Exploring the Potential of Open Digital Badges

BRENDA MALLINSON

May 18th 2015

Outline

Context – Openness

Micro-credentials

What is a digital badge?

System Elements

Badges in Moodle

Pilot – Facilitating Online Learning course

Tools and Projects

The ‘Openness’ Movement

Open Education Open Learning Open Online Courses – MOOCs - OpenupEd Open Educational Resources – OER Africa Open Licencing – Creative Commons Open Access Journals - DOAJ Open Source Software – OSS / FOSS

The Concept of Micro-credentials Competency-based education Recognize smaller achievements

Can add up to something more

Non-traditional / informal Gamification:

reward/incentive

strategy

transparency

formal potential?

What is a digital badge?

Visual symbol used to: set goals motivate behaviours represent achievement communicate success

Online representation within and across networks & communities

• Free & open• Transferable• Stackable• Evidence-based

Digital Badges Open Badges

What information is embedded in a badge?

http://wiki.Mozilla.org/Badges

Elements:• Issuing organisation• Badge Design• Award Criteria• Issuing System• Earner• Display system

System ElementsIssuer• Organisation; Employer; Assessment; Awards badge

Digital Badges• Badge Design; Criteria;

Earner• Performs tasks; Display on Profile; Export to storage /

display Storage• In-house; Open storage system; e.g. Mozilla Backpack

Displayer• Internal; External; Social site; Link to storage

Earn and display your badges

Example 1: Course with 4 Modules History of Badges Designing & Issuing Badges Policies & Procedures Storage & Security

*Canvas Network https://www.canvas.net/

Mozilla BackPack

Badges in Moodle (v2.5+)

Badges shown in site profile Categories: (https://docs.moodle.org/29/en/Badges)

site wide e.g. finishing a set of coursescourse specific – related to course specific activities

Fully compatible with Mozilla Open Badges Export from Moodle to Backpack Link from Backpack to Moodle site YouTube demos:‘How to – Upload your Moodle Badge into your Mozilla Backpack’ (Brenda – 5:07m )

‘Çreate Course Badges’ (Nellie – 19:41min)

Guide – Display your badges on your LinkedIn Profile (Mozilla Open Badges Blog)

Example 2: Badges process in Moodle1. Create your badge (.png image)

2. What does it represent? name, description, issuing organisation, expiry

3. Criteria for award

4. Who can award? (automated/manual)

5. Message

6. Storage Internal to system External - link to Open Backpack

Badge detail

in Moodle

(FOL)

Badge display in Site Profile

Practical considerations for FOLC

Badge Design to reflect organisational branding: Saide using OpenBadges.me

Award criteria: Facilitating Online Learning course completion Issuing system: Moodle Storage and display system: Mozilla backpack Earners: sub-Saharan Africa academic community

Shared completion criteria & timeframe from course outset Information provided re Open Digital Badges and ‘how to’

View in Moodle; Save to desktoop

Register for Mozilla Backpack; Export Moodle badge to backpack

Outcomes of badge pilot Participant use:

Huge interest shown in digital badges by participants

12 participants earned the badge

Not all managed to export to backpack

Badge Design: Easy to use OpenBadges.me

Moodle Badging system: Upload, embed meta-data, award

Robust – performed exactly as promised

Organisation (Saide) Digital credentialing approved for further use in capacity building programmes

Final ThoughtsThe way in which we use digital technology models particular values for our students and places particular kinds of demands both on them and on their teachers.

Therefore, we need to make conscious choices to use suitable digital technologies in appropriate ways taking cognisance of both our learning purposes and the technology profile of our target learners and teachers.

Principles: Embrace the opportunities afforded by ICTs while preserving pedagogical

integrity

Promote the opening of education using appropriate supporting ICTs

Use ICTs to support (not drive) the teaching and learning process

Be adaptive to change and mindful of context when utilising supporting ICTs

Build capacity to promote sustainability in changing learning environments

Reflection

How does/could this relate to your organisation? With respect to internal achievements Providing services Providing accreditation Capturing skills not usually represented on certificates …

Identify an achievement:for which you could award / have awarded badgesShare with the group in the post-webinar discussion

Useful Tools / Projects Open Badge Designer Tools

OpenBadges.me

OnlineIconMaker

Open Badge Storage: Mozilla Backpack

Digital Credential Curation & Validation service BadgeSafe tied to Canvas

BadgeStack tied to WordPress & Credly

Credly – verify, share, manage micro-credentials

DigitalMe – badge design consultancy, badge technology, support

Projects: BadgeOS (WordPress plugin)

Open Chat about Open Badges Twitter chat at Univ of Sussex TEL

Open Badges South Africa (working group)

Thank You

BRENDA MALLINSON

SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/brenda6

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License.

Bibliography Accreditrust (2014) Website

Bernard Bull (2014) How Will Badges and Micro-Credentialing Change Education? Etale – Life in the Digital World (Blog)

Canvas Network (2014) Badge 101

Credly (2014) Website

News Editor (2013) Professional Examination Service Introduces Digital Micro-Credentials Learning Solutions Magazine

Jonathan Finkelstein (2012) Digital Badges and Meaningful Microcredentials EDUCAUSE Library

Moodle.org (2015) https://docs.moodle.org/29/en/Badges

MozillaWiki (2014) Badges

New Media Consortium (2014) Horizon Report - Higher Education Edition

OpenBadges.me (2014) https://www.openbadges.me/