Open Badges as Bridges – Design, Create, Connect event

A guest post from Gráinne Hamilton, Programme Director (HE / Adult Learning), DigitalMe, about a forthcoming Open Badges event.

digital me logoAnyone interested in recognising learning in a way that can be communicated across the web using an open infrastructure, is invited to join the DigitalMe consultants for a free event on designing, creating and connecting Open Badges on Wednesday 28th October at the Scottish Youth Theatre, Glasgow.

We know that increasing numbers of people are investigating Open Badges but it can be challenging to know where to start, how to turn an idea into reality and how to connect Open Badges to opportunities. This event will start with hands-on activities for participants to design their own badges, followed by the opportunity to create, issue and share the badge(s) they have designed using DigitalMe’s new website and mobile app, the Open Badge Academy.

The design aspect of the day will use the DigitalMe Badge Canvas, which has been created with the aim of making explicit the value proposition for the earner, issuer and consumer of the badge. The canvas works well as a social activity, helping a group of people to dig into the detail of a badge at the same time as keeping the value of the badge to the fore. Everyone can contribute in whatever way they feel comfortable, quietly contributing some text to the canvas or discussing some of the finer points of the assessment methodoloy, what evidence should be required or what to include in the badge criteria.

To date, the process of creating, issuing and sharing a digital badge has not necessarily been the most straightforward. Being able to easily display and share badges has perhaps been the least developed aspect of the infrastructure so far but participants will have the chance to use DigitalMe’s new Open Badge Academy, which features the end-to-end process, from creation, issuing, tracking and displaying badges via a website or mobile app. The mobile aspect of the platform allows badge earners to collect evidence on the go, ensuring applied skills can be captured and easily shared from their phone.

The event is influenced by one of the key aims of the Scottish Government’s Youth Employment Strategy, Developing the Young Workforce, which is to build bridges between education, business and industry. It also aims to respond to the current Enhancement Theme for the Quality Assurance Authority for Higher Education (QAA) – Student Transitions into, during and out of university. Participants will be able to hear case studies of how Open Badges are being used to bridge transitions and engage in activities to create badge pathways connecting learners to destination points such as learning opportunities or employment. DigitalMe has been working extensively with employers, such as those involved in the Tech Partnership trailblazer group (over 600 technology companies defining the new standards for technology related apprenticeships) to develop employer endorsed badges that allow badge earners to showcase the hard and soft skills employers are saying they are looking for.

The intended outcomes of the event are to:

  • Learn what Open Badges are and how they can communicate the skills your organisation needs or evidence the skills you have
  • Learn how to design a badge of value
  • Learn how to create, issue and share a badge using a website and mobile app
  • Learn how to create badge pathways to learning or employment opportunities
  • Learn how badges can support transitions and act as bridges between education and employment

The event should be of interest to educators, employers, charities, voluntary organisations and anyone else who is interested in recognising learning.

You can register here.

Gráinne Hamilton
Programme Director (HE / Adult Learning)
DigitalMe