Open Badges, Open Borders by Suzanne Scott, Borders College ALT Scotland SIG Open Education Open Scotland event, Edinburgh, 3 June 2014

1. Open Badges, Open Borders
Suzanne Scott
Borders College
Technology Enhanced Learning Unit

2. 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?

3. Do you remember...
Blue and Gold Banquet by Anja Johnson
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37353087@N03/405676746
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I’m a Brownie by Sarah Joy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62559061@N06/6921282288

4. 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 practices
All images displayed with approval from
Doug Belshaw@Mozilla

5. 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.org
All images displayed with approval from
Doug Belshaw@Mozilla

6. Open Badges
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Image by Kyle Bowen

7. What a badge looks like

8. Badges in real life @BC
• Curriculum based badges – too soon!
• Moodle badges from the TEL team
• CPD badges
• Working with local employers
• Curriculum badges – the return!
• Lessons learned along the way

9. June 2012 to present
• Here be dragons –
JISC RSC conference
– Doug Belshaw
– First glimpse of Open
Badges
• Not an easy journey
despite initial
enthusiasm

10. Please turn around when possible...
• When introducing badges
beware…
– Greater communication with
all concerned required to
ensure sense of ownership
– Importance of SMT approval
– More time required to accept
change

11. Take the first exit...
• HNC Interactive Media
– First proposal for College own
badges in the curriculum
– Prime for ‘badging’
• Need for buy in from middle
management
– More work required to
convince staff of badge ‘value’
– Concerns over time required

12. 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

13. Moodle Open Badges
Student 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

14. You will reach your destination in...
• Some concerns relating
to students being able
to award open badges
to staff
• Work still to do!
– A culture shift is required
– Need to address
concerns through
education and examples

15. Alternative routes – diversion in place
• Introducing Open Badges
for CPD sessions
• Full support of HR
department
– Removal of paper
certificates

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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
• Working group
maintenance (OBSEG)
– Funding?
– Projects?
• Introducing Open Badges to
employers to ensure value
• Fitting the pieces together –
work is still fragmented

23. 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
• Badge canvas and Badge Maker
•http://www.digitalme.co.uk/badgeca
nvas/
•http://badgemakerproject.com/

24. 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/
– Remember, you can always contact your local Jisc Regional Support Centre
for further information: jisc.ac.uk/rsc Email: rscsupport@jisc.ac.uk
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• Jisc support

25. Any questions?
For more information:
• Suzanne Scott
Sscot@borderscollege.
ac.uk
–@sscotborders
–01896 662576