Transcript 247 Open Badges

Dr. Ian Glover,
Technology Enhanced Learning team,
Student and Learning Services
Visual representation of achievement,
experience, affiliation and/or interest - ideally
distinctive and understood within a community.
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Some examples:
“Badges mean nothing in themselves, but they
mark a certain achievement and they are a link
between the rich and the poor.
For when one girl sees a badge on a sister
Scout’s arm, if that girl has won the same
badge, it at once awakens an interest and
sympathy between them.”
- Juliette G. Low,
Founder of Girl Scouts of the USA
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Link to criteria and evidence for award
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Add security and verification
 can check whether a person was actually awarded a
specific badge
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Have the credibility of the awarding body
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Allow sharing of 'badge clusters' from different
sources with others on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

Essentially, an image + embedded information
Open Badges Anatomy (Updated) by Kyle Bowen.
CC-BY-SA.
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Growing recognition that significant amounts
of learning happens outside the classroom
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Grade transcripts hide the truth about
learning
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Strong links with current trends such as
MOOCs, Gamification, Mobile Learning
 but can be used independently of these
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Surface the learning 'hidden' in a transcript
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Encourage students to undertake co- and extracurricular activities
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Helps recognise informal learning
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Enables students to differentiate themselves
from classmates
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The rise of the Informal University?
 (MOOCs + Badges) * Awareness = Degree-equivalent?
Swiss Army Badge by Kyle Bowen.
CC-BY-SA
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Showing competency in a skill,
 e.g. nursing students taking blood samples
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Recognising extra-curricular activity
 e.g. a music student participating in an orchestra
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Representing co-curricular development
 e.g. participation in Students' Union activities,
such as chairing society meetings
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Identifying common themes in a programme
 e.g. showing all modules that develop debating skills
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Getting businesses and professional bodies
involved
 e.g. co-creating badges that meet workplace skills, or
professional attributes
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Build toward specialism badges
 e.g. students get badges that relate to their learning
journey, by reflecting their optional modules
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Are there skills that students use and
develop?
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Do you have extra-curricular activities to
encourage?
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Do you want to draw links between learning
and skills demanded by
employers/professional bodies?
Indiana Jones and the lost badge by Kyle Bowen.
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For greatest effect:
 Make them as professional-looking as possible
 Issue cross-module badges
 Badges should push students to go beyond the
minimum
 Tell businesses/professional bodies about them
 Link badges to 'real-world', desirable skills
 Each badge must represent a substantial and
meaningful skill or experience
Carpet Badging by Kyle Bowen.
CC-BY-SA
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Image creation
 OpenBadges.me (http://openbadges.me)
 Online Badge Maker
(http://www.onlinebadgemaker.com/)
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Badge creation and issuing
 badg.us (http://badg.us)
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All-in-one system
 Credly (http://credly.com)
Contact:
Dr. Ian Glover
[email protected]