digital badges for non-credit workforce development

Lesley VoigtProgram Director for Badge InitiativeMadison Collegelvoigt@madisoncollege.edu(608) 616-1044

Digital Badges for Workforce Development:A Case Study at Madison College

Kathleen Radionoff Dean of Continuing EducationMadison Collegekradionoff@madisoncollege.edu

(608) 258-2309

Overview

Role of noncredit in workforce development

Why Badges?

Implementation of Badges at Madison College

Lessons Learned/Recommendations

Lessons Learned from Continuing Education and Why it Matters

Online programs were first tested in continuing education at many schools.

Continuing education programs have been serving adult and non-traditional learners long before they became the majority of higher education students.

The financial model for continuing education forced these programs to be self-sustaining and market-driven well before the current budget/tuition crisis hit the rest of higher education.

(Hampton, 2014 http://higheredmanagement.net/2014/01/25/the-rise-of-alternatives-to-university-continuing-education-part-1 )

Why Badges?

Assessment of noncredit learning outcomes

Employer needs

Noncredit to credit pathway

Programming shift

Competition

Implementation of Badges at Madison College

Improved learner outcomes through assessment

Linked to certification, educational, & professional standards

Technology sourcing

2012-13 Badge Pilot Program selection

Criteria

Designing the Badges Individual topics Master badges Program completion

Outcomes

Standardize non-credit classes

Guarantee skills/knowledge learned

Credit programs will allow credit transfers of badged classes

Business/Industry will ask to see “proof” of resume claims

1st badge in the series to earn the Food Service Management 1 course completion badge. (This image is what the issuer would see.)

The email that the student receives upon earning a badge

Within the Acclaim system, what the student sees upon clicking “view this and your other accepted badges” from the previous email

Student badge detailed information, also how a student would share their badge(s)

Sharing Badges Earned

Completing the Circle

Develop Business

Plan

Create Badges

Issue/Earn Badges

Share Badges

Reporting &

Accountability

Lessons Learned/Recommendations

Develop your badge instructional strategy

What is your badge business model

Resources

Faculty buy-in

Employer buy-in

Scaling up your badge program

Market strategies for badge roll-out

Our Future

All professional development classes/programs will be badged

Badges will be offering to employers who use customized training from our unit

Create specialized badged classes for business/industry

Continue to inform/educate/market to employers