Slides for my presentation at the Sheffield Hallam University Learning and Teaching Conference, 19th June 2013

1. Dr. Ian Glover,
Technology Enhanced Learning team,
Student and Learning Services

2. Visual representation of achievement,
experience, affiliation and/or interest - ideally
distinctive and understood within a community.
 Some examples:

3. “Badges mean nothing in themselves, but they
mark a certain achievement and they are a link
between the rich and the poor.
For when one girl sees a badge on a sister
Scout’s arm, if that girl has won the same
badge, it at once awakens an interest and
sympathy between them.”
- Juliette G. Low,
Founder of Girl Scouts of the USA

4.  Link to criteria and evidence for award
 Add security and verification
 can check whether a person was actually awarded a
specific badge
 Have the credibility of the awarding body
 Allow sharing of 'badge clusters' from different
sources with others on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
 Essentially, an image + embedded information

5. Open BadgesAnatomy (Updated) by Kyle Bowen.
CC-BY-SA.

6.  Growing recognition that significant amounts
of learning happens outside the classroom
 Grade transcripts hide the truth about
learning
 Strong links with current trends such as
MOOCs, Gamification, Mobile Learning
 but can be used independently of these

7.  Surface the learning 'hidden' in a transcript
 Encourage students to undertake co- and extra-
curricular activities
 Helps recognise informal learning
 Enables students to differentiate themselves
from classmates
 The rise of the Informal University?
 (MOOCs + Badges) * Awareness = Degree-equivalent?

8. Swiss Army Badge by Kyle Bowen.
CC-BY-SA

9.  Showing competency in a skill,
 e.g. nursing students taking blood samples
 Recognising extra-curricular activity
 e.g. a music student participating in an orchestra
 Representing co-curricular development
 e.g. participation in Students' Union activities,
such as chairing society meetings

10.  Identifying common themes in a programme
 e.g. showing all modules that develop debating skills
 Getting businesses and professional bodies
involved
 e.g. co-creating badges that meet workplace skills, or
professional attributes
 Build toward specialism badges
 e.g. students get badges that relate to their learning
journey, by reflecting their optional modules

11.  Are there skills that students use and
develop?
 Do you have extra-curricular activities to
encourage?
 Do you want to draw links between learning
and skills demanded by
employers/professional bodies?

12. Indiana Jones and the lost badge by Kyle Bowen.

14.  For greatest effect:
 Make them as professional-looking as possible
 Issue cross-module badges
 Badges should push students to go beyond the
minimum
 Tell businesses/professional bodies about them
 Link badges to 'real-world', desirable skills
 Each badge must represent a substantial and
meaningful skill or experience

15. Carpet Badging by Kyle Bowen.
CC-BY-SA

16.  Image creation
 OpenBadges.me (http://openbadges.me)
 Online Badge Maker
(http://www.onlinebadgemaker.com/)
 Badge creation and issuing
 badg.us (http://badg.us)
 All-in-one system
 Credly (http://credly.com)

17. Contact:
Dr. Ian Glover
i.glover@shu.ac.uk