Digital Badging at SIUE
Digital Badging at SIUE Faculty Workshop
Sponsored by the Office of Educational Outreach, with support from an Excellence in Undergraduate Education (EUE) Award
Presenter:
Brenda Perea, Director of Education and Workforce Strategies for Credly
Date & Time:
Thursday October 10, 2019 . Presentation from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm Lunch from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Location:
Center for Faculty Development and Innovation, Lovejoy Library Room 2040
Description:
Alternative or micro-credentials such as digital badges are a growing education and employment trend, leaving faculty and higher education administrators to determine whether badging is the wave of the future or a poor use of university resources that will not benefit students. In this session, Brenda Perea, Director of Education and Workforce Strategies for Credly and Senior Instructional Designer, Colorado Community College System, will highlight key badging opportunities and challenges, specifically as it relates to digital badging at SIUE.
Digital Badges represent a way to acknowledge verified achievements that align with skills that are regularly listed on job descriptions and intentionally sought out by employers. This is quite different from the traditional transcript, which lists course titles and grades but often leaves employers wondering about whether students understand or can apply competencies needed in the workplace. Badging invites allow educational institutions to scaffold their student learning experiences into smaller chunks, with relevant criteria articulated and connected to employment competencies or 21st century skills. Badges capture these smaller chunks and certify learning for both students and employers.
For most faculty and administrators, promoting verifiable certification of learning is at the heart of why they are invested in higher education. Unbundled higher education can provide an environment that allows access, ease of movement, portability and mobility for the earners in a way not recognized in traditional higher education. The question of widespread use of badges in higher education raises critical questions about the function and the reputation of the higher education institution. How can badges connect access to formal education with employment opportunities for the earners? For SIUE to provide these pathways for current and future students, what elements must be in place to ensure rigor and integrity of credentials?
