Connecting Credentials to Teaching:

Badges and Faculty Development

Suraj Uttamchandani (suttamch@indiana.edu) James E. Willis (jaedwill@indiana.edu)

Participatory Assessment Lab

Context: Badges & PD “Badges signal to colleagues and to current and prospective employers a professional life of active learning, engagement, and ongoing development. As the field of badging evolves, badges will align with competencies and skills directly applicable in the workplace, and training programs will use badges in ways that can clarify career pathways.”

“EDUCAUSE 7 things you should know about…Badging for Professional Development”

Context: Badges & Faculty PD Though faculty badges are not always taken up, they

are more valuable than paper certificates (Young, 2015)

Badges work better as part of larger ecosystems of learning (Hickey et al., underway).

Faculty badges may be most effective when paired with teaching and learning centers’ other offerings. Young, J. R. (2015, June 9). Can digital badges help encourage professors to take teaching workshops? The Chronicle of Higher Education [web log, Wired Campus]. Retrieved from

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/can-digital-badges-help-encourage-professors-to-take-teaching-workshops/56901

Example: IUPUI Teachers of “Gateway” courses

(first year, high enrollment) Three levels of engagement

(Bronze, Silver, Gold)Integrates with other offerings

(workshops, etc.) May be used in faculty annual

reports and for advancement

Example: Calhoun Community CollegeBadges are topic-oriented OBI-Compliant for flexibilityDigital and physical

workshops“Training, Practice,

Innovation”Use of rubrics

Example: Parker UniversityThree kinds of badgesParker Life for (less serious) engagement with

teaching and learning center (e.g., take a selfie with a colleague)

Explorer for (more traditional) engagement with center (e.g., attend a workshop)

Parker Difference for classroom work (e.g., rubric design) Distinction between latter two is not clear.

Example: UT El Paso Badges are topic-oriented. Appears as though badges

are earned only by attending workshops.

Recognition for areas like “leadership, student success, innovation” etc.

Example: University of Louisiana - Monroe Two badges

Maroon for faculty who attend workshops

Gold for faculty who present at workshops

Issued through Credly

Does not appear to create a “pathway.”

Example: University of Alaska at Anchorage For 2-year Technology

FellowsFirst-year and second year

badgesRole-oriented (e.g., “author

badge”) Evidence-centered (blogs in

particular)

Example: IU South Bend Three levels of badges:

Bronze for planning new teaching approaches

Silver for implementing those approaches

Gold for refining/sharing those approaches

Evidence includes materials, assessments, and reflections.

Creates an obvious pathway.

Discussion: PathwaysPathways can be accomplished in multiple ways

Gold/silver/bronzeBut compromises some meaning to outsiders

Timeline (e.g., Year 1 and Year 2 badges) or through particular programs

Helps provide reasoning and rationale to faculty time

Discussion: EvidenceGenerally all initiatives linked to Teaching and

Learning Center workshops.Many stopped there. Some required evidence in the form of

reflections/blogs.Few looked at in-classroom practice.Few articulate why a badge is helpful beyond

learning.

Discussion: EcosystemMost systems rewarded engagement in existing

initiatives.Few explicitly stated that badges could be used for

tenure/promotion. Few provided clear pathways for learning.Few provided rationale for why and how a badge

can benefit faculty members, i.e. why spend time on the badge?

Next StepsFind best practices for to creating pathwaysConsider most appropriate evidence Press for university support for tenure/promotionInclude reasonable incentives for participationExamine success of programs discussed here

Questions?

Suraj Uttamchandani (suttamch@indiana.edu) James E. Willis (jaedwill@indiana.edu)

@Willis3James