Open Badges, Open Borders

Suzanne ScottBorders College

Technology Enhanced Learning Unit

Overview

• What are Open Badges?– How do they work?– What do they look like?

• How are Borders College using them?– The journey so far– Lessons learned

• Where do we go from here?– As an institution?– Collectively?

Do you remember...

Blue and Gold Banquet by Anja Johnson

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37353087@N03/4056767466

I’m a Brownie by Sarah Joy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62559061@N06/6921282288

What are Open Badges?

• Supported by Mozilla– The Macarthur Foundation– Working to create a recognised, shared infrastructure

for badge creation and display

• Visual representations of achievements, learning, skills, interests and competencies– Complement rather than replace traditional

education practicesAll images displayed with approval from

Doug Belshaw@Mozilla

The Science bit!• An image with metadata

hardcoded into them– Issuers and Endorsers

• Stays in your dedicated Mozilla badge backpack– Can also be displayed in

various locations; Linkedin, Moodle, Mahara

www.openbadges.orgAll images displayed with approval from

Doug Belshaw@Mozilla

Open Badges

6Image by Kyle Bowen

What a badge looks like

Why?

3 words:– Retention

– Motivation

– Employability

Badges in real life @BC

• Ideas for curriculum based badges• Moodle badges from the TEL team• CPD badges• Working with local employers

• Lessons learned along the way

Beware…

• When introducing badges:– Greater communication with

all concerned required to ensure sense of ownership

– Importance of Senior Management approval

– More time required to accept change

– Concerns over time to create badges/additional assessment load

Curriculum based badges

• HNC Interactive Media– Podcasting– HTML fundamentals– Understanding colour– Photography– Team leadership– Developing customer

relationships

The process

• Tools available…

• In reality…– You as a tutor know the areas your students; struggle

with and/or already do but don’t get credit for– Brainstorm

• Get topic and criteria set• Consider links to other badges to ‘super badge’• Then think about design

The tools• Jisc Open Badge toolkit

– http://www.jiscrsc.ac.uk/media/421718/jiscopenbadgesdesigntoolkit-print_1.pdf

• DigitalMe Badge Canvas– http://www.digitalme.co.uk/

badgecanvas/

• Badgemaker project online tool– http://

badgemakerproject.com/

An easier process?– Practical badge making session

with BDU if required?

You are nearing your destination...

• Moodle User Badge pilot– Different approach– Student badges to

encourage digital literacy

– Using Moodle as host– Aimed to introduce

badges ‘gently’ to staff and students

– Small pilot: 4 classes

Moodle Open BadgesStudent badges recognise/encourage:•Professional profile creation•Contribution to discussion forums •Electronic submission of assignments•Use of the VLE generally

Staff badges recognise /encourage:•Innovative use of the VLE•Greater use of tools•Time and effort invested

How we did it!

• Topic agreed• Criteria defined• Pathway created• Graphic designed in-

house• Badges issued manually

through Moodle

A solution for you?

• Badges around Placements?– Fits with lifelong learning

journey– Scope for Open Badges

in a lifelong learning portfolio?

• Award open badges for:– Successful learners– Confident individuals– Responsible citizens– Effective contributors

• Other generic issues:

– Attendance– Behaviour (if appropriate)

Alternative routes – diversion in place

• Introducing Open Badges for CPD sessions

• Full support of HR department– Removal of paper

certificates

Staff CPD

• All staff now have at least one open badge – spread awareness

• Increase loyalty and attendance at CPD sessions

• Staff see value in CPD sessions. No longer just mandatory

Could this work with some of your employers?•Work with TEL if appropriate

Objects in the rear view mirror...

• It’s been an interesting journey!– Still positive about the

value of Open Badges– More realistic about the

work which needs to be done to convince non-believers

• SQA, CDN, Jisc RSC working group will help

Open Badge Highway Code• Badge image design is

important but time consuming

• Criteria setting is important for credibility

• Handle concerns sensitively

• Look for like minded evangelists to share thoughts and issues

• Institutional buy-in is key

• Support from RSC, SQA and Mozilla important

Future of badges at Borders• 3 year plan to introduce

Open Badges across the curriculum

• Aim to accredit prior learning and introduce bridging badges

• Considering pathways for learners /identifying badges according to career aspirations

• Working with local employers to raise awareness

Bridges (dependencies)

• “SQA supports the concept of Open Badges and is working in partnership with the Open Badges in Scottish Education Group to support the adoption of Open Badges across a range of sectors. We believe that the infrastructure promotes and supports greater flexibility for learning and the recognition of achievement.”

“Permission to Innovate!”

– adopting Open Badges as part of the recognition for teachers and appointees through SQA Academy Courses

– Exploring possibilities that Open Badges offer in terms of digital certification in the future

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Joe Wilson, Head of New Ventures, SQA. Experimental Blog, October 2013

Open Badges Scottish Education Group

• Jisc OBSEG: – Overview and mapping

function of Open Badge developments in Scottish education• Oversees a number of sub-

groups: Learner Progress, Staff Development, Technology and Design

– Provides a forum for discussion and the formation of connections

• Now being hosted nationally; SQA and SG

A practical working group• Perhaps through SLTN?– Greater support

irrespective of level– Learn from each other– Use different platforms

• Scottish learning events (jointly badged)– As Chicago Summer or

Learning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WwpwtYNsNk#t=20

Diversions ahead…

• The creation of suites of subject specific badges which could be shared across the sector

• What tools should be used?– Clear guidelines for

planning, designing and issuing badges (toolkit)

• Work with schools– Empower students/pupils

to create their own badges

– Peer assessment

• Working group maintenance (OBSEG)– Funding?– Projects?

• Introducing Open Badges to employers to ensure value– Role for BDU?

• Fitting the pieces together – work is still fragmented

Interested?

You could start by looking at:• Mozilla’s Open Badges site to find out how to use the Open

Badge Infrastructure to earn, issue and display Open Badges.http://openbadges.org, then set up your backpack and earn your first badge…

Further information

– Find out more about the Jisc Regional Support Centre (RSC) Scotland pilot of Open Badges. rsc-scotland.org/?page_id=2223

– Open Badges in Scottish Education Group. bit.ly/obseg

– Open Badges case studies. rsc-scotland.org/?tag=open-badges

– Open Badges blog posts. rsc-scotland.org/eassessment/tag/open-badges/

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• Jisc support

Any questions?

For more information:• Suzanne Scott

Sscot@borderscollege.ac.uk–@sscotborders–01896 662576