inthecurrentCCCS2015-2016budget)forthedevelopmentofadigitalbadgingplatform.

a. Selectoneofthetop2badgeplatforms(seeappendixBandC)whicharecomparableinpriceandfunctionalityforthedigitalbadgepilot.i. UnderstandingthatdigitalbadgeecosystemisexpandingtoK-12schools,

Coloradouniversitiesandworkforcecenters,itwouldbeverybeneficialtohaveCCCScollegesusingthesameplatformtoallowforgreaterdataminingandseamlessfeedbackloopsamongK-12,2-4yearinstitutions,workforcecenters,andColoradoemployersandindustries.

b. DevelopalimitedpilotTechnicalMathforIndustrydigitalbadges.


i. TechnicalMathdigitalbadgesidentifyproficientormasteryachievementwithacademiccontentdirectlyrelatedtocompetenciesneededintheworkplace.Forinstance,studentscantaketheTechnicalMathMOOCassessmentsforBasicMathematicsandbadgeintheoneorallofthe4competencies:Ratio,ProportionandPercent,UnitsofMeasure,Numbers,Powersof10,andScientificNotation.CommunityCollegeofAurora’sCNAprogramhasmanyapplicantsforthelimitednumberofstudentslots,andwhilemathisnotarequiredcoursetoentertheprogram,instructorsknowstudentswhohavemasteryofratioproportionandpercentandunitsofmeasurehavemoresuccesswhileintheprogramandaremorelikelytocompletetheprogram.Adigitalbadgesystemisn'tjustatranscriptandworkportfolio;it'sawaytostructuretheprocessofeducationitself.

c. DevelopalimitedpilotforAdvancedManufacturingdigitalbadges.i. NIMScredentialsareindustry-recognizednationalstandardsandthird

partyobjectiveassessmentswhichhelpsecurejobsinthemanufacturingsector.NIMSdigitalbadgeshelpstudentsdemonstratemasteryperformanceinrequiredcompetencyorgroupofcompetencieswhicharevaluedinjobssuchascertifiedmachinist,toolmaker,orCNCsetupprogrammer.Eachbadgeallowstheemployertoclickthroughtomoredetailedlevelsofevidenceandexplanation—documents,assessmentresults,hyperlinks,video,andmore.

d. DevelopalimitedpilotforonlinefacultydevelopmentdigitalbadgingprojectwithFRCC,CCAandCCD.i. Manyinstructorsenhancetheirteachingpracticethroughworkshops,

seminars,andothernon-creditprograms;digitalbadgingoffersaflexible,personalizedwayforfacultyandstafftoplan,document,andsharetheiraccomplishments.Incontrasttoattendanceorparticipationinaworkshoporconference,adigitalbadgeindicatesthatthefacultymemberhasmetsomeexternalcriteriainordertoreceiveit.Implementationoffacultydevelopmentdigitalbadgesprogramsandinitiativesoffernumerousinitiativesforinstructorsforimprovingthequalityofteachingandtherebyenhancingthestudentlearningexperience.

3. Developasystemwideenterprisesolution,tofollowthepilotmodelwithin12-15monthsafterthepilot.

a. Approximatestart-upcostforasystemwideenterprisesolutionannuallyis$65,000forunlimitedearneraccountsundertheCCCSbrand.


i. Developmentofwhitelabelsolutions(individualcollegebrandedbadges)foreachofthe13brickandmortarcollegesisapproximately$4,950percollege

b. Personnelexpenseswouldincludeinstructionaldesigner,visualdesignerandacurriculum&programcompetencyalignmentmanagerfundedpositionsforapproximately$300,000peryearwithfringe.

4. Alignthedevelopmentandmanagementofdigitalbadgecompetencieswithourcurrentcommoncoursenumberingsystem.

a. Createacentraldigitalbadgemanagementandprocessingsystemincludinguniformpoliciesandproceduresforbadgedocumentationincreditandnon-creditcourses.Itisanticipatedthatbadgerequestsfromcollegescouldincludenon-creditcompetencies,professionaldevelopmentforfacultyandstaff,CareerandTechnicalEducation(CTE)competencies,guaranteedtransfer(GT)competencies,studentworkexperienceandindustrycertificationsandacentralizedmanagementsystemensuresconsistencywithinthebadgesandaddsvaluetotheCCCSbrand.

5. Usethecurrentpriorlearningassessment(PLA)policyandproceduresforprocessinganyoutsideCCCSdigitalbadgesintoanyCCCScollegeidentifiedprogram.

References

Boerner,H.(2015,August7).UnlockingthePowerofDigitalBadgesinManufacturing.RetrievedNovember3,2015,fromhttp://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/article/unlocking-the-power-of-digital-badges-in-manufacturing/

ConnectingCredentials:ABetaCredentialsFramework:Buildingasystemforcommunicatingaboutandconnectingdiversecredentials.(2015,June11).RetrievedOctober20,2015,fromhttps://www.luminafoundation.org/files/resources/connecting-credentials.pdf

Marquez,J.(2015,June11).ColoradoCommunityCollegeSystemDevelopsaNewDesignationtoHelpStudentsGetJobs.RetrievedOctober29,2015,fromhttp://yourhub.denverpost.com/blog/2015/07/colorado-community-college-system-develops-a-new-designation-to-help-students-get-jobs/102439/

O'Byrne,W.I.(2013,July31).Challengesinlaunchingandhostinganopen,digitalbadgeinitiative.RetrievedOctober20,2015fromhttp://wiobyrne.com/challenges-in-launching-and-hosting-an-open-digital-badgeinitiative/


Appendix

AppendixA

BACKGROUND,OVERVIEW&GOALSTheColoradoCommunityCollegeSystem(CCCS)isseekinginformationforabadgeplatformthat

1. SupportsCCCSBadgingInitiativegrowth,use,andreportingfrompilottosystemwideadoptionatall13communitycolleges;CCCSdepartments,suchasCCCOnline,EducationalServices,SpecialProjects,andothers;systempartners,andstudents.

2. Providesanenterprisesolutionforawhitelabelproductandwhitelabelbrandingforeachofthe13collegesandCCCSdepartmentswiththreemodesofentryintothebadgingdashboardforthreetypesofusers.

3. Providebadgeearnerswithaccesstotheirbadgesthatdoesnotrequiresinglesignonorhavingusersgothroughagatetoclaimtheirbadges.

STATEMENTOFWORKCCCSwouldlikeanestimateanddegreetowhichthefollowingfeaturescouldbeprovided.

RequiredFeatures:1. Whitelabelbadgeplatformforall13colleges2. Abilitytoscalefrompilottosystemwideimplementationfor13communitycolleges,various

CCCSdepartments,systempartnersasneeded,andstudents.CCCSincludesover150,000studentsandissuesover17,000degreesandcertificatesannually.

3. Abilitytoissue,track,andgeneratereportsonbadgesatthesystemlevel(Allcolleges),collegelevel,anddepartmentlevel.

4. Abilitytoallowforatleastthreelevelsofusers:SystemAdministrators,Editorial(allowsbadgecreationandalignmentwithStudentLearningOutcomes),andInstructorlevel(allowsissuanceofbadgestostudents).

5. Abilitytobemanagedatthesystemlevel,andalsoallowforsettingsandbrandingatthecollegelevel.

6. Abilitytoissuebadgesthroughautogeneratedemail,allowbadgeearnerstoselectwhichbadgestodisplay,andallowdisplayofearnedbadgesonearnersmediaofchoicesuchasMozillaBackpackorsimilarbackpacks/portfoliosandsocialmediasuchasLinkedIn.

7. Abilitytointerface(APIorLTI)withandimport/exportfromD2LLearningManagementSystem.AbilitytostayconnectedtoD2Lthroughcontinuousimprovement.

8. AbilitytoimportdatafromaMEPinstallationofBannerforstudent-leveldata.9. AbilitytoexportdatainbulkinCSVformat.10. Providedashboardforadministrator,editor,issuer(faculty),andstudentdashboardsthatallow:

a. CreationofgraphicalbadgeandmetadatabasedontheOpenBadgePlatform


b. DisplayIssuedBadgesinaCatalogc. IssueBadgesd. IntegrationwithSocialMediae. GenerationofReportsf. Ifyoursolutionalsoallowshostingofbadges

i. DisplayBadgesEarnedii. AllowBadgeEarnerstomanagetheirbadges

g. Intuitiveandeasytouseincreation,alignmentandissuingofwhitelabelbadges.

Featuresthatwouldbenice,butarenotrequired:1. Badgedesignandstyleguide2. Serverhosting,monitoring,andmaintenance

“Cherryonthetop”Features:1. CCCS“owns”themetadataandwillbeabletomovemetadatatofutureplatform(s)whentechnologyenablesconvenienttransfer.2. Ifsupplyingabadgehostingsolutioninadditiontothebadgeissuingplatform,itisimportantforthehostingplatformtohavetheabilitytoimportbadgesfromotherprovidersandplatforms.Studentscancollectbadgesfrommultiplesourcesintoasingle“briefcase”thatisthenportableforthestudent.

Vendorsshouldaddressthefollowingquestions:1. Whatisyourpricingstructure?Isthereanannuallicensingfee?Peruserchargetomaintainissued

badges?Storageratecharge?Numberofbadgesissued?Administrativeuseraccounts?Canyougivepricesbased,asappropriate?a. Ifyourpricingstructureistochargeperstudent,dowehavetopurgeourdataand/orarewe

chargedperstudentevenifthey’renolongerattheinstitution?Howlongdoesthesoftwarekeephistoricaldata?

2. Isyourofferinganon-sitesolution,orisitcloud-based?Ifthesystemisinstalledon-site,whatsystemrequirementswouldbeinvolved(e.g.HardwareorVM,operatingsystem,CPUs,memory,etc.)?a. Ifthereisacloud-basedsolution,whatdatasecuritymeasuresaretakentoprotectstudent

data?Hasyourcompanybeencertifiedinanywayascompliantwithstudentprivacylaws?b. Ifcloud-based,howmuchstoragewillbeavailabletousandhowisitmanaged?c. Ifcloudbased,howdoyousecurelyconnecttothelocalCCCSserversfordatatransfer?d. Howoftenaremaintenanceand/orupgradesneededforthesolution?Whatistheexpected

downtimeformaintenancewindows?3. Doyouhaveahelpdesktosupportendusers?Ifyes,whatareitshours?4. Doesyoursystemgeneratee-mails,ifsodoyouhostyourownSMTPserver?5. Willwebeabletodownloaddataandkeeponourcomputers?Ifnot,forhowlongwillwehave

accesstothedata?a. Canweworkwithextracteddatawithouthavingtoprogrammaticallytieintotheactual

databaseorinjectotherdata?


b. Doweownthedata?c. Canweaccesstherawdataanytimewewant?d. Whatisthedatabackupschedule(frequencyofdatabackup)?e. Ifwecanexportthedatainbulk,whowoulddothat?You,theplatformcompany,orus?

6. IsyoursystemWCAGLevel2AAcompliant?Ifnot,whatisyourplantoreachWCAGLevel2AAcompliance?

7. Doyoueverhavetocustomizethisintegrationandifso,isitincludedintheprice?8. DoyousupportintegrationwithanyLearningManagementSystem?WhataboutD2L(Bright

space)?Canvas?a. Ifyes,isitLTIorAPIbased?b. Ifyes,whattablesarereadandwhattablesareupdated?

9. DoyousupportintegrationwithanystudentmanagementsystemsuchasEllucianBannerinaMEPenvironment?

a. Ifyes,whattablesarereadandwhattablesareupdated?10. Canyouprovideuswithcontactsatotherschoolsthatareusingyoursoftwareforabadgingplatform?


Glossary

Badge:Badgeisarepresentationofaskill,learningachievementorexperience.Badgescanrepresentcompetenciesandinvolvementsrecognizedinonlineorofflinelife.Eachbadgeisassociatedwithanimageandsomemetadata.

DigitalBadges:Adigitalbadgeisanonlinerepresentationofabadgeearned.Metadata:Metadataprovidesinformationaboutwhatthebadgerepresentsandtheevidenceusedtosupportit.Metadataisstructuredinformationthatdescribes,explains,locates,orotherwisemakesiteasiertoretrieve,use,ormanageaninformationresource.Metadataisoftencalleddataaboutdataorinformationaboutinformation.(NationalInformationStandardsOrganization)OpenBadges:OpenBadgestakedigitalbadgesonestepfurther.Theyaremoresuitabletobeusedascredentialsastheyhaveinformationaboutthelearningexperiencebakedin.OpenBadgescanbevalidatedbyanyonewantingtocheckuponanindividual'sclaimtoknowledgeorskills.OpenBadgeStandardCode:Openbadgecodeisnode.jscodeandrepresentsbadgesinjsondatablobsembeddedinpngfiles.

OpenBadgeInfrastructure(OBI):Openbadgeinfrastructuretechnologysupportsindependentbadgeissuersanddisplayers.OBIincludesthemetadataspecification,APIs,verificationframework,Backpackandsoftwaretools.

ROLES

Earner:Abadgeearnerissomeonewhoearnsabadge(eitherbyapplyingorbeingdirectlyissuedwithit).TheearnercanusetheirBackpacktomanageandsharetheirbadges.

Issuer:AbadgeissuerisanorganizationorindividualwhoissuesOpenBadgestotheircommunity.Theissuerisresponsiblefordefiningbadges,makingthemavailabletoearnersandhandlingapplicationsforthem.Badgeissuingcaninvolveparticipantswithvariousspecificroles,suchasapplicationassessors,badgecreatorsandadministrators.

Consumer:Abadgeconsumercanbeawebsite,organization,orpersonwhoaccessespubliclysharedOpenBadgesanddisplaysthemforbadgeearners.


LeadAuthorBrendaPerea-ColoradoCommunityCollegeSystem,AcademicAffairs

ContributorsAmandaCorum,PuebloCommunityCollegeKarenNovak,FrontRangeCommunityCollegeKaylaZelig,CommunityCollegeofDenverMichaelSchulman,ColoradoCommunityCollegeSystemITTammyWard,CommunityCollegeofAurora

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