Dr. Ian Glover,
Technology Enhanced Learning team,
Student and Learning Services
Visual representation of achievement,
experience, affiliation and/or interest - ideally
distinctive and understood within a community.

Some examples:
“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

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
Open Badges Anatomy (Updated) by Kyle Bowen.
CC-BY-SA.

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

Surface the learning 'hidden' in a transcript

Encourage students to undertake co- and extracurricular activities

Helps recognise informal learning

Enables students to differentiate themselves
from classmates

The rise of the Informal University?
 (MOOCs + Badges) * Awareness = Degree-equivalent?
Swiss Army Badge by Kyle Bowen.
CC-BY-SA

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

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

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?
Indiana Jones and the lost badge by Kyle Bowen.

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
Carpet Badging by Kyle Bowen.
CC-BY-SA

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)
Contact:
Dr. Ian Glover
i.glover@shu.ac.uk