But we do! I love badges and micro-credentialing. I’ve never seen The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but the line popped into my head. Badging can be a great motivator for students. I currently have one badge that I created for my online students for completing some pre-course work. I have long wanted to integrate badging into all my classes.
Part of my problem has always been what to give the badges for. Last semester I came up with a merit-based bonus point system. Based on what you scored on an assignment, you got an opportunity to complete a certain number of bonus activities. I thought about adding badging to this as well, but it seems like overkill.
I am looking at ways to add some gamification to my introductory programming course, so that may be where I add badges. I am hesitant and want to avoid tying it to mandatory assignments. I have one required assignment in my system design class where students must get a MongoDB micro-credential. Most students enjoy that they get a badge for their LinkedIn profiles. I hope to add some badges to that class as well. A sense of achievement is essential.
Hi Vanessa,
After reading and observing some of the material about badges, I immediately thought of this famous line from your movie clip attachment. You know what they say… great minds… I enjoyed reading your blog about the topic as well. I will typically give my students opportunities to earn bonus points, but I hadn’t thought about incorporating badges within it. I definitely think earning badges is a motivator in active participation and can increase engagement.