open badges, open borders suzanne scott borders college technology enhanced learning unit
TRANSCRIPT
Open Badges, Open Borders
Suzanne ScottBorders College
Technology Enhanced Learning Unit
Overview
• What are Open Badges?– How do they work?– What do they look like?
• How are Borders College using them?– The journey so far– Lessons learned
• Where do we go from here?– As an institution?– Collectively?
Do you remember...
Blue and Gold Banquet by Anja Johnson
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37353087@N03/4056767466
I’m a Brownie by Sarah Joy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62559061@N06/6921282288
What are Open Badges?
• Supported by Mozilla– The Macarthur Foundation– Working to create a recognised, shared infrastructure
for badge creation and display
• Visual representations of achievements, learning, skills, interests and competencies– Complement rather than replace traditional
education practicesAll images displayed with approval from
Doug Belshaw@Mozilla
The Science bit!• An image with metadata
hardcoded into them– Issuers and Endorsers
• Stays in your dedicated Mozilla badge backpack– Can also be displayed in
various locations; Linkedin, Moodle, Mahara
www.openbadges.orgAll images displayed with approval from
Doug Belshaw@Mozilla
Open Badges
6Image by Kyle Bowen
What a badge looks like
Why?
3 words:– Retention
– Motivation
– Employability
Badges in real life @BC
• Ideas for curriculum based badges• Moodle badges from the TEL team• CPD badges• Working with local employers
• Lessons learned along the way
Beware…
• When introducing badges:– Greater communication with
all concerned required to ensure sense of ownership
– Importance of Senior Management approval
– More time required to accept change
– Concerns over time to create badges/additional assessment load
Curriculum based badges
• HNC Interactive Media– Podcasting– HTML fundamentals– Understanding colour– Photography– Team leadership– Developing customer
relationships
The process
• Tools available…
• In reality…– You as a tutor know the areas your students; struggle
with and/or already do but don’t get credit for– Brainstorm
• Get topic and criteria set• Consider links to other badges to ‘super badge’• Then think about design
The tools• Jisc Open Badge toolkit
– http://www.jiscrsc.ac.uk/media/421718/jiscopenbadgesdesigntoolkit-print_1.pdf
• DigitalMe Badge Canvas– http://www.digitalme.co.uk/
badgecanvas/
• Badgemaker project online tool– http://
badgemakerproject.com/
An easier process?– Practical badge making session
with BDU if required?
You are nearing your destination...
• Moodle User Badge pilot– Different approach– Student badges to
encourage digital literacy
– Using Moodle as host– Aimed to introduce
badges ‘gently’ to staff and students
– Small pilot: 4 classes
Moodle Open BadgesStudent badges recognise/encourage:•Professional profile creation•Contribution to discussion forums •Electronic submission of assignments•Use of the VLE generally
Staff badges recognise /encourage:•Innovative use of the VLE•Greater use of tools•Time and effort invested
How we did it!
• Topic agreed• Criteria defined• Pathway created• Graphic designed in-
house• Badges issued manually
through Moodle
A solution for you?
• Badges around Placements?– Fits with lifelong learning
journey– Scope for Open Badges
in a lifelong learning portfolio?
• Award open badges for:– Successful learners– Confident individuals– Responsible citizens– Effective contributors
• Other generic issues:
– Attendance– Behaviour (if appropriate)
Alternative routes – diversion in place
• Introducing Open Badges for CPD sessions
• Full support of HR department– Removal of paper
certificates
Staff CPD
• All staff now have at least one open badge – spread awareness
• Increase loyalty and attendance at CPD sessions
• Staff see value in CPD sessions. No longer just mandatory
Could this work with some of your employers?•Work with TEL if appropriate
Objects in the rear view mirror...
• It’s been an interesting journey!– Still positive about the
value of Open Badges– More realistic about the
work which needs to be done to convince non-believers
• SQA, CDN, Jisc RSC working group will help
Open Badge Highway Code• Badge image design is
important but time consuming
• Criteria setting is important for credibility
• Handle concerns sensitively
• Look for like minded evangelists to share thoughts and issues
• Institutional buy-in is key
• Support from RSC, SQA and Mozilla important
Future of badges at Borders• 3 year plan to introduce
Open Badges across the curriculum
• Aim to accredit prior learning and introduce bridging badges
• Considering pathways for learners /identifying badges according to career aspirations
• Working with local employers to raise awareness
Bridges (dependencies)
• “SQA supports the concept of Open Badges and is working in partnership with the Open Badges in Scottish Education Group to support the adoption of Open Badges across a range of sectors. We believe that the infrastructure promotes and supports greater flexibility for learning and the recognition of achievement.”
“Permission to Innovate!”
– adopting Open Badges as part of the recognition for teachers and appointees through SQA Academy Courses
– Exploring possibilities that Open Badges offer in terms of digital certification in the future
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Joe Wilson, Head of New Ventures, SQA. Experimental Blog, October 2013
Open Badges Scottish Education Group
• Jisc OBSEG: – Overview and mapping
function of Open Badge developments in Scottish education• Oversees a number of sub-
groups: Learner Progress, Staff Development, Technology and Design
– Provides a forum for discussion and the formation of connections
• Now being hosted nationally; SQA and SG
A practical working group• Perhaps through SLTN?– Greater support
irrespective of level– Learn from each other– Use different platforms
• Scottish learning events (jointly badged)– As Chicago Summer or
Learning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WwpwtYNsNk#t=20
Diversions ahead…
• The creation of suites of subject specific badges which could be shared across the sector
• What tools should be used?– Clear guidelines for
planning, designing and issuing badges (toolkit)
• Work with schools– Empower students/pupils
to create their own badges
– Peer assessment
• Working group maintenance (OBSEG)– Funding?– Projects?
• Introducing Open Badges to employers to ensure value– Role for BDU?
• Fitting the pieces together – work is still fragmented
Interested?
You could start by looking at:• Mozilla’s Open Badges site to find out how to use the Open
Badge Infrastructure to earn, issue and display Open Badges.http://openbadges.org, then set up your backpack and earn your first badge…
Further information
– Find out more about the Jisc Regional Support Centre (RSC) Scotland pilot of Open Badges. rsc-scotland.org/?page_id=2223
– Open Badges in Scottish Education Group. bit.ly/obseg
– Open Badges case studies. rsc-scotland.org/?tag=open-badges
– Open Badges blog posts. rsc-scotland.org/eassessment/tag/open-badges/
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• Jisc support
