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Ildikó Mázár, Deputy Secretary General, EDEN2016 eucen Autumn Seminar, 25 November 2016, Barcelona

Open Badge Network: the use of Open Badges to recognise

non-formal and informal learning

Introducing EDEN

The most comprehensive European association of its kind

Registered in the UK in 1991

Platform for professional co-operation and information

exchange www.eden-online.org

Open for all levels and sectors of education and training

Open for institutions, individuals and networks

Organises annual and thematic conferences

Participates in EU projects (research and practice)

Recognises excellence

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Open Badge Network

www.openbadgenetwork.com

Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme

Supporting the development of an Open Badge ecosystem

Promoting the use of open badges to recognise non-formal

and informal learning

Collecting practical use cases (submit your own)

Discussion papers for individuals and organisations

Discussion paper on open badge policies

Designing a MOOC – please register to get involved

www.openbadgenetwork.com/members/register/3 /21

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What are open badges? Why use open badges?

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Which soft skills

are the most important?

By 2020, 90% of jobs will require digital skills (Cedefop)

McKinsey (2014). ‘Education to Employment, getting

Europe’s youth into work’, ILO Global Employment Trend

74% of universities consider they prepare their graduates well for the

world of work

38% of students believe the are prepared

35% of employers agree with this statement

Tools the eLene4work project offers

Self Assessment of soft skills and digital soft skills

Orientation Guide to help improve skills

Personal Journal to support the students' learning process

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Recognition of soft skills

The design process

Using Digital Me’s badge design canvas

Setting criteria (this is key to quality badges)

Identifying badgeable skills, knowledge and behaviours

Who is the badge for?

Value proposition for earners, issuers, audience, displayers

Learning pathways

Resources and sustainability

Graphical design

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What makes a badge?Open Badges are

Versatile, adaptable, stackable

Standardised, evidence-based, verifiable, portable and shareable

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Badge versatility

11 /21Reviewing the PPT and/or the recording of the webinar will allow you to pause and

spend as much time as you need to fill in the canvas blocks

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What do you want to badge?

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Badge Name: Workshop Participant

Audience and Value

Who is the badge earner?

Professionals who don’t require formal recognition of their learning

Who is the badge issuer

Workshop organiser/endorser/validator, i.e. EDEN

Who is the audience / consumer

Current and prospective employers of badge earners

What opportunities does the badge unlock?

New ways of CPD; identifying skill gaps; a creative means of organising

non-academic and informal achievements; clustering similar achievements

Where does a user find out about the badge?

EDEN website; Partner communications (e.g. EUCEN, OBN); conferences

and formal/informal meetings; open badge databases; endorsers14 /21

Audience and Value

Why bother earning the badge?

Earner: Confidence building; Sense of achievement; Informal but

official recognition of achievement; Point of reference and evidence to

new knowledge, skills, achievements

Issuer: Recognising excellence; Brand awareness; Incentive of

modernisation; Raising interest

Audience/Consumers: Awareness of initiative; identify interest and/or

expertise

Displayer (LinkedIn, Moodle, etc.): Reputation; Community; Loyalty

What is in it for the issuer?

Value recognition (statistical record of acceptance rate)

Widening brand/service recognition15 /21

Strengthened skills, knowledge,

competencies and behaviours

Non-formal learning ability

Professional commitment

Curiosity, openness to innovation

Independence

Collaboration and teamwork

Communication

Critical thinking

Specific knowledge/skill, i.e. ability to design a badge

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Evidence

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Attendance

(Self) assessment

Completion of task

Publishing result

Endorsements

…

Learning pathways

Map your learning offering

Organise your learning offering

Consider your options for improvement and expansion

“Pie”-type badges

”Level-up” badges (bronze, silver, gold)

Connect with parallel, relevant, external learning resources

Allow learners / prospective earners to explore, engage

Be creative and adaptable

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Resources & sustainability Time for concept development

Time to fill in the canvas

Align with curriculum or competency framework (if needed)

Time and skill to design badges (low key) or

Pay professional designer (high profile)

Issue badges manually (low key) or

Issue badges via existing platforms (high profile)

Time to create support material

Time to create and issue, re-issue individual badges

Time to evolve open badge portfolio19 /21

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Report example

Resources www.openbadgenetwork.com

www.badgealliance.org

www.openbadgefactory.com

www.openbadgepassport.com

www.openbadgeacademy.com

www.openbadges.org

www.makewav.es

https://backpack.openbadges.org

http://elene4work.eu

www.eden-online.org/recognition/eden-open-badges21 /21