Perceptions and Uses of Digital Badges for Professional Learning Development in Higher Education

Abstract

Few instructors in higher education have completed a formal teaching program and, therefore, rely on informal professional development opportunities to enhance their teaching practice. Micro-credentialing in the form of digital badges is one way in which instructors can document their non-credit learning and accomplishments. This mixed methods research study was conducted to gauge participants' perceptions and anticipated uses of digital badges. Results of the study indicated that many participants had positive perceptions of the badges, finding them authentic and innovative. Some participants had negative or mediocre perceptions of digital badges, finding them less prestigious than a certificate of completion. Badge appearance may have had an impact on perceived credibility. Participants intended on using their digital badges in a variety of ways, such as sharing on social media and job searches. Many found the badges motivating and persevered to complete a program; however, they did not do this solely to earn a badge.Keywords Digital badges . Higher education . Micro-credentialing . Motivation . Professional learning development . Teaching development The use of digital badges is relatively innovative in higher education, and made possible by recent technological advances, particularly in the area of professional learning development. As such, there is scant literature on the topic. This study will help to illuminate the perceptions and uses of digital badges by instructors and graduate students who have completed professional development activities to advance their knowledge of teaching in higher education. We begin with a review of the literature, and outline our mixed methods design-based research study. After reporting our findings, we discuss them in relation to current literature. We close the paper with recommendations for others to consider if implementing a similar platform in their institution.

Instilling purpose and value in the implementation of digital badges in higher education

“…If a badge program is designed to support programmatic needs and has more benefits for the instructors than the students, perhaps the consideration of including metadata in order to increase external value would be beneficial to students (Casilli & Hickey, 2016;Dyjur & Lindstrom, 2017;Mah, 2016). Of course, for students to understand the value, potential use must be explained to them.…”

“…Of course, for students to understand the value, potential use must be explained to them. Additionally, exporting and sharing to public sites must be explained and supported by the system (Ahn et al, 2014;Casilli & Hickey, 2016;Dyjur & Lindstrom, 2017). Aside from that, potential employers must understand and value badges, and that is not always the case (Hurst, 2015;Lemoine & Richardson, 2015).…”

Value of Open Microcredentials to Earners and Issuers

“…These papers have explored the impact of badges on motivating learners (Abramovich, Schunn, & Higashi, 2013;Cheng, Watson, & Newby, 2018), credentialing skills (Randall, Harrison, & West, 2013), and serving as pedagogical tools (Cheng et al, 2018). Fewer studies have focused on how badge earners or potential employers perceive badges (Dyjur & Lindstrom, 2017;Erickson, 2015). Casilli and Hickey (2016) noted that "the preexisting trust networks that operate between and among educational institutions, employers, and education consumers are not typically, nor even frequently, tested, investigated, or held accountable" (p.…”

Students’ Perception of Using Digital Badges in Blended Learning Classrooms

“…Badges with points and leader boards can be a gamification element that enables learners to compete with themselves or others [14]. Some researchers have indicated that people have positive, negative, or mediocre perceptions of badges, and some participants have found badges to be less prestigious than certificates of completion [15]. Jones, Hope, and Adams [10] indicate that teachers have a favorable view of digital badges but that they have insufficient understanding of their purpose.…”

“…They can represent a visual record of achievement and meet learners' needs based on the elasticity of the online learning environment. They can be created, awarded, displayed, and stored online, as well as shared on social media and professional social networking sites [15].…”