This document discusses the use of digital badges for learning. It provides examples of institutions that are using digital badges and outlines some of the benefits of badges, such as tracking learning progress, demonstrating skills, and recognizing soft skills. It also provides resources for designing digital badge systems, including templates for mapping competencies and creating personas. Guidelines are presented for designing meaningful badges and curriculums.

1. Template provided by: “posters4research.com”
Digital Badges for Learning: No Sewing Required
Claudia Timmann, MSLIS, PhD & Erika Bennett, MLIS, MS
Capella University; 225 South 6th Street, 10th Floor
Badges as a Digital Curriculum & Flexible Assessment Model
Badge Curriculum Design Resources
Utility of Badges
• “Badges represent scaffolded steps to common
expectations”
• Used as a tool to track learning progress and inspire self-
motivated learning
• Demonstrates digital accreditation of a skill or
achievement.
• Measure tasks and acknowledge performances.
• Measurement badges can build on each other toward
mastery (versus Participation badges that just say “you
showed up”)
• Peer assessed or self assessed badges are possible.
• Recognize soft skills: critical/innovative thinking, teamwork,
or effective communication
1. digitalme Badge Canvas: http://www.digitalme.co.uk/badgecanvas/
2. Badg.us (Open Source): http://www.scoop.it/t/about-badges
3. Badge System Design Template (Mozilla): [Look for “Badge
System Design Template] Google Docs (their browser-integrated
BadgeKit is in private beta) http://www.scoop.it/t/about-badges
4. Forallbadges.com
5. Openbadges.org
6. Toolness.github.io/chicago-badge-studio.html
7. Passport app developed by Purdue University : faculty give
students digital badges that demonstrate mastery of skills
http://www.itap.purdue.edu/studio/passport/
Discovery Process: Get to Know Your End User
Developing Personas of Ideal Learner
Appraise and understand the needs of learners and use this
information to develop information services (SWOT analysis)
Competency Mapping
Online competency mapping tools like Sophia.org can help
define the exact competencies and learning outcomes desired
through a badge network.
User Stories
• Badges can benefit low performing learners
• Different types of badges effect different learners’ motivation
and goals
• Students and faculty can use Open Badges to promote
achievements with Blackboard Learn courses
Academic Institutions Using Badges
1. Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of
Business – Robinson Digital Badge
• Badges offered in these areas:
•
2. Indiana University - BOOCs (Big Open Online Courses)
• Through Mozilla’s Open Badges initiative, award digital
badges that allow students to showcase their work and
employers to recognize skill sets
• Badges are based on Assessment Practices, Assessment
Principles, and Assessment Policies
3. CREDO Reference Information Literacy Course Module
• Standards-driven info lit instruction
• Provides multi-media materials that highlight skills
development
4. Portland State University Library: Digital Badges for
Creativity and Critical Thinking Project (graphical
representations of acquired skills)*
5. Purdue’s Passport Badge Learning System
• Demonstrates academic achievement through
customizable badges
• Guides students through tasks and allows faculty to
follow progress and connect badges to course objectives
Career Competencies & Discipline Ties
Game Theory Design Model
Badges & Domain Specific Career Skills – Capella University Library had
intended to develop information literacy badges for the Human Resources
program to foster info skills for corporate environmental scans in 2013.
Information Skills to Complete an Environmental Scan (HR
professionals)
Gamification (incorporation of aspects of game playing) is
increasingly being seen as a method for improved learning
design and learning motivation. Many video game and learning
media companies are adopting badges as reward systems for
mastery of learning.
Badge Stories
• The MacArthur Foundation: currently doing work with digital
badges involving a funding initiative in partnership with the
Mozilla Foundation.
• Portland State University Library: faculty, librarians, and other
stakeholders collaborated to develop the curriculum Digital
Badges for Creativity and Critical Thinking*
Community of Practice
Badge Google Group
Mozilla Open Badges community space.
http://groups.google.com/group/openbadges/topics
Includes:
• library-related sub-group
• weekly digest
• weekly calls
Quick Badge Design Tips
Make meaningful experiences - Don’t just focus on the visual
side of badges. Think about the lifecycle of the badge and the
experiences it acknowledges.
Endorsements hold weight – Consider whether the library will
be the endorser, or whether a larger body would be more
impressive.
Map out all the badges you can on the front end – Looking at
all your badges as a whole curriculum will help keep later
badges from muddling earlier ones.
Incremental, granular badges can be very rewarding – can
be used for scaffolded skill building, faculty development, nurse
continuing education, reference desk acquisition
acknowledgement for Work Study students, and more
Don’t ignore the visuals – Better looking badges are perceived
as having more esteem.
Additional Resources & Tools
1. The Badge Alliance - http://badgealliance.com
2. Badge Forge – used for issuing, earning, and researching
badges connected to Mozilla Badge Backpack
3. Achievery.com - global platform for recognizing and
verifying skills and credentials
4. What is an Open Badge System and How to Implement It -
http://www.slideshare.net/Ebizon/what-is-an-open-badging-
system-and-how-to-implement-it
5. Badge Lab Tutorial -
http://badgelab.herokuapp.com/tutorial/67062
6. Credly makes achievements more visible
7. Other institutions using badges
8. Student-made badges as self-assessment
http://digitalis.nwp.org/resource/4274
Badge System Design Model
from Little Bird Games Littlebirdgames.com
Persona
Creation
Learning
Objectives
Bloom’s
Taxonomy
Badge
Design
Taxonomy
Badge
Criteria
Skill Tree
Direct Badge Issuance
learner learning
application
badge badge
backpack
LRSoptional
Indirect Badge Issuance
learning
application
badge badge
backpack
LRS
learner
learning
application2
assessment
system
Environmental
Scan
Define
Need
Formulate
Questions
Access Sources
Using Strategies
Evaluate
and
Reassess
Business Innovation Change Management
Creative Thinking Leadership Excellence
Lean Six Sigma Managerial Coach
Marketing Excellence Project Management
Due to attrition of key stakeholders involved in the project, this
stalled any advancement. Research will continue with the goal of
partnering with Sophia.org to develop information literacy badges
in areas such as: ethics around writing, problem solving, critical
thinking related to appropriate research strategies, and more.
For more information, see: Easley, D. & Ghosh, A. “Incentives, gamification, and game theory: An economic approach
to badge design.” http://www.arpitaghosh.com/papers/EC-final.pdf
From: Regan, D., Raybourn, E. M. & Durlach, P.J. “CHAPTER 20 ‒Learner Modeling Considerations for a Personalized
Assistant for Learning (PAL).“ Design Recommendations for Intelligent Tutoring Systems - Volume 1: Learner Modeling
http://eduworks.com/wp-content/uploads/resources/DesignRecommendations.pdf
Zhang, X., Majid, S., and Foo, S. (2010). Environmental scanning: An application of information literacy skills
at the workplace. Journal of Information Science, 36, 719-732. DOI: 10.1177/0165551510385644
Fontichiaro, K. and Elkordy, A. (2013). From stars to constellations: Digital badges can chart growth.
Learning & Leading with Technology, 41(4), pp.12-15.