ALT-C 2015
@dranners #altc
Linking learning with industry
Mark DransfieldYork St John University
#altc / @dranners
Learning context
• Digital Business Communication– Blended module– Badging built in from outset– 12 students
• Level 3 undergraduate module– Employability
ENDORSED ENDORSE
DENDORSE
D
#altc / @dranners
Badges in society.
Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Aged 0-16 Professional/career
Hey DuggeeBBC site
Gap = UK HE empirical evidence
#altc / @dranners
Previous work in HE
• Two of Glover and Latif’s (2013) key findings– That aligning badges with professional bodies
enabled students to see how their studies fit with future career aspirations
– That raising the awareness of open badges amongst employers was important to increase badge credibility
• Ahn et al (2014) Does the source of a given badge (or issuer) affect users’ motivation to earn that badge?
#altc / @dranners
Literature
Badges
• US centric (Purdue)• UK DigitalMe – Badge
the UK (5-18)• Glover & Latif (2013)• Ahn et al (2014)
1. Motivational tool2. Pedagogic tool3. Signifier or credential
Employability
• Dearing Review (1994)• The Wilson Review
(2012)• ABS, QAA, CMI (2014)
Badge
architecture
Integrity
Communication
Courtesy
Responsibility
Social skills
Positive attitude
Professionalism
Flexibility
Teamwork
Work ethic
Robles (2012)
Module Learning
Objective(s)
Problem-Based-Learning
Online OR Classroom
ENDORSED
#altc / @dranners
Key Findings – Questionnaire (n=6)
• 100% aged between 20-22• 0% of students were familiar with Open/Digital
badges before this module• 100% said that badges had a positive impact on
engagement and learning• 100% said endorsed badges held more value• 83% felt badges were something employers would
value• 0% exported badges to an external
system (Backpack, LinkedIn, Personal platform)
#altc / @dranners
Focus Group (thematic analysis)
• Why didn’t they export their badges?– Exporting to external systems - problems– Knowledge - lack of time to explore/investigate– Lack of access to platforms (LinkedIn)
#altc / @dranners
Conclusions
• Still a sceptic– Early adoption phase in HE– In the domain of technophiles & enthusiasts– Must have a good understanding of the OB infrastructure
to enable support– Employers largely unaware of badges as a currency in UK
HE• Endorsement gives value to informal skills• Further research into employer perceptions of
badges
#altc / @dranners
Thank you!
• Questions?• Please feel free to give critical feedback or
suggestions for improvements• Contact: [email protected] or
@dranners
Reading & References• Ahn, J., Pelliscone, A., Butler, S. (2014) Open badges for education: what are the implications at the intersection
of open systems and badging? Research in Learning Technology• Albert Laso J., Pernías Peco, P., Luján-Mora, S. (2013) USING OPEN BADGES AS CERTIFICATION IN A MOOC,
ICERI2013 Proceedings, pp. 1809-1818.• Association of Business Schools, QAA and Chartered Management Institute. (2014) 21st Century Leaders:
Building Practice into the Curriculum to Boost Employability. Available at http://www.managers.org.uk/~/media/Files/PDF/21st_Century_Leaders_June2014.ashx [accessed July 2014]
• Bedwell, L., Fiore, S., Salas, E. (2014) Developing The Future Workforce: An Approach for Integrating Interpersonal Skills Into the MBA Classroom. Academy of Management Learning & Education, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp 171-186
• CBI and Universities UK (March 2009) Future Fit: Preparing graduates for the world of work, London: CBI, available at: www.cbi.org.uk/pdf/20090326-CBI-FutureFit-Preparing-graduates-for-the-world-ofwork.pdf
• Glover, I., Latif, F. (2013) Investigating perceptions and potential of open badges in formal higher education. In: Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hyoermedia and Telecommunications 2013. AACE, Chesapeake, VA, 1398-1402.
• Mischra, K. (2014) Employability Skills That Recruiters Demand, The IUP Journal of Soft Skills, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp 50-55
• Rughinis. R. (2013) Talkative objects in need of interpretation. re-thinking digital badges in education. In CHI '13 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '13). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 2099-2108. DOI=10.1145/2468356.2468729 http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2468356.2468729
• Hickey, D.T. (2012) Intended Purposes Versus Actual Functions of Digital Badges. Re-Mediating Assessment, 2012. http://remediatingassessment.blogspot.ro/2012/09/int ended-purposes-versus-actual.html.
• Resnick, M (2012) Still a Badge Skeptic. HASTAC, 2012. http://hastac.org/blogs/mres/2012/02/27/still-badgeskeptic.
• Tally, S. (2011) Digital badges show students' skills along with degreeavailable at http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2012/Q3/digital-badges-show-students-skills-along-with-degree.html accessed 9th July 2015