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Badges: Show What You Know

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feature
Hot Spot: Teens, Tech,
& Learning

Badges: Show very important ones—in larger networks

of learning.”4
Learning does happen anywhere,

What You Know

anytime, but recognition of that learning
does not. The learning we do in museums,
libraries, and on the Web can and does
enrich us, but the knowledge and skills
we gain are rarely recognized. Badges for
By Sheryl Grant learning are designed to change that.

Why Badges?
In the “technology-enabled, information-

B
adges for learning are digital In 2011, Secretary Arne Duncan rich, deeply interconnected world” that
credentials that recognize a person’s of the U.S. Department of Education Duncan describes, badges are found in
skills and achievements.1 We introduced digital badges to a national peer networks and game environments
often associate credentials with degrees audience for the first time. During a that pervade our highly social Web.
or diplomas, but credential means a “fact, live-streamed event in Washington, D.C., Predating the Internet, badges were
qualification, achievement, quality, or Duncan told a crowd, “Badges can help used to signal rank and membership
feature used as a recommendation or speed the shift from credentials that within a group, whether literally affixed
form of identification.”2 In other words, simply measure seat time, to ones that to a uniform or figuratively evoked
credentials provide a way to vouch that more accurately measure competency.”3 to symbolize the status, achievement,
we are who we say we are, and have the Together with the MacArthur reputation, or membership within a social
qualities we claim to have. Traditional Foundation, government agencies, class.5 Badges provided social proof for
credentials like degrees are critical to corporations, and nonprofit organizations, desired attributes, and functioned as
meaningful employment, and yet when Secretary Duncan launched the “Badges both incentive and reward while rapidly
we find ourselves vying with two hundred for Lifelong Learning” initiative and conveying important information about
other candidates for a single job, we started a national conversation about identity. In today’s networked digital
begin the age-old practice of fluffing up learning, assessment, and opportunity, environment, badges function the same
our resumes. We may add a list of skills the core of what digital badges represent. way, whether in video games or social
like HTML, CSS, Microsoft Excel, or “Today’s technology-enabled, information- media marketing campaigns. Today,
Dreamweaver. We add work experiences rich, deeply interconnected world means they do all that and more, as tokens that
that hopefully convey our leadership learning not only can—but should— represent goal setting, instruction, and
qualities, our project management skills, happen anywhere, anytime. We need to reputation.6 As the Internet evolves into
and our ability to connect with youth. After recognize these experiences, whether the a seemingly limitless site of learning, new
we land the job, credentials start to go stale, environments are physical or online, and forms of assessment have emerged, driven
so we update our resumes with lines of text whether learning takes place in schools, largely by the tools and social practices we
about new things we can do. Digital badges colleges, or adult education centers, use to rate, rank, recognize, and reward
do the same thing as credentials, but they or in afterschool, workplace, military, the contributions and participation of
do a little more. To unpack what badges or community settings. In short, we others online.
for learning can do and why they matter, must begin to see schools, colleges, and Assessment, a form of evaluation we
consider where they come from. classrooms as central points—though still often equate with school, is actually an
“integral part of all human learning” that
arises whenever social groups seek ways
Sheryl Grant is Director of Social Networking for the HASTAC/ to mentor and police participants.7 We
MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning Competition tend to think of assessment as something
and a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina—Chapel that happens in classrooms and on tests
Hill’’s School of Information and Library Science. because school is traditionally where

26 YALS Young Adult Library Services Winter 2014

 Grant

learning gets counted. Our networked, participation, digital badges are gaining kinds of learning programs, connected to
connected, technology-mediated world traction, not only as viable credentials, but many kinds of assessments. Just as there
says otherwise. Assessment, like learning, as relevant and useful ways to recognize are many types of learning content and
in fact happens anywhere, anytime, skills and knowledge.11 For youth, this programs to deliver that content, there are
online and offline, inside and outside the issue of authoritativeness and credibility many types of badge systems, including
classroom, throughout our lives. Mentors, is even more acute, due to the “culture gap ones that are combinations of offline and
experts, and peers assess us both formally between educational systems designed online learning.
and informally, and whether we learn in in the industrial age and the emerging More innovative approaches are
school or out, we are evaluated against learning practices of the knowledge age.”12 happening among institutions that
national, organizational, and industry Many young adults are immersed in historically have never issued credentials,
standards. Badges are the connectors, the mediated activities that revolve around especially as currency with value outside
pieces that link this learning, assessment, games, photography, music, apps, print, their programs. Museums, libraries,
and opportunity together across all parts television, image, video, and voice and professional associations, youth
of our lives. text communication. This mediated organizations, and afterschool programs
Digital badge advocates claim environment is rich with learning represent only a handful of entities that see
that by validating a range of skills and experiences that expand and diversify potential for badges to impact their learners.
achievements not currently assessed meaningful life pathways, connecting These organizations represent a wide range
in traditional K-20 schooling, and by youth to new opportunities. Badges have of learning content, pedagogical approaches,
doing so in a way that also validates more the potential to make this learning count in and assessment types. As these innovators
granular skills, badges can meet needs not ways that traditional credentials have not. consider how to measure what counts,
currently being met.8 In Open Badges In response to the Badges for Lifelong they make assessment and design decisions
for Lifelong Learning, a white paper Learning initiative, organizations are that not only impact their learners, but the
coauthored by the Mozilla Foundation designing systems that integrate badges broader experiment about what we value
and Peer-to-Peer University, a group of into their learning content. The net effect and how that knowledge is evaluated.
learners experience “a problem in making of emerging badge systems is a marketplace
their knowledge and skills visible and of credentials that are no longer tethered
consequential in terms that are recognized predominantly to schools and universities. Assessment and Badges
by formal educational institutions and Many of these nontraditional learning Schools and the Web have one thing
broader career ecosystems.”9 These learner institutions are issuing credentials for the in common: a fundamental drive to
composites are intended to reflect how first time, building digital badge systems increase participation. Most schools use a
people acquire career-ready skills and that have the potential to change the way combination of punishments and rewards
knowledge in the twenty-first century, their learners issue, display, and share to motivate learners. On the Web, a mix
whether that learning is assessed through credentials with others online. If badges of social, mobile, and immediacy motivates
experts, computers, or peers, and whether become synonymous with credibility and people to participate. In 2006, Internet
it takes place inside or outside school. transparency, nontraditional institutions researchers estimated that only 1 percent
of learning could end up validating the of people on the Internet contribute
kind of interest-based learning and peer content, 9 percent edit, and the rest
Learning and Badges assessment that schools are slow to consume what others produce.13 We can
Our twentieth-century model of education recognize. see that much of the online innovation in
is based on the “assumption that teaching Schools can and probably will the past decade has focused on technology
is necessary for learning to occur,” and eventually issue digital badges that we can for deeper social participation, with
yet digital technologies have made it display on the Web, on mobile phones, reading and contributing on one end
possible for us to learn anywhere, anytime, social media platforms, personal blogs, or of the spectrum, to collaborating and
teacher or no teacher.10 As a result, how websites. But a conventional badge system leading on the far end.14 Reading content,
we learn in the twenty-first century is that functions independent of any changes tagging photos, rating contributions,
shifting from “issues of authoritativeness to preexisting systems of assessment fails editing wikis, sharing videos, posting
to issues of credibility, and within this to make itself relevant. As badges spread, blogs, producing webinars, or developing
changing context of learning and online we will see badge systems overlaid on all open-source software—we are learning,

Winter 2014 Young Adult Library Services YALS 27

Badges: Show What You Know

doing, making, and contributing massive credential, which exists separate from What does badge proof mean?
amounts of online content. One surprising the proof of learning associated with it. Technically, a digital badge is a PNG
engine driving this collective activity is By the time we see someone’s degree, file embedded or “baked” with JavaScript
social assessment. Interest-based social the criteria and evidence for how it was Object Notation (JSON) data that
participation has exploded in the last earned is long gone. Badges, however, conforms to a set of standard technical
fifteen years, and so have new ways of are transparent and information rich. specifications. Each badge contains user
assessing each other, whether through Everything is bundled into one click, so identity information in the form of an
voting, ranking, commenting, or other we can see what someone did to earn e-mail address, as well as a set of metadata
forms of peer feedback.15 the credential, including a link to the that includes the badge description, issuer,
eBay implemented one of the earliest, evidence behind the learning, maybe a issue date, evidence URL, image, and
most successful examples of peer-to-peer testimonial from the instructor, or an additional information required to make
evaluation that allowed buyers to rate official endorsement from a third party. the badge fully portable so that it can be
sellers. Since then, similar systems have Some badges have an expiration date to displayed anywhere on the Web. This
proliferated, including peer ratings of signal that the skill needs to be renewed metadata is what makes digital badges
reviews and comments (The New York each year. The ability to click badges information rich and portable, and without
Times), voting on the quality of questions and view relevant information about a it, institutions could issue badges, but
and answers (Stack Overflow, Quora), and learner’s skills and knowledge adds a layer there would be no “badge ecosystem” of
recommending the expertise and merits of of trust to credentials that is more than systems to recognize the badges. In other
colleagues (LinkedIn). Engaging in peer a technological flourish. Developing a words, badges would exist only within
assessment is its own form of participation, highly credible way to authenticate what the institutional technical systems that
and in systems like Amazon, individuals someone knows challenges the existing issued them and lack the information-rich,
can vote on the quality of comments left system, and raises profound questions transparent, and portable features that set
by others. Nothing inspires feedback more about what credentials mean and who them apart. Badges can be “hosted,” which
than commenting on someone’s expertise.16 decides what counts. If digital badges means that the badges live at a stable URL
The same is true about commenting on “challenge the monopoly on credentialing to show that the badge exists, and is hosted
someone’s values.17 While research on held by conventional degree-granting by the issuing institution. Badges can also
badges is still in its infancy, some studies institutions,” and nontraditional learning be “signed,” which is a way for a third
show interesting results. On Wikipedia, institutions can decide what counts, what party to endorse a badge. Professional
researchers found that contributions does credentialing look like in the future?18 organizations could endorse badges that
increased by 60 percent after editors were Here is what it looks like today. meet certain criteria, and add an additional
awarded badges.18 All of this activity is We progress through classes and grade layer of validity.
visible and easy to count. Community levels after demonstrating satisfactory Mozilla, developers of the open-
size, page views, downloads, and temporal performance on exams and other criteria. source Firefox browser, are responsible for
patterns measure participation, and After successful completion of course the Open Badges Infrastructure (OBI),
clicking, viewing, tagging, rating, posting, requirements, we accumulate credentials the set of standard metadata specs that
uploading, commenting, editing, and other in the form of diplomas, certificates, or connect digital badges across the Web. For
types of contributions have become easy degrees. Schools and universities issue our digital badges to work within an ecosystem
metrics to track.19 There is no shortage credentials by handing them out on stage where organizations can issue them,
of things to count online, and no paucity or sending them by mail, and the most earners can display them, and institutions
of metrics for measuring. The only thing common way we display them is to add can recognize them, badges must contain
lacking is a standardized, credible way to a line of text to our transcript or resume. standard technical specs that are hard-
recognize and share what we know, across In a digital badge world, those lines of coded into the badge. The OBI includes
all of the contexts where learning occurs. text are displayed as badges that we share both the open technical specifications
on websites, social media platforms, and referenced above and the badge “backpack”
mobile devices. For skills we want to or repository, a central place online where
What Is a Badge? demonstrate with greater granularity, people can collect, manage, and display
A badge is an image file with information badges will provide that additional layer their badges. An individual who earns a
in it. Compare that to a traditional of proof. badge issued from an institution must then

28 YALS Young Adult Library Services Winter 2014

 Grant

“push” this badge to the backpack, and Figure 1: Google trends shows a spike in search terms for “digital
from there, can “pull” the badges to other badges” between 2011 and 2013.
OBI-compatible systems on the Web.
Empirical research about badge digital badges + Add term
Search term
systems is limited; even so, a growing
number of nontraditional and traditional
institutions of learning are interested Interest over time News headlines Forecast
in building digital badge systems even
before fully functioning use cases have
been deployed and evaluated. While the
intellectual and technological scaffolding
for a robust badge ecosystem is still new,
the momentum and interest around badges
is taking off. In 2012, the Humanities,
Arts, Sciences, Technology Alliance and
Collaboratory (HASTAC) awarded 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013

$2 million in funding to thirty organizations

to build badge system platforms. Microsoft, solution to cause the kind of systemic 2. John Simpson and Edmond Weiner,
Intel, NASA, the Smithsonian, University social change that fundamentally changes “credential, n.” def. 3b, The Oxford English
of California–Davis, the Adams 50 School the institutions that teach and employ Dictionary, Oxford University Press
District in Colorado, Girl Scouts, 4-H, us.22 The extent of that change, though, (accessed Sept. 2013).
YALSA, and other major organizations are depends on how organizations design their 3. Arne Duncan, “Digital Badges for Learning:
only some of the groups launching badge badge systems and the choices they make Remarks Made by Secretary Arne Duncan
systems (figure 1). In 2013, hundreds about learning and assessment. It is true at the 4th Annual Launch of the Digital
of cities, universities, corporations, that not all badge systems will transform Media and Learning Competition,” www.
schools, and professional organizations the status quo, but an open marketplace ed.gov/news/speeches/digital-badges-
signed on to the 2 Million Better Futures of digital badges may change how we learning (accessed Nov. 20, 2013).
(www.2MBetterFutures.org) badge communicate who we are and what we 4. Duncan, 2011.
commitment launched by the MacArthur know to others, and that could have far- 5. John Simpson and Edmond Weiner,
Foundation at Clinton Global Initiative, reaching consequences. Badge systems “badge, n.,” The Oxford English
and Chicago announced it will host its have the potential to select what kind of Dictionary, Oxford University Press, www.
second citywide Summer of Learning badge learning gets counted, where and how that oed.com/view/Entry/14550?rskey=Hsdu
program next year after a successful first learning occurs, who assesses it, and how. Hp&result=1 (accessed Nov. 20, 2013).
pilot in 2013. If choices we make while designing new 6. Judd Antin and Elizabeth F. Churchill,
Digital technologies like badges have technologies influence the way we associate “Badges in Ssocial Mmedia: A Ssocial
the potential to become a “default mode of with one another and the sociotechnical Ppsychological Pperspective,.” In
social ordering.”20 We know that badges systems in which we function, then Proceedings of CHI 2011, British
intersect with powerful social and technical digital badges may become the catalyst Columbia, Canada: ACM.
systems, especially during the first quarter that validates new norms for learning, 7. James Gee, “Human Action and Social
of our lives when our chief preoccupation assessment, and opportunity.23 YALS Groups as the Natural Home of
is admission to and graduation from Assessment: Thoughts on 21st Century
college.21 They also answer a social need Learning and Assessment,” Valerie J.
not currently being addressed. Traditional References and Notes Shute, Betsy J. Becker (eds.), Innovative
credentials issued by universities and 1. Badges have also been referred to as Assessments for the 21st Century:
schools do not recognize all the learning “micro-credentials,” “achievements,” Supporting Educational Needs, New York:
that happens, nor do they teach and and “open badges.” For consistency, the Springer.
recognize many of the skills employers terminology used in this article is “digital 8. Jeffrey R. Young, “Merit Badges for the
might value. Badges are a “good enough” badges” or “badges.” Job Market,” The Wall Street Journal,

Winter 2014 Young Adult Library Services YALS 29

Badges: Show What You Know

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 alertbox/participation_inequality.html 19. Preece and Schneiderman, 1989.

405297020430140457717091222151663 (accessed Nov. 20, 2013). 20. Lucas D. Introna, “Maintaining the
8.html (accessed Nov. 20, 2013). 14. Jennifer Preece and Ben Schneiderman, Reversibility of Foldings: Making
9. Mozilla Foundation and Peer 2 Peer “Reader-to-Leader Framework: the Ethics (Politics) of Information
University, in collaboration with The Motivating Technology-Mediated Social Technology Visible,” Ethics and
MacArthur Foundation, 2011, “Open Participation,” AIS Transactions on Human- Information Technology 9: 11–25.
Badges for Lifelong Learning,” https:// Computer Interaction 1, no. 1: 13–32. 21. Nicholass Lehmann, The Big Test:
wiki.mozilla.org/images/b/b1/ 15. David Huffaker and Jennifer Lai, The Secret History of the American
OpenBadges-Working-Paper_092011. “Motivating Expertise-Sharing in Meritocracy, New York: Farrar, Strauss
pdf Online Communities: Altruism or and Giroux.
10. Doug Thomas and John Seely Brown, Self-interest?” Computer Science, IBM 22. Clay Christensen, “Disruptive Innovation
A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating Research Report, www.davehuffaker. and Catalytic Change in Higher
the Imagination for a World of Constant com/papers/HuffakerLai2006-Expertise- Education,” Educause: Forum for Higher
Change. Publisher: authors. sharinginOnlineCommunities.pdf Education, pp. 43–46, http://net.
11. Cathy Davidson and David Theo (accessed Nov. 20, 2013). educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ff0810s.pdf
Goldberg, “The Future of Learning 16. Kimberly Ling, et al., “Using Social (accessed Oct. 10, 2013).AQ1: AQ1:
Institutions in a Digital Age,” The Psychology to Motivate Contributions 23. Langdon Winner, “Do Artifacts
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur to Online Communities,” Journal of Have Politics?” D. MacKenzie and J.
Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Computer Mediated Communication 10, Wajcman (eds.), The Social Shaping of
Learning, MIT Press. no. 4: Article 10. Technology, Open University Press, pp.
12. Allan Collins and Richard Halverson, 17. Stacey Kuznetsov, “Motivations of 28–40. Also see M. Olneck, “Insurgent
Rethinking Education in the Age of Contributors to Wikipedia,” ACM SIGCAS Credentials: A Challenge to Established
Technology: The Digital Revolution and Computers and Society 36, no. 2: 1. Institutions of Higher Education.”
Schooling in America, New York: Teachers 18. Amout van de Rijt and Michael Restivo, Paper presented to “Education in a New
College Press. “Experimental Study of Informal Society: The Growing Interpenetration
13. James Nielsen, “Participation Rewards in Peer Production,” PLOS of Education in Modern Life” at Radcliffe
Inequality: Encouraging More Users to ONE 7, no. 3, www.plosone.org/article/ Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard
Contribute,” Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox, info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal. University, Cambridge, Massachusetts,
October 9, 2006. www.useit.com/ pone.0034358 (accessed Nov. 20, 2013). April 26–27, 2012.

30 YALS Young Adult Library Services Winter 2014

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Author Query
AQ1: Assumed the year was 2013. If incorrect, please correct.

Winter 2014 Young Adult Library Services YALS 31

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