Digital badges as an adult education assessment system

Colleagues,

As I have been thinking about how digital badges might be useful to our field I would like to raise two assessment problems that they may address:

1. Currently in our field we only measure and formally report adult learner achievement (levels in the NRS system) on an annual basis, and yet research -- which Steve Reder miight discuss -- shows that even though some learners may not achieve within a year, may even drop out of programs, they do make progress over several years. Would digital badges allow our field to cappture that progress over time, that is, if we had a system of granular digital badges that added up to credentials and qualifications, might we -- students, teachers, administrators, funders and policy makers -- be able to capture and document more of the actual learning achievement that students make?

2. We know from research that formative assessment -- a systematic way for learners and teachers to know if and how they a progressing in a day-to-day granular way -- can improve learning outcomes. Could a well-developed system of digital badges be used by teachers and students as a formative assessment system, for example in English language learning, basic readinig, numeracy, and in other areas that eventually lead to credentials or qualifications, and/or to adult learners goals and objecvtives?

David J. Rosen

djrosen123@gmail.com

Comments

David, You've put forward an interesting idea. I can see the potential in using digital badges in an assessment system. This concept reminded me of the performance-based assessment work that was started by Equipped for the Future. I can imagine a system that engages particpants in demonsrating their learning through performance and earning badges toward personal goals.

Best, Susan

Assessment Moderator