Colleges Starting to Use Digital Badges for Classes

[JumpyTheFrog]

http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2013/10/11/how-use-digital-badges-help-your-classroom-teaching-essay

 

This article talks about a community college using digital badges for its composition classes. Students can earn badges for learning how to use the library, MLA formatting, etc. I think a program like this could be useful because it forces professors to think about what skills their students need and how to teach thise individual skills. That has to be more useful than assuming students know certain skills that nobody ever bothered to teach them in middle or high school.

[regentrude]

 I think a program like this could be useful because it forces professors to think about what skills their students need and how to teach thise individual skills.

 

Why would you assume professors do NOT think about what skills their students need?

 

That has to be more useful than assuming students know certain skills that nobody ever bothered to teach them in middle or high school.

 

Part of being a college student is figuring out which things you need to learn. Nobody needs to teach you MLA format; if the professor requests that you use it, you get the handbook and look it up.

 

To me this looks just like more handholding and spoon feeding than we already do. College as the new middle school?

 

[Brenda in MA]

To me this looks just like more handholding and spoon feeding than we already do. College as the new middle school?

I agree, and it immediately makes me think of the waste-of-time activities that students who already know how to use the library and MLA format will be subjected to.

 

Brenda

[JumpyTheFrog]

Why would you assume professors do NOT think about what skills their students need?

 

I think something like this might force them to think about the skills in a more orderly, step-by-step fashion. I know that in a way, it seems childish, but on the WTM forum, people have talked several times about how many high school graduates were never taught how to write a paper. Also, I see many people talk about how their kids were expected to write essays in elementary school before anybody made sure they knew how to write a decent sentence. Clearly many people don't think enough about making sure their students have pre-req skills. (I hope this isn't the case at college level, but it's true at the K-12 level.)

 

Considering that this is a community college using it for (I think) freshmen composition classes, it's likely that many of the students never learned some of these things in high school, because they went to bad high schools, dropped out, never bothered to do the work assigned, or graduated high school decades ago and have forgotten how to do them.

 

Would I expect students at highly selective schools to already know how to write a paper? Yes. However, community colleges have to accept just about everybody, so I'm not surprised that some of the professors think the students need more hand holding. I wish it wasn't this way. However, it seems like it's worth a try.

[Dmmetler]

I think it would be downright annoying if you already have the skills. I remember having to jump through hoops in grad school because the powers that be had decided that everyone had to have a basic computer competency class. At the time, I was a TA and was TEACHING a class that would have counted for the requirements-and had done so for two years previously at my undergrad school. Teaching said class wasn't sufficient. I ended up doing a quick "credit by exam"-paying a fee to take the SAME exam that I'd be giving a few weeks later to my students, so that I could get out of wasting 3 hours a week (plus homework time) for a class that was a total waste of time.

 

 

It also kind of smacks of "needing recognition for everything". I don't think a college student should need a badge to show that they know how to cite sources or use the digital catalog in the library. Those are skills I'm working on with my 8 yr old, with the goal that she'll have them well mastered before high school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Penelope]

It also kind of smacks of "needing recognition for everything". I don't think a college student should need a badge to show that they know how to cite sources or use the digital catalog in the library. Those are skills I'm working on with my 8 yr old, with the goal that she'll have them well mastered before high school.

Yes, right, the "badge" should be good grades on papers and exams, since those competences should be necessary to do the work for a course.

 

This is just crazy to me. What has happened to our middle and high schools?

[Brenda in MA]

It also kind of smacks of "needing recognition for everything". I don't think a college student should need a badge to show that they know how to cite sources or use the digital catalog in the library. Those are skills I'm working on with my 8 yr old, with the goal that she'll have them well mastered before high school.

I guess that this gets to the heart of my objection. I definitely understand that some of the CC students might need some extra help in learning to use the library and learning MLA format, so it makes sense to make tutorials or extra help sessions available for these students. The idea of earning "badges" meant to me that these activities would be mandatory and would count towards one's grade -- hence the concern about wasting the time of folks who already know this stuff.

 

Even though these folks may lack some skills, they are adults, and they will need to learn how to get information they are lacking. By spoon feeding them to a large extent, it isn't helping them be prepared to enter the workforce. Do we really think these peoples' bosses are going to want to hold their hands as they do their jobs?

 

Brenda

[Luckymama]

http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2013/10/11/how-use-digital-badges-help-your-classroom-teaching-essay

 

This article talks about a community college using digital badges for its composition classes. Students can earn badges for learning how to use the library, MLA formatting, etc. I think a program like this could be useful because it forces professors to think about what skills their students need and how to teach thise individual skills. That has to be more useful than assuming students know certain skills that nobody ever bothered to teach them in middle or high school.

One correction---Coastal Carolina University, the school discussed, is not a community college.

 

It does have a quite low average SAT M+CR of 1000.

[regentrude]

I think something like this might force them to think about the skills in a more orderly, step-by-step fashion

 

So why do you assume professors are NOT already thinking about the skills in an orderly step-by-step fashion?

The college English instructors I know are spending a lot of time thinking about those things and how to remedy the gaps high school left behind.

 

Saying the badge system is useful because it forces the instructors to think about their teaching is rather insulting.

 

We can argue whether it has any benefit for the students, but certainly not about instructors needing crutches like that so they can learn how to think.

[Mandy in TN]

It does sound like a good idea for students taking remedial English classes. These students are in a class for remediation and, if the badges were linked to the class online, then a quick scan would be a quick assignment check. Any accompanying work could be done online. Students would use the skills, complete an assigment using the skills, and this would free up the professor to actually cover writing skills in class. :)

 

Mandy

[regentrude]

It does sound like a good idea for students taking remedial English classes. These students are in a class for remediation and, if the badges were linked to the class online, then a quick scan would be a quick assignment check. Any accompanying work could be done online. Students would use the skills, complete an assigment using the skills, and this would free up the professor to actually cover writing skills in class. :)

 

Mandy

 

Or the instructor could simply point them to the resources on a course website: need help with MLA? Click here for online tutorial. need help with library skills? Click here.

The students are adults, and should be treated as such. Why does everything have to be an "assignment" anyway? They should be told they need to remedy this aspect, be shown a resource and expected to complete the training module because they need the skill, not so they can post a "badge" on a social network. That's ridiculous. Next are gold stars for completing the homework, and a lollypop for ten stars.

 

[regentrude]

Btw,  did anybody else find the writing in the article convoluted, inconcrete, imprecise, and pretentious?

 

What is this sentence supposed to mean:

 

In the context of this article, digital badges serve as an additional level of scaffolding for learner understanding of critical course material.

 

How can badges serve in the context of the article? And what happened to Strunk and White's wonderful command: Omit needless words?

 

 

Our programmatic mission is to support students as they develop their writing, reading, and thinking skills so they can participate effectively in a variety of academic, professional, and public settings.

 

Needless words. Plenty of them.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Btw,  did anybody else find the writing in the article convoluted, inconcrete, imprecise, and pretentious?

 

What is this sentence supposed to mean:

 

 

How can badges serve in the context of the article? And what happened to Strunk and White's wonderful command: Omit needless words?

 

 

 

Needless words. Plenty of them.

Sounds like the kind of educationese that many schools use to justify what they are doing.  But I agree that it is convoluted, imprecise and pretentious.  

[regentrude]

 

Bio

"Alan Reid is a teaching associate in the English department at Coastal Carolina University; he is pursuing a Ph.D. in instructional design and technology. Denise Paster is an assistant professor of composition and rhetoric and the coordinator of composition at Coastal Carolina."

:confused1:

 

 

I saw that and found it somewhat disturbing. Usually the source of this kind of gibberish is the School of Education.

 

[JumpyTheFrog]

Regrentrude,

 

I wasn't trying to insult anybody. It sounds like you are personally offended? Perhaps professors already think enough about their teaching. Can we agree that many elementary schoos have room to improve in this area?

 

I never took any English classes in college, but I do have a story that might relate. I took two music theory classes as electives. The only pre-req was a general intro to music history type course. In my music theory class, I was expected to learn to sight-sing, hear a song and write down the notes for it, and learn to play the piano. These things were all part of the final exams. (We also had to write an original composition and analyze chords on a written test.)

 

Now I had played the flute for seven years, so I could read music (which technically wasn't even a pre-req), but I had never played the piano and I didn't have years of chorus experience like most of my classmates. Playing the flute didn't teach me about chords like piano or guitar would. My professor gave me some piano music, told me where a room to practice was, and that was it. I was supposed to learn to play simple songs without any actual instruction, and then perform them for him as part of my final. I did practice, but was only able to get a D on the non-written part of each final. (Actually, I think he showed me mercy, because I probably deserved an F.)

 

Since this was a course for non-music majors, I think offering some more hand handing would've been appropriate. The professor was assuming that many of us had skills we didn't have. While a badge system might have been overkill, I think it would've been better if he had a different system in place instead of letting us sink-or-swim.

[Mandy in TN]

Or the instructor could simply point them to the resources on a course website: need help with MLA? Click here for online tutorial. need help with library skills? Click here.

The students are adults, and should be treated as such. Why does everything have to be an "assignment" anyway? They should be told they need to remedy this aspect, be shown a resource and expected to complete the training module because they need the skill, not so they can post a "badge" on a social network. That's ridiculous. Next are gold stars for completing the homework, and a lollypop for ten stars.

 

I was under the impression (and this could very well be a false impression) that students in remedial classes were there because they were lacking in basic skills. Although they may be adults, they may also be LD students, ELL students, or have other reasons that have landed them in a remedial class. If the instructor was already spending time in class teaching these skills, then I would think that it would actually be a move toward less handholding instead of more if it was made into an online assignment. If the student doesn't understand, they can go to the learning lab. My sons have had online assignments in college classes. I don't see how this is any different. Again, if it was on the agenda anyway, removing it from class time would be a step toward independent work and free the instructor to actually cover writing.

 

<shrug> I have no desire to see college students receive gold stars, but I just don't see online assignments as a step toward more handholding. And actually it would help the students who already know the information by allowing them to zip through a quick thing online instead of sitting through a lengthy explanation in class.

 

No biggie. I just see some advantages to online assignments for this sort of skill.

Mandy

[JumpyTheFrog]

Maybe I should clarify something. I think sharing badges on social media is silly. I was thinking of them more as like a "skills checklist" that students go through and professors can see, almost like how a few colleges are now "competence based" rather than credit hour based.

[regentrude]

. If the instructor was already spending time in class teaching these skills, then I would think that it would actually be a move toward less handholding instead of more if it was made into an online assignment. If the student doesn't understand, they can go to the learning lab. My sons have had online assignments in college classes. I don't see how this is any different. ...

<shrug> I have no desire to see college students receive gold stars, but I just don't see online assignments as a step toward more handholding. And actually it would help the students who already know the information by allowing them to zip through a quick thing online instead of sitting through a lengthy explanation in class.

 

 I just see some advantages to online assignments for this sort of skill.

 

My issue was not online or not. Sure, many things can easily be done online, I don't argue with that at all.

My issue was the term "assignment". Not everything should have to be assigned; it should suffice to make the resources available and let the student judge how much of the extra help he needs.

Making it a mandatory assignment that is part of the grade and forcing every student to click through the stuff, whether he needs it or not, is what I object to.

 

ETA: I would generally prefer if colleges could move towards fewer mandatory assignments. Why should a student who has mastered the material have to jump through hoops, turn in dozens of problems? I hate it that I have to make some students do busy work because we are "encouraged" to grade assignments in order to provide an incentive for the students to do what they need to do in order to learn.

When I went to university, there was homework, and the homework was discussed in recitation. You did it, or you did not. Those who did would do well on the exam. Those who did not would fail. Nobody checked or graded; we were treated like adults. I'd love to see more of that in the US.

[Teachin'Mine]

IMO it's just a more visual way of checking off assignments.   If it helps motivate, or keep on track, some students, then I really don't see the harm.   If they talked about expanding this to many courses or second year and beyond courses, then I would say it's rather absurd.   I think it's easy to forget that many of the students coming from school systems haven't had as much independent work, if any, as many homeschoolers have had.   This digital badging is being used in a class which is meant to prepare them for writing and other projects they'll be assigned in other classes.   Part of the reason I feel dual enrollment is of such benefit to almost all homeschoolers, regardless of where they are academically, is that these types of skills can be learned before going to university.  I think it's of tremendous benefit to all high school students, but school systems don't always provide the time or funding to allow for dual enrollment on the college campus.

[Miss Marple]

I'm sure that my sons went to college with all sorts of holes in their education.  They often complained that the teacher expected something that he/she had not even gone over in class!  But what they did not get from me was much sympathy...instead I asked if they had gone to tutor sessions, the writing lab, the math lab, etc.  On every campus I've been on or researched, there are LOTS of helps for the students.  That saves the professor the time of instructing on those things that should have come as part of the student's academic profile.  My sons have also been in classes that were agonizingly slow.  They lamented that the questioning of many of the students basically shut down the lecture and they were bored and felt short-changed in the class.

 

My college boys would be embarrassed to post "badges" because it is childish.  The reward for a job well done in college is that good grade, the comment of "excellent writing" on that paper, an internship, and that final GPA.  

[In The Great White North]

 

Posted Today, 01:51 PM

Plum Crazy, on 11 Oct 2013 - 1:48 PM, said:

 

Bio

"Alan Reid is a teaching associate in the English department at Coastal Carolina University; he is pursuing a Ph.D. in instructional design and technology. Denise Paster is an assistant professor of composition and rhetoric and the coordinator of composition at Coastal Carolina."

:confused1:

 

 

I saw that and found it somewhat disturbing. Usually the source of this kind of gibberish is the School of Education.

Isn't Instructional Design related to the School of Education?  This is probably the basis for his PhD research project/thesis.

[elegantlion]

At that level instead of badges I would expect the student to learn to work within the "adult" system of college. My English professor has been very open about office hours and getting help from the writing center. He also spend a lot of time commenting individually on a student's drafts (this is an online class). I believe college is the time to learn how to get real help from real people, without expectation that you're going to earn a participation ribbon for every level of knowledge.

 

Badges are fun for elementary and I like to earn them from Khan Academy, but when I'm paying hundreds of dollars for a class, I expect a higher level of professionalism, badges seems a bit "childish" to me. 

[Jane in NC]

Having taught remedial course work, I do see that creating some incentives might be helpful (although badges don't seem like the solution to my mind!).  Traditionally aged students at the CC who must take the equivalent of a pre-algebra course or basic algebra often feel as though that they have already learned the material and the system is the problem--not them.  There are too many apathetic students at my local CC.  What would inspire them?  I really don't know...

 

But we are not talking remedial.  For 101 and 102 level courses?  Frankly I think this is silly!  What does it mean to be a "Library Expert" or "MLA Master"?  When my son took a Composion 102 course at the CC, he had documented what was then a relatively new type of Internet source in a certain way. His professor said that she had never seen this documented before and thought it was neat that he had figured it out.  (He used Purdue's OWL site not the text which did not have the latest and greatest Internet stuff within.) Does this mean that he was a MLA Master but his prof was not?

 

Frankly this looks more like something for a middle school keyboarding class.

 

ETA:  Rewrote the first paragraph for clarity

[Cosmos]

I'm thinking back to my TA days. This is what my badge system would look like (tongue in cheek here, folks):

 

Did you read the textbook?

Did you read the problem?

Did you try the problem?

Did you read the problem again?

Did you look in the textbook for any similar examples?

 

Ding! Ding! Ding! You have earned five badges. You may come to office hours and seek help!

[wendyroo]

And all this from the home of the Chanticleers.  I would expect better from the English department of such a Chauceresque university!  :tongue_smilie:

 

Wendy

[Teachin'Mine]

They have very low retention and graduation rates.  My guess is that they're willing to try anything to see if it will help. IMO this article serves as a reminder of why it's important for our students to apply to schools which are a good fit for them.   Of course their tuition is also very low for in-state students, so I'm sure that there are quite a few attending because of the affordability.  

[JumpyTheFrog]

It's really starting to sound like many students need a "bridge" year or something to help them transition from all the hand-holding in high school to college work. I wonder if there is a market for a one year program after high school that helps weaker students catch up on their math, reading, and writing skills. I know remedial classes should serve that purpose, but maybe a non-college tutoring program with another name would be more appealing. Plus, I imagine that many remedial classes at community colleges are filled with students who don't have the best work ethic. Being in classes of those students isn't likely to inspire weak students to work hard to catch up.

It's really starting to sound like many students need a "bridge" year or something to help them transition from all the hand-holding in high school to college work. I wonder if there is a market for a one year program after high school that helps weaker students catch up on their math, reading, and writing skills. I know remedial classes should serve that purpose, but maybe a non-college tutoring program with another name would be more appealing. Plus, I imagine that many remedial classes at community colleges are filled with students who don't have the best work ethic. Being in classes of those students isn't likely to inspire weak students to work hard to catch up.

 

I think this is a fantastic idea.  Some of the elite prep schools offer a "post graduate" year between high school and college, but it isn't a remedial program.  The benefits of such a pre-college remedial program is that it would help to serve as a bulwark to lowering of standards in college itself.  I bet having a similar program between 8th and 9th grade would be beneficial as well.

[JumpyTheFrog]

The benefits of such a pre-college remedial program is that it would help to serve as a bulwark to lowering of standards in college itself.  I bet having a similar program between 8th and 9th grade would be beneficial as well.

 

Not to mention, it would avoid students having to use up financial aid eligibility or freshman status on remedial classes at community college. 

 

I didn't even think of an extra grade between 8th and 9th, but I'm sure it would be very helpful to many students, especially late bloomers.

[Mandylubug]

"She sounds hideous".... wait that line doesn't work here. In the same tone: "That sounds STUPID!"

 

Badges in college, come ON! At some point the student has to take responsibility for their education, learn to self educate and adapt to make deadlines. Hand holding ends in high school.

[wendyroo]

It's really starting to sound like many students need a "bridge" year or something to help them transition from all the hand-holding in high school to college work. 

 

Logically (and I know that logic has little to do with the public school system), doesn't it make more sense to just hand-hold less and less as the kids progress through high school?

 

Wendy

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I find it interesting that several of the articles I've read about skills badges propose them as a certification that can stand apart from the fuzzy indications that grades may or may not provide. They are often discussed alongside things like the proposed exam for college grads. (CLE?)

 

Of course anyone can create badges. And there is only the originator and their reputation to certify the quality of knowledge and demonstration of ability represented by the badge.

Logically (and I know that logic has little to do with the public school system), doesn't it make more sense to just hand-hold less and less as the kids progress through high school?

 

Wendy

 

Of course it does. But, if they don't, isn't it important to have an opportunity to fix up their mistakes without messing up college?

[Bootsie]

The article states:  "Similar to the flipped classroom model, assigning the earning of badges prior to a class meeting presumably would ensure a standard level of prior knowledge about the content being covered that day."  Are students who don't earn the badge not going to be allowed to come to class that day?  I surely don't see how the opportunity to earn a badge will make sure that students do it.  I can assign homework to students to turn in for a grade to prepare for a class meeting and some don't do it; would a badge make such a difference.

 

The university where I teach adopted a new Learning Management System (LMS).  Faculty were able to earn badges for completing various levels of instruction for using the LMS.  We would be able to display them on our websites, syllabi, etc. A huge marketing campaign surrounded this.  I haven't seen a single faculty member display one of these badges.  

[Mama Geek]

I spent my freshman year at this school 20 years ago when it was still part of the University of South Carolina system.  I had one of the best Calculus teachers and one of the best English teachers while there.  That Calculus teacher was a big part of the reason I decided to go into Engineering.  It is a shame that they are pushing this.

[Gwen in VA]

The idea of badges makes me cringe!

 

It is yet another form of hoop-jumping. What about the kid who can EASILY pick something up and doesn't need to sit through some tutorial on how to use the .....

 

In breaking education down into microsteps, we lose the big picture -- and possibly the hope of having education have a big impact on the students!

[8filltheheart]

The idea of badges makes me cringe!

 

It is yet another form of hoop-jumping. What about the kid who can EASILY pick something up and doesn't need to sit through some tutorial on how to use the .....

 

In breaking education down into microsteps, we lose the big picture -- and possibly the hope of having education have a big impact on the students!

 

The bigger picture that is lost is that these are adults that should be gearing toward full-time employment.   It is absolutely ridiculous that there needs to be hand-holding and incentives for something that they should be doing/seeking on their own.   We have created a culture of completely dependent-thinking, micromanaged, spoon-fed non-adults.   What type of employees will these people make?   They won't be innovators, developers, etc.   They won't be good managers.  Worker ants.   (I am just more and more annoyed by American educational philosophies.)