m101 Learning Pathway – Badge Criteria Project
Verena Roberts – UBC MET
September 2013
Are Open Badges the future of Accreditation?
Problem: What is does a competency based assessment framework for the UBC m101 badges look like?
This report is a descriptive overview of how I developed the criteria for the m101 badges.
Most of the current literature suggests that competency based programs are designed backwards. What they mean is, think about what you want the students to be able to do and demonstrate first, then go backwards thinking about the steps, skills and knowledge needed to achieve the evidence of learning.
To create the m101 badges, I followed the following steps. The m101 blog/course was already created, so my job was to create a system of badges based on current content.
I started by creating “types” of badges. Version 1 – m101 Badges. The feedback I received was that the chart did not have enough detail and stages were unclear. Although I had had some great discussions with David Porter and Lee Graham about alternative assessment, badges and learning design I was not clear in my criteria. I did not really understand what I was trying to assess.
I decided to brainstorm and describe the skills and behaviours the sm101 students are expected to develop by engaging in learning in the m101 course.
For m101: I went to the m101 blog, then started to create a m101 module about open badges based on the expectations written in the blog. Once I had started the activity, I went back to the blog and split up the tasks by step.
This is my m101 Badge Criteria Process chart.
After I split up the tasks, I plotted the tasks in order in the chart. I then revisited the blog to define and clarify the blog module creation instructions: Mining, Meshing, Mobilization. I brainstormed words that could describe these three key components in more detail. I also considered if these words were competencies or names – and what is the difference? I finished the chart by splitting the tasks into one of the three key components.
Based on the description of the tasks and the process, I could see key action words that described behaviour. I searched for a revised version of Bloom’s Taxonomy to ensure that I was using words to describe and show evidence of learning at different stages. These action words described the behaviours that were necessary to exhibit in the set badge criteria.
Similarly, skills and abilities also began to emerge. As such, I used Mozilla Webmaker’s current Web Literacy standards to compare, contrast and prioritize the necessary skills and abilities that would need to be exhibited.
At this point in the process, I realized that I needed more information about how to choose competencies and define criteria because my assumptions were based on experience, rather than evidence.
As a result of lack of evidence, I completed a brief analysis on the description of competencies and how they are created. This is the paper on: What is a Competency?
After I completed the paper, and researched a wide variety of examples, I was able to create the first m101 badge criteria proposal.
“Badge criteria creation, or creating a learning pathway is still an experimental and is an area which needs more research.”
(Davidson, 2013)
I found the mobilization badge the most difficult for three reasons. The first reason, is that it is based on relevancy and therefore it is not a static badge. It has to be a badge which can be added to, remixed, changed or altered in some way. Secondly, it has to have multiple voices and is not based on the criteria set by the instructor. The criteria has to promote the highest levels of learning which is personalized learning. Finally, the criteria must also be able to be integrated into the UBC badge network. Since this does not exist yet, the badge must be concise enough to offer criteria for the m101 course and vague enough to fit into a bigger picture.
As a result, the m101 mobilization badge is still a work in progress.
Please consider commenting on this post or sending a tweet to @verenanz as I would really appreciate your feedback.
This is a list of resources I used to ensure that I was following a possible process in trying to create the badge criteria:
Provincial/State Competency Based Curriculum:
Quebec:
CEGEP – Jr College Resources from Quebec:
Outlining competencies:
http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/progression/secondaire/index_en.asp
New Hampshire Education
http://www.education.nh.gov/innovations/hs_redesign/competencies.htm
Associations:
iNACOL – Association Resource
http://www.inacol.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/iNACOL_CW_IssueBrief_DesignComp.pdf
Human Resources – How to Create a Competenc
Digital Resources:
Provincial/State Curriculum:
Quebec:
http://www.mels.gouv.qc.ca/progression/secondaire/index_en.asp
CEGEP – Jr College Resources from Quebec:
Article about students who have gone through competency based assessment in Quebec:
New Hampshire
Competency Based Assessment:
http://www.education.nh.gov/innovations/hs_redesign/index.htm
Rubric on Creating Strong Competencies
Article on New Hampshire competency based program:
http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/competency-based-education-shows-promise-in-new-england/
Article about Politicians asking for Competency Based Programs in Higher Education :http://www.educationnews.org/higher-education/perry-asks-texas-unis-to-consider-competency-based-programs/#comments
Blog posts:
Bates, T. (2013) Towards a theory or model of productivity for online learning: outcomes, scale and design. online learning and distance education resources. Retrieved from http://www.tonybates.ca/2013/09/04/towards-a-theory-or-model-of-productivity-for-online-learning-outcomes-scale-and-design/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#sthash.OXvGwwKn.dpuf
Buell, C. (2013) Using Badges to Quantify Learning Outcomes at UC Davis. edcetera. Retrieved from http://edcetera.rafter.com/using-badges-to-quantify-learning-outcomes-at-uc-davis/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=using-badges-to-quantify-learning-outcomes-at-uc-davis
Caselli, C. (2012) Badge Pathways: Part 1- the paraquel .Persona The hopeless dream of being—not seeming, but being. Retreived from http://carlacasilli.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/badge-pathways-part-1-the-paraquel/10/08/introducing-dml-design-principles-documentation-project
Cronin, C. (2013) Assessment in Open Spaces. catherinecronin: learning-reflecting-sharing. Retrieved from http://catherinecronin.wordpress.com/category/conferences/
Davidson, C. (2012) How Do You Encourage Feedback for Group Projects? Here’s my Darft Badging System. HASTAC http://www.hastac.org/blogs/cathy-davidson/2012/12/29/how-do-you-encourage-peer-feedback-group-projects-heres-my-draft-bad
Gerstein, J. (2013) I don’t get Digital Badges. User Generated Education. Retrieved from http://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/i-dont-get-digital-badges/
Hickey, D. (2012) Introducing the DML Design Principles Documentation Project HASTAC Retrieved from http://www.hastac.org/blogs/dthickey/2012/10/08/introducing-dml-design-principles-documentation-project
Morrison, D. (2012) The Next big disruptor – Competency-based Learning. online learning insights: A blog about Open and Online Education. Retrieved from http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/the-next-big-disruptor-competency-based-learning/
O’Byrne, I. (2013) Make with Me- Digital Badges. Digitally Literate. Retrieved from: http://wiobyrne.com/make-with-me-digital-badges/
O’Connell, J. (2012) Badges for Learning! Heyjude – Learning in an online world. Retrieved from http://judyoconnell.com/2012/11/08/badges-for-learning/
Books:
Friere, P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed http://www.users.humboldt.edu/jwpowell/edreformFriere_pedagogy.pdf
Additional Resources:
iNACOL – Association Resource
http://www.inacol.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/iNACOL_CW_IssueBrief_DesignComp.pdf
Competency Works (US)- Website:
http://www.competencyworks.org/
Competencies and Industry
http://www.collegemv.qc.ca/fr-ca/Accueil/English/Access_to_competencies/index.aspx
Systems of Assessment : https://sites.google.com/site/competencybasedpathways/home/resources/creating-a-transparent-mastery-and-assessment-system-creating-systems-of-assessments
ConnectedTV Topic: Opening New Pathways and Opportunities
http://connectedlearning.tv/opening-new-pathways-opportunities