1. Open Badges in Higher Education:
Disruptive, Desirable, and Democratic
Dr. Doug Belshaw
8th March 2016
2. Overview
Five years since the first pilot, there is now a flourishing ecosystem of (millions of) Open
Badges putting learners in control of their digital credentials. Existing purveyors of
qualifications have been both excited and concerned about what this 'disruption' means
for them. What can the Open Badges Infrastructure (OBI) offer? How can/should
educational institutions respond? And what are the best places to start?
In this opening keynote, Dr. Doug Belshaw will use his experience in all sectors of
education, at Mozilla, and as a consultant helping organisations deal with these issues, to
articulate clear steps forward for educational institutions looking to get to grips with
Open Badges.
3. Who are you?
Dr. Doug Belshaw
Teacher → Senior Leader → Jisc → Mozilla → Consultant
@dajbelshaw
5. Contents 0. Open Badges 101
1. Open Badges are Disruptive
2. Open Badges are Desirable
3. Open Badges are Democratic
4. Getting started: some advice
5. Conclusion
6. Q&A
20. “Every age has a theory of rising and falling, of growth and
decay, of bloom and wilt: a theory of nature. Every age also
has a theory about the past and the present, of what was
and what is, a notion of time: a theory of history… Our era
has disruption, which, despite its futurism, is atavistic. It’s
a theory of history founded on a profound anxiety about
financial collapse, an apocalyptic fear of global
devastation, and shaky evidence.”
(Jill Lepore, The New Yorker)
21.
22.
23.
24. “Open systems are open. For people used to
dealing with institutions that go out of their way
to hide their flaws, this makes these systems
look terrible at first.”
(Clay Shirky)
40. “The world of credentialing is evolving. Degrees have long
been considered the basic unit of educational currency. But
it appears that we’re experiencing an accelerating shift
away from the gold standard of degrees and toward a
more inclusive credentialing world that embraces badges,
microcredentials and nanodegrees and is based on a
market-driven floating exchange rate.”
(Carla Casilli)
44. Director: Nate Otto
Steering Committee:
● Rob Abel (CEO, IMS Global)
● Mark Surman (Executive
Director, Mozilla Foundation)
● Connie Yowell (Director of
Education, MacArthur Foundation)
Founding members
53. Example 2: Open Research Badges
http://openresearchbadges.org
54. Example 3: City & Guilds
http://techbac.com/how-it-works
“By using the Mozilla Open Badge
framework, TechBac rewards learners
who demonstrate their skills and
competencies in the form of digital
badges.
These badges can be easily
transported and shared via social
media or collected into the learner’s
online CV builder.”
56. Important points to note about Open Badges (1)
● Open Badges are not controlled by any one organisation. The technology
that underpins the whole system (the Open Badges Infrastructure, or OBI)
is a free, open-source and run for the world wide community.
● Open Badges are evidence-based. The information about who, why, and
for what the badge was issued is hard-coded into it as metadata.
● Open Badges are stackable. Badges from one organisation’s system
can build upon ones from another system. This creates a rich
ecosystem that individuals can use to build the story of their
skills, knowledge, and experience.
57. Important points to note about Open Badges (2)
● Open Badges are transferable. Badges earned in one environment can
be shared in another. Although Mozilla’s badge backpack is often used
as the default place to send badges, they can be stored anywhere —
including on your own computer, if you prefer.
● Open Badges put the user in control. Badges are private until they are
published by the user. They provide an easy way to show a portfolio of
skills without third parties having to wade through a mountain of data.
