Digital Badges and Librarians
by Sara Samuel
What are digital badges?
Just as a physical Girl Scout or Boy Scout badge indicates an accomplishment or rank, so does a digital badge. Digital badges are electronic files that are represented with an image and corresponding information that can validate a person’s accomplishment is embedded with the file – including links to the issuing organization, a list of requirements, and evidence for completion of those requirements. Just as a girl scout leader has to sign a statement that a girl scout has completed the requirements for a badge, an organization will issue the digital badge upon successful completion of the listed requirements. Digital badges can be displayed on a personal or professional website, or shared through social media.
HASTAC (Humanities, Arts, Science and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory) has a great informational website about digital badges that includes videos and example badges. You can also read more about the benefits and challenges of digital badges at the following resources:
- Digital Badges Help Young People, Adults Demonstrate Skills. August 2013. MacArthur Foundation.
- A Future Full of Badges. April 2012. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
- How Badges Really Work in Higher Education. June 2013. Campus Technology.
Can we apply digital badges to librarianship?
At the beginning of the school year, Instructor College Steering Committee (ICSC) had a few conversations about how we could possibly change the outcomes of Instructor College (IC). IC used to be a series of workshops given over a short period of time, and participants would receive a certificate at the end of the series, acknowledging their participation. Since then, ICSC has evolved to be more of a group that organizes IC events for library instructors without having any recognition tied to them. ICSC had the idea that we could become more like the IC of old by using digital badges to recognize people who came to IC events and were able to demonstrate that they learned something that could impact their instruction. Do you think digital badges could realistically be used as a professional development tool here at UM Library?
Beyond professional development, library instructors often give open workshops and teach students skills that they may not get formally recognized for in a traditional classroom setting. Do you think digital badges could be used to incentivize participation in open workshops at the library? Would they be an effective motivator for students?
For either of these to become viable, library administration would have to provide support. There would need to be high level coordination between groups that organize the various events that people can attend here at the library so that there is consistent recognition of participation. For both the professional development and the open workshops, a reward system could be set up: earn x number of badges during the year, and you can get a free MLibrary umbrella (students, faculty) or additional travel money to attend a conference (library staff). Would it be worth creating a digital badging infrastructure to support these kinds of awards?
What’s currently being done at U-M?
If you’re wondering about any local initiatives, the LIT Learning Technology Incubation Group (LTIG) and the USE Lab from U-M Library are spearheading a digital badging project called Mblems. Mblems were issued this year to recognize undergraduates’ co-curricular learning in Engineering. Partnering with the M-STEM Academy, the Mblem digital badges represent a flexible, portable, and verifiable format in which to recognize, display, and transmit learning opportunities. The pilot study, funded by a Transforming Learning for a Third Century Quick Wins grant, ran through Winter 2014. Questions about this project may be directed to email@example.com.