This document summarizes lessons learned from several case studies of organizations implementing open badge systems. Some common themes that emerged from the case studies include: identifying clear goals and a definition of success for the badge system; considering available resources and limitations; obtaining stakeholder buy-in, especially from faculty/instructors; starting with a small pilot and scaling up over time; and focusing on learning outcomes rather than just issuing badges.

1. Case Studies
Lessons learned in the developing
open badges ecosystem

2. Madison Area Technical College
Kate Radionoff, Dean
Leslie Voight, Instructional Designer
http://madisoncollege.edu/badges

3. Badges for non-credit learning
Goals:
Shifting away from seat time to badged assessments
Credentialing non-formal learning
Status of badge system:
Transitioning to Pearson Acclaim
Developing badges for all PD classes
Expanding system to include other colleges

4. Lessons Learned
• Needed instructional resource:
– to act as a point person within the org to lead project
– to connect with busy instructors
• Know your resources:
– staff
– technical
• Badge business model:
– business plan
– design strategy
– resources
• Know your goals:
– lay out goals from the beginning
– identify steps needed to achieve goals
– define what 'success' means for your system
• Buy-in:
– Faculty: allow time for gaining faculty buy-in and provide training / information
– Employers: look at existing value structures / standards that can add value to badges

5. Penn State
Chris Gamrat, Instructional Designer
Chris Stubbs & Bart Pursel
http://bit.ly/Case_PennState

6. Catalyst for Change
Goals:
recognize personalized learning
support teacher PD and cont’d learning
State of badge system:
currently in pilot phase
planned release: fall 2014

7. Lessons Learned (so far)
• Peer assessment:
– advantages and disadvantages to this method
• Quality of evidence:
– can be difficult to get ‘good’ evidence for badges
• Know your use strategy:
– don’t develop badges if you aren’t sure how you’re going
to use them
– understand your students’ and employers’ needs
• Know your limits:
– understand the time (and price) of building your system
– what barriers are there to learning?
– what about the intangibles?

8. Borders College, Scotland
Suzanne Scott, eLearning Coordinator
http://bit.ly/Case_Borders

9. Replacing Paper Certs. with Badges
Goals:
increase student engagement & retention
build student employability
acknowledge student use of Moodle
recognize staff PD
State of badge system:
currently in pilot phase
ongoing pilots to assess badges’ long term potential

10. Lessons Learned
• Challenges & Concerns:
– overloading lecturing staff
• automated Moodle reports
• staff badges recognizing PD
• ongoing support for staff
– ensuring badge value
• Lessons Learned:
– gaining faculty support beneficial before starting
– allocating more time to educate / inform
– visual design important for overall impact

11. UC Davis SA & FS Major
Joanna Normoyle, Learning Coordinator
Experiential & Digital Media Learning
http://bit.ly/Case_SAFS

12. Capturing Varied Learning Experiences
Goals:
support learning in & out of the classroom
create student-driven, outcomes-based system
improve quality of interactions between students, mentors, faculty
and advisers
help students track progress
promote varied learning models
provide an elegant, achievable, scalable model for implementing
competency-based education using the principles of connected
learning
State of badge system:
initiating student pilot of system
redesigning learning portfolios as road maps

13. Lessons Learned
• Focus on user experience
– it’s about the learning, not the earning
– focus on faculty as well as students
• Faculty buy-in
– faculty adoption is key; don’t overlook their experience
– make the system desirable and rewarding to use
– consider technical / structural barriers
• Strategy & vision:
– create a strong vision and team
– technology, content and design are all important
– find the right technical partner(s)
– start with learning objectives and work from there

14. Providence After School Alliance
Hillary Salmons, Exec. Director
Ann Durham, Director of Quality Improvement
http://bit.ly/Case_pasa

15. Building Learning Pathways
Goals:
recognize, motivate, and validate students’ learning
connect students’ interests and achievements
create seamless learning pathways
connect middle/high school, college & career
State of badge system:
scaled back system from 6-12th grade to HS
slowly expanding system

16. Lessons Learned
• Understand badge concepts
• Tie badges to quality learning experiences:
– badges are more than just ‘trophies’
• Stakeholder buy-in:
– familiarize stakeholders with badges early on
– provide continued support and info
– pull industry leaders into conversation early
– build badge relevance and demand early
• employers & higher ed.
• Challenges:
– integrating badges with existing technological platforms
and systems

17. Young Adult Library Services
Association (YALSA)
Linda Braun, Ed Tech Consultant
Nicole Gibby Munguia, YALSA Program
Officer for Continuing Education
http://bit.ly/CASE_yalsa

18. Recognize Staff Skill Development
Goals:
improve, and enhance library staff skills
recognize skill development based on YALSA’s
‘Competencies for Serving Youth’
State of badge system:
testing phase in progress
full system launch later in 2014

19. Lessons Learned
• Importance of robust LMS:
– badge activities, tasks, artifacts etc. need a place to live
• Know your goals:
– don’t create badges for the sake of badges
– has to be market need
• System development process:
– think about the entire process ahead of time
– badges are ‘at the end’: focus on learning objectives and how to get
people there
• Costs:
– the more complex the system, the more costly
• Partnerships:
– partners can be helpful
– make sure you find the right partners for your organization

20. Common themes
• Identify your goals and ‘success’ first
• Think carefully about partnerships
• Know your resources & limitations
• Start small, think big:
– think about expansion but don’t try to do too much
too fast
– allow [lots of] time for stakeholder buy-in
– find the shortest path to achieving your goals
“It’s about the learning, not the earning”