The document discusses open badges and their potential uses for recognizing skills and credentials. Open badges provide a digital representation of accomplishments, interests, or affiliations that contain metadata to explain the context and results of an activity. They can recognize both formal education and informal learning experiences. The document presents examples of how organizations are using open badges to support workforce development, map skills, and provide alternative pathways for credentialing learning. Badges are presented as a way to provide transparent, portable recognition of skills that is not limited by traditional education systems.

1. for Tembo
November 2, 2017
Open Badges
Trusted currency for a skills ecosystem

2. Volatile ~ Uncertain ~ Complex ~ Ambiguous (and dangerous)
Learning in a VUCA world
sceptrefellows

3. 70: 20: 10 L-i-f-e-w-i-d-e learning
deakinprime.com / wikipedia.org

4. Designing & Supporting L&D in the Modern Workplace
modernworkplacelearning.com
(Jane Hart)

5. Designing & Supporting L&D in the Modern Workolace
modernworkplacelearning.com
(Jane Hart)

6. Designing & Supporting L&D in the Modern Workolace
modernworkplacelearning.com
(Jane Hart)

7. Recognition as a right
“… all kinds of learning and training outcomes deserve
to be valued and validated, regardless of where and
how they were obtained”unesco.org

8. 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?

9. Some badged learning pathways

10. Immediate transparency, instant validation
Interactive digital credentials

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

12. Badges: transparent lenses for your vision of learning
Quality

13. Badges: transparent lenses for your vision of learning

14. Open Badges: A mosaic of lifelong, lifewide learning
LOW
STAKES
HIGH
STAKES
Volunteer
Experience
Talent
Pipeline
MOOCs
Co-Curricular
Record
Workshops
Admission
to
Post Grad
Schools
Job Hire
Conferences
Formal
Recognition
of Prior
Learning
Career
Transition
Communities
of
Practice
Memberships,
Affiliations
CPD
Certification
“Light
Touch”
Credentials
E-learning
Courses
Awards,
Achievements
Continuing
Education
Employee
Development
… diverse signals of capability and potential

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

16. Innovations in Career Development:
How Digital Badges are helping IBM to develop its workforce
Marjolein van Eck
Global Talent Leader – Career and Skills Solutions
IBM HR CHQ

17. 17
“I don’t know how to progress
my career or what skills I should
build. How do I demonstrate my
eminence?”
Jill
Data Scientist
San Francisco, CA
Sid
Solutions Architect, Manager
Bangalore, India
“ I like to hear about what other
people are learning, what
workshops they’ve attended and so
forth. I think, ‘hey, maybe I should
do that too!”
Connects to
Jobs
Visibility
skills
Experiences
jobs Career
info
visibility
Visibility
Talen
t
Opportunity
People
Meaning
Badges provide a career and skills roadmap
17

18. Example programs
18© 2017 IBM Corporation 13 October 2017 IBM Confidential
18
Agile
Agile badge family allows IBM to
reward and identify Agilists who have
proven themselves capable of enabling
their teams.
Industry
Industry badges are earned through
application of industry knowledge and
skills in a client or project setting.
IBM Design Thinking badges
IBM Design Thinking Badges recognize
expertise and experience with this
strategic skill.
New collar careers
Digital badge strategy to recognize
essential skills mapped to new collar
job opportunities
Profession Certification
All Enterprise Professions are launching
their badge strategies.
Digital Nation Africa
$70M investment targeting 25M
individuals across four target groups:
 Digital Explorer
 Digital Innovators
 New Collar Jobs
 Startups
All badge proposals are reviewed and prioritized against a set of criteria including
resume worthiness, skills achievement recognition, strategic skills, high business value18

19. 19
Our workforce is
embracing Digital
Badges
Digital Badge demographics
53%ofIBMemployees
•400K Badges issued
•429 Badged activities
•All Business Units
•94% Claim rate
19

20. 113M Impressions ~ 8M 67% Strategic Skills badges 22% Profession badges 14k Giveback badges
Social Media Expertise Shifts Career Milestones Technical Eminence
125% increase 32% badges earned
increase
Upwards trends 139 countries
Enrollments Career Conversations Engagement Skills Registry
The results have exceeded our wildest
expectations
20

21. Mapping talent globally
bit.ly/IBM_HeatMap

22. Open Badges and Tembo

23. A system for learning and recognition

24. HPI: incubating an international recognition network
Fed by Learning Portals
Collaboration Centre for
Recognition of Humanitarian
Skills, Learning & Experience
(CH)
Certification for Individuals
And organisational support for
competency-based approaches
Collaboration Centre for
Quality Learning
in Humanitarian Action
(FR)
Accreditation for Organisations
International & Local Learning Providers
Humanitarian
Passport
A connection hub for
individuals &
organisations

25. Across agencies, across careers – centred on the learner
Talent
Pipeline
Recruitment
Induction
Team Building
Performance Management
Talent Management
Experience
Achievements
Professional Development
Career Development
Leadership
Development
SME Specialization
Career Change
Outplacement
Endorsed
Self/Peer or
3rd Party, e.g.:
HPI, CCQL,
ANSI
Open, Lifewide Learning
MOOCs, Open Ed Resources,
Personal Learning Network,
Coaching/Mentoring,
Communities of
Practice
Demand
Supply
Career
Pathways
Skills
Marketplace
External
Recognition
Local
Learning &
Development
Providers
New
Mission?
New
Role?
HRIS/ERP
Systems
Performance
Management
System
Talent
Management
System
Open
Badges HPass
Academic
Recognition?
New
Career?
Some Potential Participants...
Aligned to Standards
& Skills Frameworks

26. Displayer APIREST API / LTI
HPass.org
“Small pieces” infrastructure

27. Don Presant
don@learningagents.ca
@donpresant

29. ConEd, CPD
Contract Training
Professional
Education
High
Schools
Community
Colleges
Educational
Consortia
Employers,
Employer
Bodies
Apprenticeship
Authorities
Student
Services
Universities
Faculties,
Departments
PACE
Depts.
Governments
Professional
Bodies
Undergraduate
Studies
Post-Graduate
Studies
Post-Secondary
Preparation
Nonprofits,
NGOs
AssociationsPrivate
Educators &
Trainers
Student Bodies
Sector
Organizations
Standards,
Accreditation
Bodies
Learning Continuum
Recognition, Curation and Transfer: Admission, Transfer, Graduation, Licensure, Continuing Competence, Career Transition,
Credit Transfer, Credit Bank, PLAR, Digital Badges – Open Badges – Skills Passports – ePortfolios
Experiential Learners: Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), Co-Curricular, Extra-Curricular, Lifewide Learning
Diverse Learners: young/old, serial/working/ transition/at risk, domestic/international/refugee, full-time/part-time ...
Open Educational Practices: LMS – ePortfolio – Social Media – “Domain of Your Own”, Open Content: OER, Open Textbook,
Wide Open Internet, Open Learning: “Open Boundary”, xMOOC, Cmooc, Open Assessment, Open Recognition

30. A piece of the puzzle
Accreditation for assessment

31. Deakin’s Framework Alignment Model
DeakinDigital/DeakinCo

32. Colorado – a cross-sectoral network
DPS presentation

33. Professional & Continuing Education, Contract Training
madisoncollege.edu/badges
To be updated after Oct 4 preso by Madison re
Connecting Credentials
NB: add Flynn
worker segments

34. Some badged learning pathways

35. Some badged learning pathways

36. Related initiatives
connectingcredentials.org
credentialengine.org
ceds.ed.gov

37. ConEd, CPD
Contract Training
Professional
Education
High
Schools
Community
Colleges
Educational
Consortia
Employers,
Employer
Bodies
Apprenticeship
Authorities
Student
Services
Universities
Faculties,
Departments
PACE
Depts.
Governments
Professional
Bodies
Undergraduate
Studies
Post-Graduate
Studies
Post-Secondary
Preparation
Nonprofits,
NGOs
AssociationsPrivate
Educators &
Trainers
Student Bodies
Sector
Organizations
Standards,
Accreditation
Bodies
Learning Continuum
Recognition, Curation and Transfer: Admission, Transfer, Graduation, Licensure, Continuing Competence, Career Transition,
Credit Transfer, Credit Bank, PLAR, Digital Badges – Open Badges – Skills Passports – ePortfolios
Experiential Learners: Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), Co-Curricular, Extra-Curricular, Lifewide Learning
Diverse Learners: young/old, serial/working/ transition/at risk, domestic/international/refugee, full-time/part-time ...
Open Educational Practices: LMS – ePortfolio – Social Media – “Domain of Your Own”, Open Content: OER, Open Textbook,
Wide Open Internet, Open Learning: “Open Boundary”, xMOOC, Cmooc, Open Assessment, Open Recognition

38. Connecting Credentials – beta Framework
connectingcredentials.org

39. 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

40. 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

41. Escaping from “seat time”
Competency Based Learning
hbr.org
“… high-quality learning pathways
that are affordable, scalable, and
tailored to a wide variety of current
and emergent industries, based on
competencies, not courses.”
ingegno.in

42. Progressive relaxation of control
els.qut.edu.au/innovation/vler/

43. Flexible & scalable learning
Level 1 - Democratizing Access
• Open & self-guided learning
• Communities of Learning
Level 2 – Structured & Supported Learning
• Guided learning pathways
• Peer feedback & coaching
Level 3 – Localised & In-Person Learning
• Local learning experiences
• Certification pathways
Learning pathways can include self-paced learning
content, social engagement with experts and other learners
and localised in-person training opportunities

44. UNESCO
Guidelines for Recognition, Validation and Assessment (RVA)
Equity and inclusiveness
The right to access and engage in any form of learning and have learning outcomes made visible and valued.
Equal value of formal, non-formal and informal learning
Competences from non-formal and informal learning on par with those obtained formally
Centrality of individuals
Respect and reflect individuals´ needs, and their participation should be voluntary
Improve the flexibility and openness of formal education and training
Diverse forms of learning, taking learners’ needs and experiences into account
Quality assurance
Relevant, reliable, fair and transparent
Stakeholder partnerships
Shared responsibility from design through implementation and evaluation

45. Opening up Education
bit.ly/OpeningUpEd
a) issuing a certificate, diploma or
title
b) acknowledging & accepting
credentials, such as a badge, a
certificate, a diploma or title
issued by a third-party

46. 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”

47. Trades Certification - City & Guilds/Worldchefs
worldchefs.org/Certification
Issued using
sharable
Open Badges

48. Membership, awards, accreditation, certification
thelpi.org/digital-badges/

49. Mapping badgespace
credentials
digital badges
certifications
Open
Badges
micro-
credentials
CC BY Doug Belshaw dougbelshaw.com
Standards-based
& interoperable
No image
requirement

50. Profession Certification
50
Digital
Badges
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level …
Criteria may
be a mix of:
• Education
• Applied
expertise
• Give back
• …
Criteria may
be a mix of:
• Education
• Applied
expertise
• Give back
• …
Criteria may
be a mix of:
• Education
• Applied
expertise
• Give back
• …
Criteria may
be a mix of:
• Education
• Applied
expertise
• Give back
• …
Validation rigor will depend on the criteria elements. Education is generally associated with a test
or assessment. Applied expertise may require review of evidences, by a Manager or SME.
go!as you
‘Badge as you go’. Digital badges may be earned along the journey. Employees can get recognition of their
accomplishments – and share them with the world – as they achieve them.
50

51. 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

52. 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