CETL/CILT Webinar - Badges and Micro Credentials: What's Happening at Touro and How Do I Get Involved? There's been a lot of buzz about digital badges and micro-credentials, and you may be asking "what are they and why should I care?" Maybe you are curious about open digital badges, but don't know where to begin? In this webinar, we will introduce you to digital badges and micro credentials, along with how you can use them in your teaching. This webinar will also briefly touch on Tour's formal badging and micro credential program. Recorded on 20 September 2022

1. MicroCredentials@Touro.edu

2. Badges

4. The term “micro-credential” can mean something
slightly different to various constituencies around the
world. In fact, the lack of an agreed definition and a
global taxonomy can make it confusing and bewildering
to navigate. Unlike more formal qualifications, such as
the degree, which has some intra-global frameworks,
the fledgling world of micro-credentials has no such
framework. (p. 2)
Designing and Implementing Micro-Credentials: A Guide for
Practitioners (Commonwealth of Learning)

11. Touro Definitions
Badge is a digital representation of
competencies and/or achievements.
• A digital form of a merit badge.
• For example, a badge could be something that a learner earns
after having completed a learning experience – much like in a
traditional sense a student would earn credits for completing a
course.

12. Touro Definitions
Micro credential is a sequence of digital
badges that can be accumulated over time to
create a pathway.
• If by earning your level 1, level 2, and level 3 merit badges for a
particular skill, you were awarded a larger or more colorful badge.
• For example, a micro credential could be awarded based on the
completion of four different badges that were thematically linked in
terms of their content – much like in a traditional sense a student
would earn a certificate or degree upon completion of a sequence of
courses.

13. Your
Questions
and
Comments

14. Gamification

16. Why Gamify Your Course?
1. Engagement – If you’ve ever played or watched someone play a good game, you’ll know
that nothing engages people like games do. Even people who are normally unfocused,
unmotivated, or undisciplined become highly focused, motivated, and disciplined when
playing games. Gamification can help bring those attitudes to class.
2. Intrinsic motivation – Not only will people invest significant amounts of time playing
games, but they do so voluntarily, with no hope of earning extrinsic rewards. Gamification
is all about guiding people to achieve things that perfectly challenge them, and typically
the only incentive to do so is the sense of accomplishment they feel when they succeed.
3. Extension of learning – It’s tough to design a course that challenges each student to the
level they need. Games, however, somehow manage to capture the full attention of
multitudes of people at a myriad of skill levels simultaneously. Gamification can help
deliver challenges at the right level for all students in the course.
4. You’re already doing it – Education is inherently game-like. Students earn points for
completing challenges, and are eventually rewarded with badges in the form of grades.
Gamification only improves the current system by employing game elements proven to be
extraordinarily effective.

30. Your
Questions
and
Comments

31. MicroCredentials@Touro.edu

32. Tier 0: Faculty & Staff Development Badge
A faculty and/or staff development badge is a public facing badge that bears the Touro branding, but it is specifically
designed for internal faculty and staff development purposes. Unlike the badges in the MicroCredentials@Touro
initiative, these are not standardized. While there are some possible designs pre-made, the unit has the ability to
submit a design of its own for approval.

33. Tier 1: Experiential Badge
An experiential badge is awarded to learner who has completed a specific experiences that increase knowledge
around a specific topic or involves hands-on practice of applying new skills. There is no requirement that an
experiential badge include a formal assessment of the knowledge and/or skills gained, and if an assessment is
included it is generally not an extensive and/or rigorous evaluation. Experiential badges are often awarded when
the learner has attended or participated in a specific learning event.

34. Tier 2: Skills-Based Badge
A skills-based badge is awarded to learners who have completed academic work that results in professional skills. Skills-
based badges identify accomplishments in the non-credit offerings of the university, and can complement classes,
certificates, and degrees – but these badges do not replace those credentials. Skills-based badges showcase specific
competencies from EMSI open skills library; and translate academic competencies into terms that non-academic
employers are familiar with and value.

35. Tier 3: Non-Credit Badges
Non-credit badges may be associated with existing course, but they may also be associated with other formal and
informal types of learning that may be required of the learner or simply available to the learner.
Non-credit badges should represent a significant learning experience that is evaluated by the completion of
assessment or the creation of a product. The learning experience should represent more than a single skill.
Non-credit badges may be associated with existing courses. However, it is up to those proposing the badge whether
the learners should complete the same expectations for a non-credit badge as they would if they were enrolled in
the course for undergraduate or graduate credit hours.

36. Tier 3: Micro Credential (Non-Credit Pathway)
A thematic series of stackable badges can be packaged as a micro credential. Micro credentials take the form of a
“pathway,” and are represented by a pathway badge. A pathway is automatically earned when the learner has
completed the right sequence of badges (e.g., by completing Non-Credit Badge A and Non-Credit Badge B, the
learner is automatically awarded Micro Credential I). A non-credit micro credential should include a minimum of 20
hours of work on the part of the learner.

37. Tier 4: Credit Badges
Credit badges are derived from existing academic work and provide evidence of progressive attainment of
competencies.
Credit badges should be associated with existing courses. Learners should complete the same expectations for a
credit badge as they would if they were enrolled in the course for undergraduate or graduate credit hours.

38. Tier 4: Micro Credential (Credit Pathway)
A thematic series of stackable badges can be packaged as a micro-credential. Micro credentials take the form of a
“pathway,” and are represented by a pathway badge. A pathway is automatically earned when the learner has
completed the right sequence of badges (e.g., by completing Credit Badge A and Credit Badge B, the student is
automatically awarded Micro Credential I). A credit micro credential should include a minimum of 6 credit hours of
student work.

40. Application Form
Coordinator, MicroCredentials@Touro
Touro Academic Affairs Committee
Internal process at the unit level

44. mbarbour@touro.edu
MicroCredentials@Touro.edu

45. Individual Open Sessions
First Fridays at 12:30pm (Eastern)
•https://tinyurl.com/touro-badge-open-1
Third Fridays at Noon (Pacific)
•https://tinyurl.com/touro-badge-open-2

46. Your
Questions
and
Comments

47. mbarbour@touro.edu
MicroCredentials@Touro.edu