Get the scoop on what it takes to launch or scale a successful digital badging program. We'll cover everything from key terminology to the role of instructional designers and faculty in program development. We'll provide two institutional examples and share our experiences and valuable lessons learned.
With more than 11 million current job openings, hiring managers, recruiters, and talent professionals struggle to find qualified candidates. However, a growing body of colleges, universities, and school districts are focused on developing a workforce for in-demand fields and recognizing their learner's achievements with digital credentials (like badges) based on open standards. Open standards have the potential to give learners more significant control over their learning journey, their achievements and skills, and their future. As a result, a growing number of institutions are investigating, piloting, or implementing digital badging programs to meet their learners' and employers' regional needs.
Think of this workshop as Digital Badging 101 and 102. Understand what digital badging is and how it benefits your learners and prepares them for a skills-based economy. You'll learn practical tips and processes for implementing and scaling a digital credentials program.
The presentation will provide foundational information about digital badging, including key terms and program designs and the difference between microcredentials and badging. Once that is complete, we will discuss the role of both instructional designers and faculty in two badging programs. Topics will include identifying outcomes, badging requirements, approval processes, curriculum development and mapping, accreditation concerns, assessment, faculty development, and the learner experience. The institutional leaders will share repeatable strategies to develop a program that scales across courses, programs, and schools.
We will share our knowledge through examples and lessons learned. One institution is earlier in the process, and the other has a multi-year program.
This session will include multiple participant engagement opportunities, including interactive polls, think-pair-share discussions, use of Google Jamboard (or a similar padlet), where they pose questions and share strategies and challenges.
Session Takeaways:
- Identify the role of instructional designers and faculty in maintaining and scaling a successful badging program.
- Explore the benefits of digital badges for learners, including student success and retention.
- Understand how to surface learning outcomes in course design so that digital badges can include direct association with the achievement of the badge.