TASK 2 (Dec 2nd): The digital badge

Re: TASK 2 (Dec 2nd): The digital badge

by Gina Bennett -
Number of replies: 0

hi Peter, you said:

>>why we would consider using badges within the traditional learning experience... the journey toward accreditation is well known, proven and culturally entrenched. Why introduce a new model?

And yes, I understand that this forum is about 'digital badges' & not supposed to be targetted towards uses in higher/tertiary education. But I would like to pick just a bit at your comment about accreditation being well known, proven, & culturally entrenced. Yes, you are right: the current HE system of accreditation *is* well known & god knows it's culturally entrenced. But is it the best way; should it be the only way of credentialling the learning that happens in HE?

The culturally entrenced way of credentialling HE learning is not necessarily fair nor representative of what people actually learn. It is not all that granular, for one thing, & it's often not very authentic. I think there's lots of room for a parallel system that takes the assessment of learning out of the extreme monopoly of the current system.

And yeah, I don't doubt that a far greater percentage of humanity takes part in informal or nonformal education. I'm guessing that in at least some cases, they do it this way because they are not looking for any tangible recognition (not even badges) beyond the satisfaction in learning something new.  

I would love to see something like a digital badge system that recognized the achievement of learning outcomes regardless of where they were learned, something that might gradually achieve some legitimacy & currency within the huge higher ed machinery & perhaps make the promise of 'recognition for prior learning' a little less hollow.

But probably this is a discussion for a later SCoPE!

Gina