LEARNING THEORIES
I have recently taken another online course, this time focusing on Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange programmes. I would like to set up a joint CLIL project with a partner university, and more specifically in Asia.
The course extends over a period of four weeks and participants had to go through a series of tasks to complete the modules. At the end, if learners met the requirements and took part in the forum discussions, they received a badge. Since the course was free, the badge was used as a reward to participants’ engagement and involvement.
At first, I was not so much concerned about the badge. I even hardly thought about it and did not know exactly what it entailed. As we went along, I got more and more involved in the discussions and at the end of Week 4, the facilitators provided some information on the badge. I thought that it would be nice to get it and found myself ready to go the extra mile.
This was not my first experience with badges. It is one of the common features of the LMS that is being used at work and some time ago I participated in a workshop which focused on their use to incentivise students’ efforts in an informal way. Back then, I was not convinced by the whole idea, thinking it was old-fashioned, and did not give it a second thought. Up until now.
Badges are typically behaviourist tools in that they foster positive reinforcement. They work particularly well for acquiring bite-sized knowledge in formative assessment contexts, where the stakes are fairly low and where the learner feels safe. A badge can have multiple values and offers greater nuance than a grade. It is highly symbolic but can have a positive impact on learning. When I think back to the course that I took, I was looking forward to receiving the badge as a little extra that I could add to my credentials. Safe and valuable.
Digital Learning at the University of Southampton (2016, 23 March). Digital Badges in Higher Education [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t00p5qwriQI
Sorensen, K., (n.d.).The Teacher's Guide to Badges in Education. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/guides/the-teachers-guide-to-badges-in-education/
Sweet, S., Hamir, S., Grafton, D., McFarlane, S. (n.d). How Do Badges Fit with the Theory of Learning? [blog post]. Retrieved from http://badges565m.weebly.com/learning-theory.html