Connecting Credentials to Teaching: Badges and Faculty Development
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Transcript of Connecting Credentials to Teaching: Badges and Faculty Development
Connecting Credentials to Teaching:
Badges and Faculty Development
Suraj Uttamchandani ([email protected]) James E. Willis ([email protected])
Participatory Assessment Lab
Context: Badges & PD “Badges signal to colleagues and to current and prospective employers a professional life of active learning, engagement, and ongoing development. As the field of badging evolves, badges will align with competencies and skills directly applicable in the workplace, and training programs will use badges in ways that can clarify career pathways.”
“EDUCAUSE 7 things you should know about…Badging for Professional Development”
Context: Badges & Faculty PD Though faculty badges are not always taken up, they
are more valuable than paper certificates (Young, 2015)
Badges work better as part of larger ecosystems of learning (Hickey et al., underway).
Faculty badges may be most effective when paired with teaching and learning centers’ other offerings. Young, J. R. (2015, June 9). Can digital badges help encourage professors to take teaching workshops? The Chronicle of Higher Education [web log, Wired Campus]. Retrieved from
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/can-digital-badges-help-encourage-professors-to-take-teaching-workshops/56901
Example: IUPUI Teachers of “Gateway” courses
(first year, high enrollment) Three levels of engagement
(Bronze, Silver, Gold)Integrates with other offerings
(workshops, etc.) May be used in faculty annual
reports and for advancement
Example: Calhoun Community CollegeBadges are topic-oriented OBI-Compliant for flexibilityDigital and physical
workshops“Training, Practice,
Innovation”Use of rubrics
Example: Parker UniversityThree kinds of badgesParker Life for (less serious) engagement with
teaching and learning center (e.g., take a selfie with a colleague)
Explorer for (more traditional) engagement with center (e.g., attend a workshop)
Parker Difference for classroom work (e.g., rubric design) Distinction between latter two is not clear.
Example: UT El Paso Badges are topic-oriented. Appears as though badges
are earned only by attending workshops.
Recognition for areas like “leadership, student success, innovation” etc.
Example: University of Louisiana - Monroe Two badges
Maroon for faculty who attend workshops
Gold for faculty who present at workshops
Issued through Credly
Does not appear to create a “pathway.”
Example: University of Alaska at Anchorage For 2-year Technology
FellowsFirst-year and second year
badgesRole-oriented (e.g., “author
badge”) Evidence-centered (blogs in
particular)
Example: IU South Bend Three levels of badges:
Bronze for planning new teaching approaches
Silver for implementing those approaches
Gold for refining/sharing those approaches
Evidence includes materials, assessments, and reflections.
Creates an obvious pathway.
Discussion: PathwaysPathways can be accomplished in multiple ways
Gold/silver/bronzeBut compromises some meaning to outsiders
Timeline (e.g., Year 1 and Year 2 badges) or through particular programs
Helps provide reasoning and rationale to faculty time
Discussion: EvidenceGenerally all initiatives linked to Teaching and
Learning Center workshops.Many stopped there. Some required evidence in the form of
reflections/blogs.Few looked at in-classroom practice.Few articulate why a badge is helpful beyond
learning.
Discussion: EcosystemMost systems rewarded engagement in existing
initiatives.Few explicitly stated that badges could be used for
tenure/promotion. Few provided clear pathways for learning.Few provided rationale for why and how a badge
can benefit faculty members, i.e. why spend time on the badge?
Next StepsFind best practices for to creating pathwaysConsider most appropriate evidence Press for university support for tenure/promotionInclude reasonable incentives for participationExamine success of programs discussed here
Questions?
Suraj Uttamchandani ([email protected]) James E. Willis ([email protected])
@Willis3James