Written by Angela Hanson

If you haven’t met a teacher who uses digital badges yet, you may soon. Digital badges are growing in popularity, especially in higher education circles (Raths, 2013). With enough forethought and planning, the principles behind digital badges can be used in the K-12 environment as well (Fontichiaro and Elkordy, 2015). Understanding digital badges and implementing them in the classroom can bring benefits for learners, including but not limited to objective proof of student learning, increased student motivation, and the ability to use feedback for developing skills as a self-regulated learner.

Objective proof
In the military, scouting programs, and even video games, medals and badges are awarded for achievements that are pre-defined. Individuals who earn badges have visible representation of their success, and they can display the achievement on their uniform or player profile for the entire world to see. The more badges they have, the more credibility and recognition they receive (Sorensen, 2013).

Now extend this concept to the classroom, where students build a collection of badges for achievements related to instructional objectives, behavioral goals, collaboration skills, or out-of-classroom experiences. Those achievements are defined by criteria a student must meet in order to add the badge to his profile. Digital badges can be displayed through digital venues (Google Classroom, Edmodo, Mozilla Open Badges, or even a class blog) for the class and – if made public – the rest of the world to see. The artifact or proof for earning the badge can also be linked to the badge, which in effect creates a digital portfolio for the student that he can carry from classroom, to college, and to the workplace. In that outcome, we see the first benefit of using digital badges: Digital badges are visible, public representations of objective student success. (Reid and Paster, 2013).

Increased motivation
Consider these badge criteria and how they are worded:

• Equivalent fractions: The owner of this badge can recognize, generate, and explain equivalent fractions using visual models based on area, as demonstrated by in-class peer-to-peer teaching and the linked model of evidence.
• Narrative: The owner of this badge can write a narrative of a real or imagined experience that includes an organized sequence of events, sufficiently developed characters and dialogue, variety and precision in vocabulary, relevant descriptive details that call on sensory language, and a conclusion that closes the piece, as demonstrated by the linked narrative portfolio with supporting rubrics.
• Conflict resolution: The owner of this badge successfully applied conflict resolution skills in order to peacefully reestablish communication and connection between another student and himself during recess on (date).
• Collaborator: The owner of this badge consistently demonstrated the ability to collaborate in a group setting by contributing to the success of four different group projects in the capacity of four distinct group roles: manager, reader, recorder, and reporter. Each group project is linked with supporting rubrics.

Each statement tells what the student achieved. Contrast those positively worded statements that also provide evidence of growth over time with traditional letter and percentage grading systems that tell students what they receive for their work in a particular instant:

• You got an 85% on your quiz (Read: you missed 15%).
• You didn’t do any classwork (F, 0%) but aced the test (A+, 100%) and got a D average because of how your scores are weighted.
• You did all of the classwork (A+, 100%) but failed the test (F, 0%) and got a B average because of how your scores are weighted.
• You got a B+ on your group project. (But did the student really contribute at a B+ level?)

Which system would motivate you more: one where you can achieve for yourself or one where you receive from the teacher? Students must take time, effort, and integrate a group of skills in order to build evidence for a digital badge. This trajectory and big-picture view of learning can serve to motivate students because it empowers them in the ability to take control of their learning (Davis and Klein, 2015). It also effectively scaffolds their progress just when they need it, which also enhances motivation (Pagowsky, 2014).

Meaningful Feedback for Developing Self-Regulated Learners
There is some controversy over whether digital badges are truly a good strategy to use in the classroom because the motivating factor is – especially at the outset of implementation – largely extrinsic. Some studies suggest that badges can serve to de-motivate students from activities that they were previously interested in (Ash, 2012). However, it is important to keep in mind that digital badges are not an end in and of themselves. They are the proof of achievement in a goal-based, standard-driven system, and, as such, they represent not only the achievement, but also the process and effort that went into the earning. Sometimes that process will not be straightforward. Students may not meet the criteria for a particular badge on the first try. However, unlike with traditional tests where the student has one opportunity to prove himself, with digital badges the student has the opportunity to receive feedback from the teacher or a classmate who has already achieved the badge. That feedback and collaboration can prompt the student to make a new plan, monitor his own progress, and self-evaluate his attempt to prove mastery again. These skills are all definitive of students who can self-regulate their own learning, and self-regulated learners are intrinsically motivated, life-long learners (Cucchiara, Persico, and Raffaghelli, 2014). If digital badges can facilitate that development in students, it’s worth the attention and consideration of teachers everywhere.

Angela Hanson (’07) recently traded teaching Spanish with the Association of Lutheran High Schools Online for homeschooling her children in the middle of the Arizona desert. She is also currently enrolled in MLC’s Master of Science in Education program with an emphasis in educational technology. This article was prompted by the author’s experience with implementing badges in an online course. The original work was written as a course requirement for EDT5001.

References

Ash, K. (2012). ‘Digital Badges’ Would Represent Students’ Skill Acquisition. Education Week: Digital Directions (5)3, 24-25, 28, 30. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/06/13/03badges.h05.html

Cucchiara, S., Giglio, A., Persico, D. and Raffaghelli, J. (2014). Supporting Self-regulated Learning Through Digital Badges: A Case Study. Research Gate Conference Paper. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262315687_Supporting_Self-regulated_Learning_Through_Digital_Badges_A_Case_Study

Davis, K. and Klein, E. (2015). Investigating High School Students’ Perceptions of Digital Badges in Afterschool Learning. CHI 2015, Crossings. Retrieved from http://katiedavisresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2015_CHI_davis.klein_.badges.pdf

Fontichiaro, K. and Elkordy, A. (2015). Chart students’ growth with digital badges.  ISTE. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=320.

Pagowsky, N. (2014). Keeping Up With…Digital Badges for Instruction. Association of College & Research Libraries. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/keeping_up_with/digital_badges

Raths, D. (2013). How Badges Really Work in Higher Education. Campus Technology. Retrieved from https://campustechnology.com/articles/2013/06/20/how-badges-really-work-in-higher-education.aspx

Reid, A. and Paster, D. (2013). Digital Badges in the Classroom. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2013/10/11/how-use-digital-badges-help-your-classroom-teaching-essay

Sorensen, K. (2013). We need more stinkin’ badges (or, how to increase student participation without using grades as a reward). Retrieved from http://keithosorensen.blogspot.com/2013/04/badges.html