This document discusses open badges and their role in recognizing skills and credentials. It begins with an overview of open badges and their ability to make learning visible. It then discusses how open badges can recognize skills from formal, non-formal and informal learning. Examples are provided of open badges being used for professional development, continuing education and skills recognition. The document concludes by discussing the development of open badge specifications and standards to improve interoperability and how open badge networks can help bridge education and employment through transparent recognition of skills.

1. Higher Education Version
January 17, 2017
Open Badges
making learning visible

2. Open Learning
Open Educational Resources
Open Educational Practices
Open Recognition Networks
The Open Journey

3. Agenda
1. Skills, capabilities
2. Defining Open Badges
3. Open Badges in Action
4. CanCred.ca
5. Building recognition networks
with people and technology

4. The skills gap and current solutions
Context:

5. The future of jobs
World Economic Forum: Future Of Jobs 2016
Across nearly all industries, the
impact of technological and other
changes is shortening the shelf-life
of employees’ existing skill sets.
Overall, social skills—such as
persuasion, emotional intelligence
and teaching others—will be in higher
demand across industries than
narrow technical skills
Top 10 Skills in 2020
1. Complex problem solving
2. Critical thinking
3. Creativity
4. People management
5. Coordinating with others
6. Emotional intelligence
7. Judgment & decision making
8. Service orientation
9. Negotiation
10.Cognitive flexibility

6. WEF: Recommendations for Action
Make HR more strategic – get in front of trends
Inform decisions with data analytics
Implement more flexible, virtual work models
World Economic Forum: Future Of Jobs 2016
SHORT TERM
LONG TERM
Break down educational silos:
• Humanities/Sciences, education/work (WIL, etc.)
Incentivize lifelong learning (time, motivation, means)
Collaborate across sectors

7. Here in Canada
Business Council of Canada 2016 PSE Skills for a Prosperous British Columbia: 2016

8. And in Ontario
theglobeandmail.com

9. Key findings about non-completion:
1. Many non-completers had significant earnings gains
2. Economic value: content vs. credential
3. Non-completers are “non-traditional” students
4. Unknown factor: value of 3rd party credentials
Study: Program completion stats miss the point!
“The ones that got away”
WestEd Slideshare

10. Education à la carte for volatile learning demands
www.udacity.com/nanodegree

11. 70: 20: 10 L-i-f-e-w-i-d-e learning
deakinprime.comwikipedia.org
The LIFE Center.)
M. Bowles, Institute for Working Futures

12. Continuous, overlapping, often subconscious
Whole life learning
sceptrefellows

13. Paper silos: Issues with certification today
freedesignfile.com/92259
Transparency issues
• “Dumb” paper often needs other
documents, e.g. syllabus
• Proxy only – not the whole story
• Easy to forge
Physical issues
• Difficult to share, easy to lose
Recognition issues
• Lack of granularity
• Lack of context - no links to supporting
evidence
• Experiential learning not valued
• Lack of alignment, transfer,
articulation, “stackability”

14. Trends in Professional Credentialing
Use technology to:
• reduce waste (paper, effort)
• increase quality
Re-use credential information for:
• onboarding
• HR planning
• performance review
• accreditation
• Quality Assurance, systemic analysis
Enable continuous credentialing
SEER Health: The Future of Provider Credentialing

15. Co-curricular Records

16. Example: Transcript for graduate employability
ccr.utoronto.ca

17. Academic
Transcript
Co-Curricular
Record
Experienced
Learning
Formal
Learning
Open Badges
ePortfolio
Degree
courses
Thesis /
Capstone Project
Unapproved
co-curricular
activities
Work
experience
-past
-current
Open
courses,
PD
Approved
co-curricular
activities
Personal life
experience
-past
-current
PLAR/RPL
Why not the whole story ... online?
Accredited
experiential
learning

18. “micro-portfolios”
Open Badges

19. Clear progress markers
 motivating learners, supporting advisors
Flexible learning pathways
 granular, incremental, multi-source, laddered,
remixable
Visual branding
 issuers and earners
Online trust system
 demonstrate skills & capabilities
 proof of performance
 backed by issuer
A digital representation of an accomplishment, interest or affiliation that is visual, available online and
contains metadata including trusted links that help explain the context, meaning, process and result of an
activity.
As an open artefact, the earner can present the badge in different contexts from which it was earned.
Micro-credential – portable record of learning
What is an Open Badge?

20. Mapping badgespace
planet.openbadges.org

21. Immediate transparency, instant validation
Interactive digital credentials

22. ePortfolios, Badge Passports
Collect and curate

23. Share on social media
LinkedIn for “résumé worthy” badges
also

24. www.badgealliance.org/why-badges/
VISION: a skills ecosystem
Open Badges, micro-portfolios in social networks
Going digital helps…
searchingdeconstructingvalidating aligning
sharingcombiningassessing “valorizing”

25. SUMMATIVE
ASSESSMENT
a micro-credential
a discrete record
in a modular transcript
TECHNICAL
DESCRIPTION
a portable “smart”
graphic embedded with
structured data with links
to supporting information
Different perspectives…
What is an Open Badge?
FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT
a reward for
positive behaviour
a marker on a
development path
“…a simple digital standard for recognizing and sharing
achievements, skills and performance over networks.”

26. How do Open Badges support learning?

27. Some uses of badges (can be combined)
transformingassessment.com/TA_webinar_5_mar_2014_Simon_Cross.pdf
Recognize status
Reputation
Group affiliation
Keep artefacts
Souvenirs of
experience
Motivate
learning
“Game mechanics”
Set goals,
track progress
Personal learning
pathways
Assess &
recognize learning
Formal, non-formal,
informal
Fill recognition gaps

28. Badge taxonomy from Penn State
Chris Long

29. How do Open Badges support recognition?

30. Early trends: A summary
Over 10 million badges, thousands of issuers
Early adoption:
• After school, community programs (youth)
• Continuing Education
• Professionalization and PD
• Product training (esp. ICT) - the “Extended Enterprise”
• Business Soft Skills
• Testing Recognition
• Pre-employment

31. Continuing Education

32. Badging non-credited Continuing Education
Madison College
madisoncollege.edu/badges
Strategic Objective:
Creation and promotion of
innovative, market-based
credentials in credit, non-
credit and customized
programming (i.e. Badges)

33. “Extended Enterprise Learning”
Technology vendor product training
Adobe
IBM
AutodeskOracle
Hortonworks

34. Professionalization & PD
Unregulated:
• AXELOS
• HR Certification Institute
• AACE (total cost management)
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
• International Board of Credentialing and
Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES)
• ASIS International
Regulated:
• American Board for Certification in Orthotics,
Prosthetics & Pedorthics
• Institute of Management Accountants
• Association of Clinical Research Professionals

35. viflearn.com
Big traction: PD for educators: “Badging the Badger”
digitalpromise.org
pdln.com
educause.edu

36. Badging the Residential Leadership Award
Co-Curricular UK: York St. John University
bit.ly/OBCC_YSJ

37. Fortune 500 Competency Performance Model
Lipscomb University/Polaris
www.lipscomb.edu/professionalstudies/core-for-employersCORE_brochure
“CORE measures 15 competencies on a badge system, which is based on a nationally respected
and Fortune 500-proven competency performance model—the Polaris Assessment System.
Companies already utilizing this system include Nike, PetSmart, Disney, Mars, Wendy’s among
many others.”

38. OU’s OpenLearn – Badge Open Courses (BOC)
bit.ly/OUbadges

39. IBM: Badging “Extended Enterprise” Learning
bit.ly/IBMbadges

40. 192,000 workers in Scotland
Regulator & Sector Council
badges.sssc.uk.com/badges
 Work based qualifications: enter with little
education, achieve a degree
 Open Badges to recognized informal learning
 Potential for formalized RPL later

41. Deakin University
Case Study

42. Employability soft skills shared on social media
Deakin University Hallmarks
t.co/ior8y5pbqe

43. DeakinDigital: Credentials for your career
deakindigital.com
Recognition of Professional Practice
Targeted at mid-career professionals; an
alternative to traditional higher education
Lower cost, less time commitment
Modular evidence-based credentials for
capabilities achieved through independent
learning, experience and employment
Meaningful to employers
Used for continuous career development

44. Aligned to the AQF…

45. Graduate Learning Outcomes ~ RPP credits
Recognition of Professional Practice

46. Graduate Learning Outcomes ~ RPP credits
Recognition of Professional Practice
RPP Credentials applied toward Professional Practice Qualifications (FutureLearn “Cloud Campus” – 1st 2 wk block free!):
Master of Professional Practice (Financial Planning) $5K (10 RPPs) + $14.6K (courses)
Graduate Certificate Professional Practice (Financial Planning)
Master of Professional Practice (Information Technology) $5K (10? RPPs) + $13.1K (courses)
Graduate Certificate Professional Practice (Information Technology)

47. Technology/business/leadership
Recognition of Professional Expertise
Partnerships with
NPOs, private sector

48. What’s happening in Canada?

49. Some early adopters
Community
Professional,
Workplace
Education
(incl PD)

50. Non-credit recognition
Ryerson – Chang School
SME Coaching
4 sessions, applied
learning
Badges issued: 2
SME Lecture
1-2 hours, 2-3
outcomes
Badges issued: 158
Online Course
4 weeks (~20 hrs) with
assignments
Badges issued: 140
Retirement Home
Love of Learning,
Personal Recognition
Badges issued: 4

51. Program accreditation, NOS and RPP
ITAC – BTM accreditation, certification
SFIA – 3
BTM Pgm
$50
SFIA = Skills Framework for the Information Age
SFIA – 5
BTM Pgm
Board Assessment
$350
SFIA – 7
BTM Pgm
Board Assessment
$350

52. Badge Applications = Learning Narrative Feedback
An Recognition Organization: CAPLA
capla.ca

53. Emerging open recognition networks

54. Toward a national digital skills framework
Ireland’s ALL ABOARD
allaboardhe.org CC BY-NC
also: Slideshare presentation
Diverse, transversal recognition:
• skills development in courses
• study skills
• employability & leadership
• graduate attributes (GLOs)
• non-formal & informal CPD
• outreach, volunteering & communications
Open Educational Practices
• multi-institution collaboration
• open curriculum (shared framework,
remix/repurpose
• distributed delivery network
(multi-LMS via SCORM, xAPI, zip)
• distributed credentialing network via OBF
(WP/Bb/Moodle plugins)
• open recognition network via OBP

55. A regional network
Cross-sectoral partnerships
eddesignlab.org/badgingchallenge/ * see p21.org

56. Humanitarian PLE - across the career lifecycle
Talent
Pipeline
Recruitment
Induction
Formative Assessment
Gap Training
Team Building
Performance Management
Talent Management
Experience
Achievements
Professional Development
Career Development
Leadership
Development
SME Specialization
Career Change
Outplacement
Career
Pathways
External
Performance
Support
Google, YouTube
External repositories
Coaching
and
Mentoring
Other
External Learning
MOOCs, Open Ed Resources,
Personal Learning Network,
Communities of
Practice
OCBA
OCG
Academic
recognition?
New
Career?
OCB
OCA
OCP
Other
MSF LMSs
such as:
Skills
Marketplace
Demand
Supply
Badge
Passport/
ePortfolio
Digital
Credentials
External
Recognition
Other
Humanitarian
LMSs such as:
Workplace
Assessments
&
Achievements
New
Mission?
New
MSF role?
HRIS/ERP
Systems
Performance
Management
System Talent
Management
System

57. Vision: International recognition network
Humanitarian Passport Initiative
?+
+ ?
+ ?
+ ?…
+
TEMBO - PLE/PDE

58. Starting up a regional skills network in Canada…
Help us transform Open Badges
into alternative credentials
that build our workforce

59. Open Badges: next Steps

60. Mozilla passes the torch
x

61. Embedding Open Badges in networked data
Extended Transcript Open Badges Extensions
for Education (OBEE)
2016: Issuer Accreditation & Assessment
imsglobal.org/initiative/enabling-better-digital-credentialing
VISION

62. Pre-implementation phase
v2.0 Open Badge Specification
Improved Linked Data / JSON-LD support
• more flexibility, interoperablity
Embedded evidence and criteria
More flexible recipient identifiers
• email, telephone number, url, profile id
Third Party Endorsement
• badge issuer, badge class, badge assertion
• new image metadata for accessibility
Internationalization and multi-lingual badges
Improved alignment to external frameworks and objectives
• by issuer, by consumer/3rd party, can be part of endorsement
Security improvements

63. Related Initiatives

64. What does all this mean?

65. Open Badges, ePortfolios &“Badge Passports”
Benefits of a new skills currency
Visually efficient and appealing
Engages, builds confidence, provides continuing
feedback
Individual pathways, multiple sources of
learning
Formal non-formal informal learning
Modular, stackable, diverse, re-mixable, portable,
shareable
Programs not completed can be partially recognized
and recombined
Add evidence, reflection as appropriate
Drill down to specifics or roll up into larger outcomes
Combined in badge passports and ePortfolios
Common standard for skills exchange
Trustable, easy to understand
Transparent criteria, evidence, issue/expiry date
Flexible alignment to frameworks, requirements,
training plans
Issuing organization validated and branded by the
badges it issues; maintains ongoing connection to
earners
Learner centred, employer friendly

66. Some questions to ask
Wait - Are Open Badges for you?
Behavioural goals?
Redeemable worth?
worth the effort? filling a void? marketing ROI?
Value add?
Champions?
Sustainability?
what will your badges “buy”? have you talked to employers?
internal leadership? professional bodies? employers ?
cost structure? who’ll maintain & improve it over time?
engagement? feedback? recognition? development? skills frameworks?

67. LMS? *
Make/adapt your own (FOSS)
License & install proprietary SW
Cloud Service
DIY versus Supported
Getting started
Badge Canvas
Design Principles Card Deck
Do It Yourself
Workshops: awareness, train the trainer
Design & implementation support
Technology support
Supported
Technology choices
Explore: earn a badge, display it
Immerse: research, LPP (lurking) in badge community
Experiment: design a badge, design a small badge system
Pilot: build internal support, implement, maintain and improve

68. SUBSCRIPTIONS
FOR BADGE ISSUERS
create - issue – manage - track
Secure, sustainable, flexible
FREE
FOR BADGE EARNERS
accept - store - display - share
Display directly
Pages
Single
Badges
Video
Files Links
Text
Badges
Issue directly
Manual,
bulk issue
Badge
Application
Issuer
Networks
Milestone
Badges
Claim
codes
eLearning platforms
ePortfolio platforms
Community platforms
WordPress (CMS)
Issue remotely
Backpack
Personal websites
Other badge platforms
Display remotely
LinkedIn Facebook
ePortfolios
Online communities

69. Small pieces ... plugins currently supported

70. Small pieces, loosely connected
Displayer API
REST API / LTI

72. Filling a void – Open Recognition
openrecognition.org
Claim this badgeRead the Declaration – and sign it!

73. The future is already here
; it’s
just not very evenly dis-
tributed.
William Gibson
Final thought
en.wikiquote.org

74. Don Presant
don@learningagents.ca
@donpresant
Presentation support page:
http://bit.ly/openbadges4he