badges in higher ed: research findings, secret sauce, and the future

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Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, & The Future James E. Willis, III, Ph.D. Research Associate Center for Research on Learning and Technology School of Education Indiana University - Bloomington

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Page 1: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

Badges in Higher Ed:Research Findings, Secret

Sauce, & The Future

James E. Willis, III, Ph.D.Research Associate

Center for Research on Learning and TechnologySchool of Education

Indiana University - Bloomington

Page 2: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

The Design Principles Documentation (DPD) Project

Page 3: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

The Design Principles Documentation (DPD) Project

Page 4: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

The Design Principles Documentation (DPD) Project

Page 5: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

The Design Principles Documentation (DPD) Project

Page 6: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

The Design Principles Documentation (DPD) Project

Associationist: building and strengthening specific associations = badges as recognition of very specific competencies

Constructivist: rationalize new information, smaller “higher-order” competencies (problem-solving, critical thinking) = badges as project-based, inquiry-oriented learning

Sociocultural: knowing and learning are situated in social, cultural, and technological contexts = badges as crowdsourced recognition, transformative assessment, social motivation

Hybrid: not clearly marked as any of the above, but incorporate multiple elements

Grand Theories of Learning

Page 7: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

DPD General Practices and Principles

• Badges appear to have worked better…–When they present unique information and

evidence.–Where educational content already exists.

-- In some places than others.

Page 8: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

DPD General Practices and Principles

• Badges appear to have worked better…–Where expectations for assessment of

individual skills and competencies were modest and manageable.

–Where learning, recognition, and assessment was primarily social.

–When awarded for completion of workshops, courses, or projects, rather than specific skills or competencies.

Page 9: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

DPD Specific Practices and Principles

• Badges appear to have worked better…–When used to map learning levels and

pathways.–When aligned to internal and/or external

standards as appropriate.–When communities of peer endorsers and

networks of expert endorsers were already established.–When any external endorsements are based

on existing institutional relationships.

Page 10: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

DPD Specific Practices and Principles, cont’d

• Badges appear to have worked better…–As informal, evidence-rich

credentials that speak for themselves rather than formal credentials whose value is rooted in conventional accreditation systems.

–When they can be endorsed by multiple stakeholders and/or after they are issued, based on the evidence contained in the badge.

–When used to recognize diverse types of learning.

Page 11: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

DPD Specific Practices and Principles, cont’d

• Badges appear to have worked better…–When used to externally

communicate learning.–When effort is invested at

maintaining the web-enabled evidence they contain and/or whether that evidence should expire after a specified time.

–When awarded to both teachers and students.

–When not offered for formal course credit.

–When used to help learners discover opportunities to learn.

Page 12: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

DPD Specific Practices and Principles, cont’d

• Badges appear to have worked better…–When used to help programs discover

learners.–When leveled assessment practices are

carefully designed and based on successful examples.–When computer-based and expert

assessment systems are carefully designed and based on successful examples.

Page 13: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

DPD Specific Practices and Principles, cont’d

• Badges appear to have worked better…–When the badges were layered into an

existing well-designed eportfolio system that streamlined creation, curation, and assessment.–When badges and formative assessments are

designed in a way to ensure the feedback is both useful and used to support learning.–When any student involvement in the design

of assessment practices is done carefully and judiciously.

Page 14: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

OBHE: Distilling findings in Higher Ed

Page 15: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

OBHE: Distilling findings in Higher Ed

Page 16: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

OBHE: Distilling findings in Higher Ed

Page 17: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

OBHE: Distilling findings in Higher Ed

Page 18: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

OBHE: Distilling findings in Higher Ed

Page 19: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

OBHE: Distilling findings in Higher Ed

Key Accomplishments (2014 – 2016)

Worked on team to issue the first open badge in Open eddy platform (2014)

Hosted first International Badges Day (2015)

Hosted bi-weekly Badges in Higher Education call (2015-2016)

Page 20: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

OBHE: Distilling findings in Higher Ed

Key Accomplishments

31 postings ……. 41,074 reads

One posting had 16,895 reads

Publication Stats:

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles (2)

Peer-Reviewed Book Chapters (3)

Papers (3)Conference Proceedings (3)

Presentations (22) Interviews (4)

Consults (2014-2016)166 Consultations

• 122 different organizations

Finland, Ireland, Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Canada, and all over the United States

Page 21: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

An Emerging Trend: Badges + ______?

Badges + Learning Management Systems

Badges + ePortfolios

Badges + Professional Development

Badges + Faculty Development

Badges + Validity

Badges + Privacy & Ethics

Page 22: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

An Emerging Trend: Badges + ePortfolios

Badges: Next Step

Interested, but waiting to see

how badges pan out

Badges Already

Page 23: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

An Emerging Trend: Badges + Faculty Development

PathwaysGold / Silver / Bronze: can compromise some meaning to

outsidersTimeline: particular programs with clear chronology or

Year 1 / Year 2Reasoning and rationale to valuable faculty time

EvidenceGenerally all existing initiatives linked to Teaching &

Learning Center workshopsSome badges stopped thereOthers required evidence in form of reflections or blogsVery few looked at in-classroom practiceFew articulate why a badge is helpful beyond learning

EcosystemsMost systems rewarded engagement in existing

initiatives Few explicitly state that badges could be used for

tenure / promotionFew provided clear pathways for learningFew provided rationale for why time should be spent on

badges

Page 24: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

An Emerging Trend: Badges + Privacy and Ethics

When educational data persists, and can be linked to other individual data sources, what are the possible outcomes?

What obligations do institutions have to protect, retract, or alter learning artifacts in the near and far future?

What are practices to help students learn how to control their own learning artifacts?

When evidentiary narratives form regarding a student’s ability, and then become public, can students come to hold false beliefs about their own capabilities?

http://www.idselpaso.com/

When learning evidence is linked between other technologies and badges, do new ethical questions regarding student privacy emerge?

Page 25: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

The Secret SauceIn a phrase: Build Compelling Evidence

Claim of learning / accomplishment Evidence to support claim

Think Big, Start Small, Work Fast

Don’t compete with formal credentials; rather, think about informal learning

At all stages, think: Why should earner care about this badge? Why should someone viewing the badge care?

Pathways, Stack-ability, Portability

Page 26: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

Possible Future(s) for Badges

Networked systems to locate individuals based on learning evidence will change job recruitment

OBI fields are meta-data: searchable, mineable, predictive (?)

LD will allow greater mining, team assembly Short term: Badges will function as a type of learning currency Long term: Badges may function as the artifact learning evidence

Registrars: governance and digital repositories Badges will drive educational reforms like Competency-Based EducationMissing: difference between technê (procedural knowledge) & epistêmê (understanding why)

Page 27: Badges in Higher Ed: Research Findings, Secret Sauce, and The Future

Stay in Touch

@Willis3James

[email protected]