8 March 2016
Badges in Higher education
This presentation is based on work supported by John D. &
Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation under Prime Award No.
13-104890-000-USP and The Regents of the University of California.
Beyond Micro-credentials
Southampton University
Trust, the Revolution!
Beyond Behaviourism!
Trust, the Revolution!
Address
Micro-credentials
reinforce
ignore
The problems
Address
Trust, the Revolution!
Micro-credentials
The problems
Trust, the Revolution!
“provides a more granular
and accurate picture of
what one has learned
than a diploma” (B. Bull)
(*) http://www.knappinternational.com/assets/uploads/pages/Microcredentials-Is%20Small%20the%20Next%20Big%20Thing.pdf
“A subset of a certification that recognizes
achievement toward the larger credential.” (*)
“Recognizes achievements
toward a bigger goal.” (*)
reinforce
Trust, the Revolution!
Micro-credentials
The problems
sub-standard
Micro-credentials
traditional
Fragmentation
Control
Credentials
Traditional
micro-
Formal
Top-Down
Credentials
Micro-credentials are to credentials what 

modularisation is to course instruction
Both approches are
grounded in behaviourism
to infer human behaviour
A theory based on
the study of pigeons
Behaviourism
Badge “pathways,” the latest
avatar of behaviourist theory
“In the 'model' approach, personalization typically means more:
more options, more choices, more types of tests, etc.You need to
customize the environment (the learning) [to] fit the student.
In the 'connections' approach, personalization typically means
less: fewer rules, fewer constraints.You need to grant the learner
autonomy within the environment.”
Stephen Downes.“Connectivism and Connective Knowledge.”
Connectivism vs.Behaviourism
Fragmentation
Learning
One of the main dangers with micro-
credentials is the fragmentation of learning
into a series of meaningless activities

with no relation to high order goals.
Carpet 

Badging
Weapons of
mass
destruction
Spray
and Pray
Dan Hickey
no! of pedagogy
Micro-credentials
ignore
Trust, the Revolution!
The problems
?
What is the main problem facinG
education
?!education
Trust
What is the main problem facinG
?!education
Trust
What is the main problem facinG
70 7050 5030 3010 100 060 6040 4020 20% %
By literacy proficiency level By educational attainment
Slovak Republic
Estonia
Italy
Czech Republic
France
Korea
Germany
Japan
Ireland
Poland
England/N. Ireland (UK)
Average
Flanders (Belgium)
Canada
Spain
Austria
United States
Australia
Finland
Netherlands
Sweden
Norway
Denmark
Level 4 or 5
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1 or below Below upper secondary education
Upper secondary or post-secondary
non-tertiary education
Tertiary education
*Education at a Glance 2014 OECD Indicators
Percentage of adults reporting that they trust others*
?education
Trust
What is the main problem facinG
REBuilding
!?
“The best way to find out if you can
trust somebody is to trust them.”
- Ernest Hemingway
“The best way to find out if you can
trust somebody is to trust them.”
- Ernest Hemingway
?How
“The best way to find out if you can
trust somebody is to trust them.”
- Ernest Hemingway
?HowMicro-credentials
Micro-credentials: 

instruments for rebuilding
trust*
* at the micro, meso and macro levels
Empower individuals with 

the power to trust
Not just institutions!
Community
Individuals
Organisation
NationRegion
SectorEnvironment
Meso
Macro
Micro
Trust!
Issuer Earner
Chains of trust
Networks of trust
The Open Badge Passport aims at
enabling the seamless issuing, collection,
organisation, display, discovery and
exploitation of digital credentials.
By establishing and nurturing networks
of trust, it encourages the emergence
of a new generation of services
supporting learning, (self-) employment,
social inclusion and citizenship.
ePortfolio
Identity
Trust
Open Personal data
Open Trust
Personal
Ledger
Personal
Ledger
1000 Received Credentials Name ID Issuer Criteria Evidence Picture …
2000 Issued Credentials Name ID Earner Criteria Evidence Picture …
3000 Evidence Name ID Type … … … …
4000 Assets Name ID Type … … … …
5000 … … … … … … … …
… … … … … … … … …
4000 Assets Name ID Type … … … …
4100 IPR … … … … … … …
4200 Publications … … … … … … …
4300 … … … … … … … …
Personal Ledger
Personal Ledger
1000 Date/Time Name ID BoT Issuer Criteria Evidence Picture …
1001 1/6/2016/11:23
Ledger Expert
Level1
1FL2LFL8K8… +4 I82NCJ7FK… CF84KULF… ELPO7DUJ… PINFJ48D6… …
1001 24/9/2017/09:12
Assessor Level
2
1IFN74JS91… +849 IK49FL4MM… C3MPG7D… FP4TLRS4… null …
1100 … … … … … … …
1101 … … … … … … …
Received Credentials
Issued Credentials
2000 Date/Time Name ID BoT Earner Criteria Evidence Picture …
2001 …
Trustworthy
Company
2FL2LFL8K8… 10 IKFI7469HL… CCL0FLD.… EPFLDKD8… - …
2001 … Creativity 2IFN74JS91… 4838 I0DU7CHKB… … … … …
2100 … … … … … … …
Evidence
Competency
Framework
MyTrust capital =Trust received (debt) +Trust invested in others (credit)
Individual Trust Capital = debts + credits
Social Trust Capital = ∑debts = ∑credits
GroupTrust Capital = ?
Personal Ledger
Personal Ledger
The power to
trust
Personal Ledger
Beyond Behaviourism
Connectivist Badges
Personal Ledger
Beyond Behaviourism
Connectivist Badges
“The effectiveness of knowing is defined
not by conformity but by adaptation.”

Stephen Downes. “Connectivism and Connective Knowledge.”
“The most important function of a person
in a community is no longer conformity,
but rather, creativity and expression. ”
Connectivist Badges
Connect
People Ideas
Places ...
Past
Future
concepts
Event
Achieveme
Connectivist Badges
Connect
People Ideas
Places ...
Past
Future
concepts
Event
Achieveme
I trust

You trust

He/She trusts

We trust

You trust

They trust
Trust, the Revolution!
Merci! ePIC 2016
Pathways to educational and
social innovation
BOLOGNA 27-29 OCTOBER
Open Badge
ePortfolio
Identity
Trust
Blockchain
http://openepic.eu
0101011
01100
Serge Ravet
ADPIOS, EUROPORTFOLIO, Badge Europe, France
@Szerge, learningfutures.eu, iosf.org
openbadgepassport.com, europortfolio.org

Beyond micro credentials