The document discusses a pilot project at the University of Montana Western to use digital badges to assess 21st century skills gained by student interns. It introduces the four key 21st century skills of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. The project uses badges and an experiential learning cycle to evaluate skills in real work experiences. Results showed students struggled to understand badges, find evidence of skills, and connect classroom theory to internship contexts. Implications include introducing badges earlier in courses and helping students locate evidence through adjusted rubrics and faculty assistance.

1. Using Badges to Assess 21st Century Skills of Student Interns
A pilot project at the University of Montana Western
Christian GildeDenise HollandJustin Mason

2. 21st century skills: The four C’s
• Critical Thinking
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Creativity

3. What does it mean to “possess” a soft skill?

4. What does it mean to “possess” a soft skill?

5. What does it mean to “possess” a soft skill?

6. What does it mean to “possess” a soft skill?

7. How to efficiently assess?

8. How to efficiently assess?

9. Concrete
experience
Reflective
Observation
Abstract
Conceptualization
Active
Experimentation
The Experiential
Learning Cycle

12. SKILLS AND TOOLS FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
REAL EXPERIENCES DURING INTERNSHIPS
RESUME-WORTHY OUTCOMES
The 4 Cs and Internships
Collaboration Critical Thinking CommunicationsCreativity
Real
Companies Real Stakes
Real
Functions
Real
Challenges

13. Design-Based Research
Design
Implementation
Analysis
Redesign
Redesign
Theory Implications
for Theory
Requirements

14. Operationalization(critical thinking)
Cut clothes
material (10 min)
Start
Critical Path
Cut accessories
(5 min)
Sew fur and
stuff (30 min)
Cut fur
(10 min)
Sew clothes
(10 min)
Embroider T-
shirt (10 min)
Dress bear
(15 min)
Package bear
(5 min)
Ship bear
(5 min)
Sew accessories
(10 min)

15. Design Thinking (creativity)
EMPATHIZE DEFINE IDEATE PROTOTYPE TEST

16. Commun
ications
Project
Manage
ment
Leadership Business
Plan
Team
work
Data
Analysis
How Our Institution Will Use Badges
(The Badges are Disbursed Throughout the Business Curriculum)

17. The Pilot Project

18. Requirements
• Pick two micro-credentials
to complete
• Provide the evidence

19. Results

20. Results
• Students struggled to understand
what micro-credentials were
• They struggled with finding
evidence
• Struggled to connect the
classroom theory to authentic
context in the internship
• For example, the operationalization
chart
• Students struggled to provide
satisfactory evidence
• Students did not submit all
components for the badge –
usually missing the narrative

21. Implications
• Have the department add
badges to core courses
• Have the faculty assist students
in their courses to locate
evidence
• Criteria or requirements that we
are using, are items that the
students have heard in their
courses
• For example, the design thinking
model
• Adjust the rubrics to be more
open
• collaborative rubric