Connecting Learning and Learners

with Open Digital Badges Daniel T. Hickey, Associate Professor

Learning Sciences Program

Indiana University

Rebecca Itow

Cathy Tran

Katerina Schenke

Nate Otto

Christine Chow

James Willis

1. What are Open Digital

Badges?

• Web-enabled tokens of accomplishments

• Can be accumulated internally or externally

• Can be shared over email and social networks

• Contain specific claims about learning

• Contain evidence of learning

The Open Badge Infrastructure (OBI)

Badge Name

Badge Description

Criteria

Evidence

Issuer

Date Issued / Expires

2. What was the Design Principles

Documentation Project?

Accredited Context

Accredited Badges

None

Other

School or University

After School

Teacher PD

Informal & Other

Adult & Career

Museum

Extra-Curricular

Common Core

Local Standards

Partners for 21CS

None Identified

K-12

Middle School

Secondary

College Students

Educators/ Other Vocational

/ Adult

Accreditation Setting

Standards

Earners

Regardless of where you start, it is likely you will end up somewhere other than your intended destination. That’s okay. Systems are living things and your system needs to be flexible. You need to embrace a bit of chaos in its design.

--Carla Casilli

Most of the knowledge generated when designing complex systems evaporates as features evolve and team dissolve.

--Phillipe Kruchten

Capturing “Practical Wisdom”

Aristotle’s Phronesis Contextual and value-laden

Bent Flyvbjerg (2001) Phronetic narratives

Rich Halverson (2004) Artifact-based phronetic narratives

Categories of Badge Functions

Recognizing Learning Skills, achievements, experiences, & practices

Individual, peer, social

Assessing Learning Summative, formative, transformative, & transcendent

Motivating Learning Intrinsic, extrinsic, & participatory

Studying Learning

Research of, for, & with digital badges

Evolution of Badge Design Practices

Intended Practices - Ideas outlined in original proposals

Enacted Practices - Intentions unfolding in world

Formal Practices - Practices after funding ends

Emergence of Badge Design Principles

Draft Initial Principles - Similar practices across different projects

- Aiming for 4-6 principles for each function

Formalize General Principles -Exemplified by specific projects

-Broke many down into more specific principles

-Highlights intersection of principle with context

Bookmark Research - Find relevant research for each principle

- Encourages spread of systematic inquiry

3. What are the “big ideas”

from the DPD project?

Important things about badges that

some projects and many observers

did not fully appreciate

DIGITAL BADGES ARE DIFFERENT Claims & evidence hard to define ● Many projects

struggled to specify claims

● Many projects struggled to specify evidence

{

"uid": "f2c20",

"recipient": {

"type": "email",

"hashed": true,

"salt": "deadsea",

"identity":

"sha256$c7ef86405ba71b85acd8e2e95166c4b111448089f2e1599f42fe1bba

46e865c5"

},

"image": "https://example.org/beths-robot-badge.png",

"evidence": "https://example.org/beths-robot-work.html",

"issuedOn": 1359217910,

"badge": "https://example.org/robotics-badge.json",

"verify": {

"type": "hosted",

"url": "https://example.org/beths-robotics-badge.json"

}

}

OPEN BADGES ARE REALLY DIFFERENT Info circulates in social networks ● Projects recognized

that stakes are increased

● Validty gets crowdsourced

● COPPA, FERPA, and other concerns worried many projects

ITS NOT (JUST) ABOUT BADGES Badges are part of an ecosystem

● More successful projects integrated badge functions into their learning ecosystem

● Less successful projects tried to build ecosystem around badges

4. What are the general findings

from the DPD project?

Things we learned looking

across projects over time

● Roughly 10 created proposed badge ecosystem

● Roughly 10 created badges but not ecosystem

● Roughly 10 did not create badges

BADGES CAN REALLY “WORK” But not everywhere

What the Projects Ultimately Created

Proposed ecosystem with scaled back practices

Proposed ecosystem with fewer practices

Different badges and ecosystem

Proposed badges and different ecosystem

Still building proposed badges

Proposed badges

STARTING POINTS MATTERS

Badge Systems = Tech + Content + Badges ● Sheryl Grant’s Five Buckets”

o RESPONSIVE = Start with content

o LAYERED = Start with tech and content

o BADGES-FIRST = Start with badges

o NEW BUILD = Tech, content, & badges together

o INTEGRATED = Start with tech

● DPD Confirmed Badges-First is problematic

BUILD BUCKET PROJECT OUTCOME

Responsive Proposed ecosystem with scaled back practices

Responsive Proposed ecosystem with fewer practices

Layered Different badges and ecosystem

Layered Proposed badges and different ecosystem

New Build Still building proposed badges

Responsive Proposed badges

5. What were the most challenging

principles to enact?

Popular intended practices that

were difficult to formalize

Principle Practice Failures/ Attempts

Seek external backing Externally endorsed 6/10

Externally valued 6/8

Use badges to externally communicate learning

Use badges to externally communicate learning

4/12

Have experts issue badges Have badges accredited by accredited entity and community

3/10

Align badges to standards Align to internal standards 2/6

Align to national or international standards

2/12

Align to community standards

1/4

Most Challenging RECOGNITION Principles & Practices

Principle Practice Failures/ Attempts

Enhance validity with expert judgment

Use human experts and computers

4/10

Align assessments to standards and create objectives

Common Core State Standards

3/8

National/state standards 1/8

Internal standards 1/9

Use e-portfolios Foster discussion around artifacts

2/3

Open to the public 1/2

Local to community 1/4

Use formative functions of assessment

Peer feedback 2/4

Most Challenging ASSESSMENT Principles & Practices

Principle Practice Failures/ Attempts

Provide privileges Provide internships 4/6

Provide prizes 3/6

Provide peer mentorship 3/9

Provide new activities 3/11

Use different types of assessment

Peer assessment 4/7

Self assessment 1/3

Expert assessment 1/3

Build outside value for badges

Evidence for outside opportunities

3/9

Most Challenging MOTIVATION Principles & Practices

6. What did the DPD project find for

specific projects & practices

The unfolding of practices in the

projects with adult learners

Category Principle Practice

Recognizing Recognize diverse learning Recognize diverse learning

Use badges to externally communicate learning

Use badges to externally communicate learning

Promote discovery Discover learning opportunities

Assessing Align activities to standards` Internal standards

Use formative functions of assessment

Peer assessment

Use mastery learning Judged by human experts and computer

Use rubrics Rubrics developed for specific artifacts

Promote “hard” and “soft” skills Combine collaborative learning and discreet skills

Motivating Provide privileges Peer mentorship

Display badges to the public Learners can choose to share badges with public

Build outside value for badges Real-life application of knowledge

Practices Formalized or Proposed & Not Enacted

Category Principles General Practice

Recognizing Have experts issue badges Credentialed via accredited entity and community

Have experts issue badges Credentialed via community

Seek external backing of credential

Externally endorsed

Assessing Use rubrics Rubrics developed for specific artifacts

Motivating Provide privileges Provide prizes

Use different types of assessments

Peer Assessment

Stimulate competition Use point system

Study Study impact of badges Research of badges

Proposed & Not Enacted or Unproposed & Introduced

Category Principles General Practice Specific Practice

Recognizing Learning

Use badges as a means of external communication of learning

Endorsement and translation of skills

Promote discovery Discover learners Promote earners’ skills to employers

Assessing Learning

Use leveled badge systems Competency levels Translation of skills

Motivating Learning

Build outside value for badges Evidence of outside opportunities

Potential to gain employment

Recognize identities Target a specific group Veterans

Engage with community Involvement in digital community

Network with community members

Studying Learning

Study Badge impact Research of badges Data collection and analysis

Practices Formalized, Proposed & Not Enacted or Unproposed & Introduced

Category Principles General Practice

Recognizing Use badges to externally communicate learning

Use badges to externally communicate learning

Assessing Use leveled badge systems Competency levels

Enhance validity with expert judgment

Use human experts

Use formative functions of assessment

Provide peer and expert feedback

Involve students at a granular level Learning pathways and badge design

Motivating Set goals User created badges

Use different types of assessments Peer assessment

Practices Proposed & Not Enacted

5. Where can we get more info?

6. How can we get involved?

4. Where can we get more info

and get involved?

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