Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) 2024Final.pptx
Beyond micro credentials
1. 8 March 2016
Badges in Higher education
This presentation is based on work supported by John D. &
Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation under Prime Award No.
13-104890-000-USP and The Regents of the University of California.
Beyond Micro-credentials
Southampton University
Trust, the Revolution!
Beyond Behaviourism!
4. Trust, the Revolution!
“provides a more granular
and accurate picture of
what one has learned
than a diploma” (B. Bull)
(*) http://www.knappinternational.com/assets/uploads/pages/Microcredentials-Is%20Small%20the%20Next%20Big%20Thing.pdf
“A subset of a certification that recognizes
achievement toward the larger credential.” (*)
“Recognizes achievements
toward a bigger goal.” (*)
9. Micro-credentials are to credentials what
modularisation is to course instruction
Both approches are
grounded in behaviourism
to infer human behaviour
A theory based on
the study of pigeons
Behaviourism
Badge “pathways,” the latest
avatar of behaviourist theory
10. “In the 'model' approach, personalization typically means more:
more options, more choices, more types of tests, etc.You need to
customize the environment (the learning) [to] fit the student.
In the 'connections' approach, personalization typically means
less: fewer rules, fewer constraints.You need to grant the learner
autonomy within the environment.”
Stephen Downes.“Connectivism and Connective Knowledge.”
Connectivism vs.Behaviourism
12. One of the main dangers with micro-
credentials is the fragmentation of learning
into a series of meaningless activities
with no relation to high order goals.
17. ?!education
Trust
What is the main problem facinG
70 7050 5030 3010 100 060 6040 4020 20% %
By literacy proficiency level By educational attainment
Slovak Republic
Estonia
Italy
Czech Republic
France
Korea
Germany
Japan
Ireland
Poland
England/N. Ireland (UK)
Average
Flanders (Belgium)
Canada
Spain
Austria
United States
Australia
Finland
Netherlands
Sweden
Norway
Denmark
Level 4 or 5
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1 or below Below upper secondary education
Upper secondary or post-secondary
non-tertiary education
Tertiary education
*Education at a Glance 2014 OECD Indicators
Percentage of adults reporting that they trust others*
32. The Open Badge Passport aims at
enabling the seamless issuing, collection,
organisation, display, discovery and
exploitation of digital credentials.
By establishing and nurturing networks
of trust, it encourages the emergence
of a new generation of services
supporting learning, (self-) employment,
social inclusion and citizenship.
37. MyTrust capital =Trust received (debt) +Trust invested in others (credit)
Individual Trust Capital = debts + credits
Social Trust Capital = ∑debts = ∑credits
GroupTrust Capital = ?
Personal Ledger
40. Personal Ledger
Beyond Behaviourism
Connectivist Badges
“The effectiveness of knowing is defined
not by conformity but by adaptation.”
Stephen Downes. “Connectivism and Connective Knowledge.”
“The most important function of a person
in a community is no longer conformity,
but rather, creativity and expression. ”