«Open Badges for Recognition of Learning and Online Reputation»
Ilona BuchemBeuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin
Abstract
Open Badges are a digital credentialing system developed by Mozilla in 2011. Open Badges enable anyone to issue digital badges to recognize processes and outcomes of learning, for example skills, competencies and achievements. The Open Badge infrastructure allows anyone who receives a badge to organise it in a digital repository, e.g. badge backpack, badge list or badge passport, and display this badge in different online environments, e.g. on an own website, on social media or on a digial CV. In this way Open Badges enable badge earners to build their own digital reputation, which may be useful for collaboration, project, career and education opportunities. Open Badges, when applied in eLearning settings, allow online learners to choose from a number of different pathways for learning and to document their individual learning pathways in a modular and flexible way. As such Open Badges can be viewed as micro-credentials which can be used to supplement traditional instruments for the recognition of learning, includig certificates and credit points. This talk introduces the concept of Open Badges and selected examples of using Open Badges for recognition of learning and online reputation. Based on the examples from current practice, the talk delineates some of the key development lines and possible future trends in the field.
Bio
Ilona Buchem (PhD) is Professor in Residence for Digital Media & Diversity at Beuth University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. She graduated with a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics at the University of Warsaw (Poland), Concordia University (WI, USA) and University Duisburg-Essen (Germany). She studied Educational Sciences at Humboldt University in Berlin and obtained her PhD degree in Adult and Business Education in 2009. Her research and teaching focus on the intersections of digital media and society, with special focus on emerging technologies such as social mobile and wearable technologies. Her research interests include open badges, virtual teams, digital diversity, digital identities, digital games, online participation, online facilitation, online communities, mobile learning, e-portfolios and personal learning environments.
