A speculation on the possible use of badges for learning at the UK Open University Jon Rosewell Dept of Communications and Systems, Faculty of Maths Computing and Technology, The Open University, UK
Jan 15, 2015
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?
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