Digital badging at The Open University: recognition for informal learning

Abstract

Awarding badges to recognise achievement is not a new development. Digital badging now offers new ways to recognise learning and motivate learners, providing evidence of skills and achievements in a variety of formal and informal settings. Badged open courses (BOCs) were piloted in various forms by the Open University (OU) in 2013 to provide a digital acknowledgement for learners’ participation in three entry-level, unsupported courses: Learning to Learn and Succeed with Maths Parts 1 and 2. The desire to build on the OU’s badging pilots is informed by research into the motivations and demographic profiles of learners using the free educational resources which the OU makes available through its OpenLearn platform. This research activity was repeated in 2014 and found that an increasing proportion of informal learners is keen to have their informal learning achievements recognised. This paper outlines how the evaluation of the 2013 pilots has informed the development of a suite of free employability and skills BOCs in 2014 that are assessed through the deployment of Moodle quizzes. It also discusses how the motivational aspects of digital badging support the growth in free, micro-credentialised courses against a backdrop of MOOC providers issuing certification for fee. The BOC project, which aligns with the University’s Journeys from Informal to Formal Learning strategy, will help to provide accessible routes into the University for students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate and supports the OU Charter to promote the educational well-being of the community.

Keywords:

• digital badging
• employability
• open educational resources (OER)
• informal learning
• MOOCs

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.