A speculation on the possible use of badges for learning at the UK Open University

A speculation on the possible use of badges for learning at the UK Open University

Jon RosewellDept of Communications and Systems, Faculty of Maths Computing and Technology, The Open University, UK

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http://www.dmlcompetition.net/

A badge is a validated indicator of accomplishment, skill, quality or

interest that can be earned in any environment

http://scouts.org.uk/

www.iSpot.org.uk

Building Citizen Science

…with Open Badges Infrastructure

Informal or formal learning?• Badges fit well with informal learning

– eg via OpenLearn, iTunes U, YouTube…– Rise of MOOCs…

• Badges offer less to formal learning which has awards– but students would like ‘course survivor’ badges

• recognise success on their learning journey• Badges could bridge informal formal

– earned by completion of preparatory work– collection of badges = evidence of learning = APEL

http://www.sta.co.uk/swimming-teaching/badge-scheme/supporting-awards

Badgeprogression

Audience• Who will be motivated to acquire badges – existing

students or the general public? • Can badges provide a route for access to higher

education, offering low-stakes tasters that will encourage prospective students to embark on higher education?

• Do badges offer a way of encouraging lifelong learning?

Types of material• What types of material might promote engagement and

motivate people to earn badges?• Acquisition of content vs social learning• Badges and reputation systems

– badges reify reputation (iSpot, eBay, StackOverflow)– motivations: human/social capital, progression,

privileges

Value• What is the perceived value of badges to learners?• Will badges also be perceived to have value to others?

– friends and family– peers– employers?

Readability• How will people ‘read’ the meaning of a badge?• What does it represent:

– subject– level– amount of study/learning?

Readability• Issuer: the OU

OU-related project eg iSpot• Subject: broadly: arts, science, maths…

detail: English literature 1500-1700• Level: OU level: (0), 1, 2, 3, 4,

national qualification frameworks• Extent: hours of study: 1, 10, 100…

credit points: 1, 2, 10…

OU badge recipeIssuing project

Subject &level

Label

Radical or conventional?• Can badges, by escaping the constraints of traditional

syllabuses and quality assurance frameworks, support radically different educational experiences?

• Or will they be used simply to recognise smaller chunks of otherwise conventional study?

Granularity• What should the granularity of a badge be?

– should it reward a small chunk of learning, perhaps the equivalent of a few hours of study?

– or the hundreds of hours of study required for a traditional university module?

– or come in different denominations?

http://www.fleur-de-coin.com/eurocoins/introduction.asp

Assessment• What level of assessment is appropriate for a badge?• Is it the case that a badge requires a less rigorous

assessment than credit-bearing modules that lead to formal qualifications?

• Can methods of assessment be offered at sufficiently low cost to form an effective partner to open education resources?

• What forms of assessment could offer this low-cost basis: what place should there be for learner analytics, computer-marked assessment, peer assessment or self-certification?

Brand and reputation• How could branding and reputation work in an

ecosystem where an institution offers both formal study leading to qualifications and informal study that leads to badges?

Questions?

J.P.Rosewell@open.ac.uk

Issues!

• How to design a coherent badge system to cover varying:– Skills– Biological group– Geographical region– Level– Issuer

Skills

• Identification skills

• Data contributor

• Science skills

• Eco-tourism, environmental policies

• Content curation

Biological groups

Geographical regions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ecozones.svg

Branding

Badges need to show the identity of the issuer

Building Citizen Science: A Natural History Badge Ecosystem

• Skills– identification– data contributor– curation

• Strong geographic focus

• Possible badges for ‘first observer’

INBio / Cyberhives

• Earn points for contributions:– Postings in forums– Participation in training sessions– Uploading and sharing images– Survey contribution– Uploading and sharing documents– Participation in webinars with experts– Field trips to wild areas– Final presentation of research project

• Tariff: 1 = 10pts, 10 = 20pts, 30 = 30pts

India Biodiversity Portal

• Badges:– contribution to observations – curation of species pages – peer assessment on competence in ecology

and environmental policy

“We believe the Open Badges program for India will truly empower learners and provide opportunities and livelihoods. We think there is an unmet need for naturalists and the badges program can fill this need very nicely.”

Collection managerCitizen science userVolunteerData provider

Building Citizen Science: A Natural History Badge Ecosystem

Jon Rosewell, iSpot, The Open University Jeff Holmes, EOL, Harvard University

A badge is a validated indicator of accomplishment, skill, quality or interest that

can be earned in any environment

http://www.dmlcompetition.net/

Mozilla badge infrastructurehttp://openbadges.org