Connecting Learning and Learners
with Open Digital Badges Daniel T. Hickey, Associate Professor
Learning Sciences Program
Indiana University
Rebecca Itow
Cathy Tran
Katerina Schenke
Nate Otto
Christine Chow
James Willis
1. What are Open Digital
Badges?
• Web-enabled tokens of accomplishments
• Can be accumulated internally or externally
• Can be shared over email and social networks
• Contain specific claims about learning
• Contain evidence of learning
The Open Badge Infrastructure (OBI)
Badge Name
Badge Description
Criteria
Evidence
Issuer
Date Issued / Expires
2. What was the Design Principles
Documentation Project?
Accredited Context
Accredited Badges
None
Other
School or University
After School
Teacher PD
Informal & Other
Adult & Career
Museum
Extra-Curricular
Common Core
Local Standards
Partners for 21CS
None Identified
K-12
Middle School
Secondary
College Students
Educators/ Other Vocational
/ Adult
Accreditation Setting
Standards
Earners
Regardless of where you start, it is likely you will end up somewhere other than your intended destination. That’s okay. Systems are living things and your system needs to be flexible. You need to embrace a bit of chaos in its design.
--Carla Casilli
Most of the knowledge generated when designing complex systems evaporates as features evolve and team dissolve.
--Phillipe Kruchten
Capturing “Practical Wisdom”
Aristotle’s Phronesis Contextual and value-laden
Bent Flyvbjerg (2001) Phronetic narratives
Rich Halverson (2004) Artifact-based phronetic narratives
Categories of Badge Functions
Recognizing Learning Skills, achievements, experiences, & practices
Individual, peer, social
Assessing Learning Summative, formative, transformative, & transcendent
Motivating Learning Intrinsic, extrinsic, & participatory
Studying Learning
Research of, for, & with digital badges
Evolution of Badge Design Practices
Intended Practices - Ideas outlined in original proposals
Enacted Practices - Intentions unfolding in world
Formal Practices - Practices after funding ends
Emergence of Badge Design Principles
Draft Initial Principles - Similar practices across different projects
- Aiming for 4-6 principles for each function
Formalize General Principles -Exemplified by specific projects
-Broke many down into more specific principles
-Highlights intersection of principle with context
Bookmark Research - Find relevant research for each principle
- Encourages spread of systematic inquiry
3. What are the “big ideas”
from the DPD project?
Important things about badges that
some projects and many observers
did not fully appreciate
DIGITAL BADGES ARE DIFFERENT Claims & evidence hard to define ● Many projects
struggled to specify claims
● Many projects struggled to specify evidence
{
"uid": "f2c20",
"recipient": {
"type": "email",
"hashed": true,
"salt": "deadsea",
"identity":
"sha256$c7ef86405ba71b85acd8e2e95166c4b111448089f2e1599f42fe1bba
46e865c5"
},
"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"
}
}
OPEN BADGES ARE REALLY DIFFERENT Info circulates in social networks ● Projects recognized
that stakes are increased
● Validty gets crowdsourced
● COPPA, FERPA, and other concerns worried many projects
ITS NOT (JUST) ABOUT BADGES Badges are part of an ecosystem
● More successful projects integrated badge functions into their learning ecosystem
● Less successful projects tried to build ecosystem around badges
4. What are the general findings
from the DPD project?
Things we learned looking
across projects over time
● Roughly 10 created proposed badge ecosystem
● Roughly 10 created badges but not ecosystem
● Roughly 10 did not create badges
BADGES CAN REALLY “WORK” But not everywhere
What the Projects Ultimately Created
Proposed ecosystem with scaled back practices
Proposed ecosystem with fewer practices
Different badges and ecosystem
Proposed badges and different ecosystem
Still building proposed badges
Proposed badges
STARTING POINTS MATTERS
Badge Systems = Tech + Content + Badges ● Sheryl Grant’s Five Buckets”
o RESPONSIVE = Start with content
o LAYERED = Start with tech and content
o BADGES-FIRST = Start with badges
o NEW BUILD = Tech, content, & badges together
o INTEGRATED = Start with tech
● DPD Confirmed Badges-First is problematic
BUILD BUCKET PROJECT OUTCOME
Responsive Proposed ecosystem with scaled back practices
Responsive Proposed ecosystem with fewer practices
Layered Different badges and ecosystem
Layered Proposed badges and different ecosystem
New Build Still building proposed badges
Responsive Proposed badges
5. What were the most challenging
principles to enact?
Popular intended practices that
were difficult to formalize
Principle Practice Failures/ Attempts
Seek external backing Externally endorsed 6/10
Externally valued 6/8
Use badges to externally communicate learning
Use badges to externally communicate learning
4/12
Have experts issue badges Have badges accredited by accredited entity and community
3/10
Align badges to standards Align to internal standards 2/6
Align to national or international standards
2/12
Align to community standards
1/4
Most Challenging RECOGNITION Principles & Practices
Principle Practice Failures/ Attempts
Enhance validity with expert judgment
Use human experts and computers
4/10
Align assessments to standards and create objectives
Common Core State Standards
3/8
National/state standards 1/8
Internal standards 1/9
Use e-portfolios Foster discussion around artifacts
2/3
Open to the public 1/2
Local to community 1/4
Use formative functions of assessment
Peer feedback 2/4
Most Challenging ASSESSMENT Principles & Practices
Principle Practice Failures/ Attempts
Provide privileges Provide internships 4/6
Provide prizes 3/6
Provide peer mentorship 3/9
Provide new activities 3/11
Use different types of assessment
Peer assessment 4/7
Self assessment 1/3
Expert assessment 1/3
Build outside value for badges
Evidence for outside opportunities
3/9
Most Challenging MOTIVATION Principles & Practices
6. What did the DPD project find for
specific projects & practices
The unfolding of practices in the
projects with adult learners
Category Principle Practice
Recognizing Recognize diverse learning Recognize diverse learning
Use badges to externally communicate learning
Use badges to externally communicate learning
Promote discovery Discover learning opportunities
Assessing Align activities to standards` Internal standards
Use formative functions of assessment
Peer assessment
Use mastery learning Judged by human experts and computer
Use rubrics Rubrics developed for specific artifacts
Promote “hard” and “soft” skills Combine collaborative learning and discreet skills
Motivating Provide privileges Peer mentorship
Display badges to the public Learners can choose to share badges with public
Build outside value for badges Real-life application of knowledge
Practices Formalized or Proposed & Not Enacted
Category Principles General Practice
Recognizing Have experts issue badges Credentialed via accredited entity and community
Have experts issue badges Credentialed via community
Seek external backing of credential
Externally endorsed
Assessing Use rubrics Rubrics developed for specific artifacts
Motivating Provide privileges Provide prizes
Use different types of assessments
Peer Assessment
Stimulate competition Use point system
Study Study impact of badges Research of badges
Proposed & Not Enacted or Unproposed & Introduced
Category Principles General Practice Specific Practice
Recognizing Learning
Use badges as a means of external communication of learning
Endorsement and translation of skills
Promote discovery Discover learners Promote earners’ skills to employers
Assessing Learning
Use leveled badge systems Competency levels Translation of skills
Motivating Learning
Build outside value for badges Evidence of outside opportunities
Potential to gain employment
Recognize identities Target a specific group Veterans
Engage with community Involvement in digital community
Network with community members
Studying Learning
Study Badge impact Research of badges Data collection and analysis
Practices Formalized, Proposed & Not Enacted or Unproposed & Introduced
Category Principles General Practice
Recognizing Use badges to externally communicate learning
Use badges to externally communicate learning
Assessing Use leveled badge systems Competency levels
Enhance validity with expert judgment
Use human experts
Use formative functions of assessment
Provide peer and expert feedback
Involve students at a granular level Learning pathways and badge design
Motivating Set goals User created badges
Use different types of assessments Peer assessment
Practices Proposed & Not Enacted
5. Where can we get more info?
6. How can we get involved?
4. Where can we get more info
and get involved?
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