Using Digital Badges to Design a Comprehensive Model for High-Impact Experiential Learning

This chapter details the design, implementation, and promise of the Project Portal, a co-curricular badge system, as an exciting example of how digital badges can transcend traditional notions of credentialing. The authors begin by detailing their design approach, which frames goals within hypotheses and research questions, allowing for optimizing implementation based on student outcomes and ongoing data collection. The authors then share a comprehensive model through five primary functional lenses: (1) generating diverse applied learning opportunities, (2) incentivizing, (3) facilitating and (4) assessing student engagement, and (5) leveraging related impacts. Although still in its infancy, the model suggests that these functionalities are individually important and collectively sufficient to activate the promise of high-impact experiential learning as a driver for student and community impact along with key institutional priorities.

Alternative Digital Credentials in Higher Education

Alternative digital credentials (ADCs), also known as digital badges, demonstrate great promise as a strategy for closing the skills gap and supporting the alignment of industry skills with traditional and nontraditional higher education programs. The authors seek to highlight advances in ADC development in a public university setting, demonstrating how higher education institutions can weave ADCs into both traditional classrooms and larger community initiatives such as workforce development and non-credit offerings. The chapter details the institution's ADC pathway from conception to a workforce development project awarded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic including key project objectives, strategies, and best practices. The authors also discuss the use of existing learning resources and tools such as EMSI, Jove, and augmented reality technology, including learner reviews from current program participants. Finally, institutional strategies for prior learning assessment and integration of digital badges into undergraduate degree programs are discussed.

Digital Badges in Latin America and the Caribbean

This chapter provides an overview of digital badge adoption by the Inter-American Development Bank both at the organizational level as well as for an external audience in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It describes the value and impact of digital badges for an international multilateral organization, for its employees, and for its regional stakeholders. It discusses the challenges and opportunities of expanding the adoption of digital badges for the public sector in the LAC region. The authors believe the chapter will be of interest to policymakers in LAC, other international organizations with interest in areas of knowledge and learning, institutions of higher education interested in Latin American issues in education and training sectors, and other professionals in a variety of international settings.

Design, Development and Use of a Digital Badges System in Higher Education

Badges are non fungible tokens used to document or certify achievements in academics or in any other domain. Besides their utility as proof of achievement, badges are of interest in higher education as pure incentives to push the students and learners in general toward pursuing well-defined goals and skills. In this respect, badges can be naturally incorporated into digital learning platforms also as part of informal learning activities, and stimulate participation, merit, and visibility for the students. However, the level of engagement of learners into these learning activities depends crucially on how the system of badges and rewards has been designed and on how it is applied, if it is to be used effectively. In this paper, we report on the design and implementation of a smart badges system, and an example of its use inside a gamification methodology for informal learning in a master level course, and discuss the benefits and the observed gains in learning performance that can be obtained.

A digitális kitűző- és tanúsítványtárak problematikája és megoldási lehetőségei

A Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem Mérnöktovábbképző Intézet (BME MTI) részvételével zajló DISCO VET projekt keretén belül kitűzött cél egy Open Badge szabványra épülő digitális kitűző és tanúsítvány-kezelő rendszer kialakítása. Nyílt forráskódban elérhető Badgr program képességei jelentik az alapszintet, de ezek továbbfejleszthetők. A képzési folyamatok eredményes teljesítésekor kiállítható digitális kitűzők (tüzzencsek, tanjelvények) kezelésének könnyítésére, általános használatba vételéhez, a közhasználatba való elterjesztéséhez megfelelő szolgáltatás, platform építhető. Within the framework of the DISCO VET project with the participation of the Institute of Continuing Engineering Education in Budapest (BME MTI) of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), the goal is to develop a digital badge and certificate management system based on the Open Badge standard. The capabilities of the open source Badgr program are the basics, but they can be improved. In order to facilitate the handling of digital badges (training badges) that can be issued upon the successful completion of the training processes, a suitable service and platform can be built for their general use and dissemination to the public.

Micro-Credentials in Higher Education Institutions: Challenges and Opportunities

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the education sector locally and globally especially in teaching and learning delivery methods as most universities have adopted online platforms. The present situation is not only challenging but also tests the flexibility of the existing education system. With the help of technology, the existing traditional education system could be more flexible to enable more individuals from around the world to access education. The latest revolution in online education, micro-credential, is growing interest among public and private universities worldwide, including Malaysia. However, to date, little scholarly work is found related to micro-credentials in higher education. This conceptual paper presents an overview of micro-credential and the challenges and opportunities of offering micro-credential certification in the form of digital badges to the national and global market. Recommendations are made to multiple stakeholders (e.g., higher education providers, employers) to enhance the use of certifications for graduate employability. Ideas for further research are also presented. Keywords: Digital badges, Digital credentialing, Higher-education, Micro-credential, Online certification

Digital badges: Pinning down employer challenges

Digital badges hold considerable potential for employers and recruiters, as they evidence accomplishments of skills and competencies at a more granular level than a traditional degree certificate. Badges are a validated, online graphical representation of an achievement, which is accomplished by undertaking criteria-based learning activities. Despite the established educational benefits of badges in higher education, limited research has been conducted into employer awareness, acceptance, and use of digital badges in recruitment practices. To address this research gap, a mixed method study combining quantitative and qualitative data collection was conducted before and during the COVID-19 health pandemic. Approximately 700 employers were emailed and invited to complete the initial survey and 73 responded. One of the major survey findings is that 97% of respondents were unfamiliar with the concept of digital badges. Significantly, however, despite the lack of employer awareness there was no widespread resistance to the concept of badges, but a strong appeal for further clarification of their value, credibility, and security. Analysis of the data reveals stronger partnership working, between the higher education sector and employers, is pivotal to establish effective digital credentialing systems. Recommendations for higher education institutions have emerged from this study, which aim to balance pedagogical digital badge practice with employer needs. Such synergies are crucial to address the changing skills agenda, to prepare students to thrive in physical and virtual work environments. Given the paucity of research in this field, further studies are warranted, to investigate the impact of digital badges on the employer community.

How and why are digital badges being used in higher education in New Zealand?

Digital technologies, as mediators and facilitators of learning, are altering tertiary education; how and when it occurs, what it entails, who has access, and how capabilities and skills are acknowledged. Digital badges are one such technological tool. Created to acknowledge competency, skill or achievement they have been adopted for a variety of purposes including to motivate learners, recognise achievement and accredit learning. Internationally, the use of digital badges is growing; however, much of the existing literature addresses the potential of digital badges while there is a relative paucity of empirical research, particularly in the Australasian region. This research explored the use of digital badges within New Zealand’s public higher education sector. Using a mixed methods approach (national survey of staff followed by interviews), results revealed over half of the institutions were using badges or planned to in the future. Identified benefits included displaying achievement, motivating learners and evidencing learning. Challenges were also noted, including faculty members’ lack of knowledge about badges, inconsistent use and lack of formal regulation of badges. The findings suggest that badge use is at the early adoption stage and provide valuable insights from which to develop future practice.