RAPPORT
linking this informal learning with the demands of employers ( Law et al . 2014 ).
Students ’ employability is increased when engaging in extra-curricular activities during their study as they are better at evaluating their ability in ‘ soft skills ’ such as leadership , communication , creativity and self-promotion ( Lau et al . 2014 ). In some employment scenarios , the soft skills learned at university are more important than the subject discipline skills ( Yorke & Harvey 2005 ). Some universities are seeking to develop soft skills by offering extra-curricular awards and using Open Badges to reward their achievement ( Ward 2012 ). Typically these awards are run through the institutional careers service , and are achieved by students who demonstrate a commitment to extra-curricular activity such as volunteering and the ability to reflect on how this makes them more employable . The Higher Education Achievement Record ( HEAR ) 15 is one current mechanism being used to record student achievement . This is an electronic document , but cannot be displayed online in the way an Open Badge can , and while criteria may form part of the HEAR , evidence is not linked .
Increased Motivation Clark et al . ( 2006 ) suggest that motivation is almost as important as cognitive aptitude in influencing a student ’ s ability to complete studies . Motivation is linked to cognitive workload , with an overload in cognitive work likely to unconsciously demotivate and decrease persistence . Assessment is also closely linked to motivation , with well-designed assessment helping students to learn through formative feedback . Over-assessment or badly designed assessment can change students ’ motivation from mastery of the subject to the mastery of taking exams .
So if motivation is almost as important as cognitive aptitude , how can motivation be increased ? Could the gamification of learning also introduce elements of increased motivation ? Open Badges have a close link with the gamification of learning . Gamification is becoming more visible in everyday life . One example is to run with tracker devices such as Fitbit and Nike ’ s Fuel Band . These devices track how many steps the wearer takes in the day and synchronises the data collected with an online website . The device site will then provide rewards in the form of digital badges for meeting daily targets and other milestones ( Kapp 2013 ).
WWW . RECORDINGACHIEVEMENT . AC . UK Issue 1 ( 2017 )
Similarly , setting rewards for reaching specific achievements can be motivational for some students , and can be used to guide students towards best study practices .
Hakulinen et al . ( 2013 ) studied the use of badges in their TRAKLA2 online learning environment . Badges were awarded to Higher Education students for completion of tasks such as solving exercises without mistakes , returning work early or completing a section of work with full marks . Students in a control group did not receive any badges . In all cases , the awarding of badges had no link with the final grade for the course , but the results of the study showed that “ achievement badges had a significant impact on some aspects of students ’ behaviour , and a small group of students was especially motivated to pursue them .”
We have discussed earlier how gamification of our everyday life and within learning can be used as a motivator . Ryan & Deci ( 2000 ) describe motivation as “ concerning energy , direction , persistence and equifinality – all aspects of activation and intention .” They discuss how research about motivation is valued outside the field of psychology , especially for those in roles such as managers , teachers , religious leaders , coaches , and parents – roles that require persuading others to engage and be active . People who are intrinsically motivated will be more resilient , creative and will show enhanced performance . Badges are an extrinsic motivator and may not provide the preferred motivation within students . However in the same context it could be argued that the attainment of a university degree certificate is also an extrinsic motivator .
Research Question The research reported in this article was looking to explore several key questions : How aware were people working in UK HEIs of Open Badges and how did this vary with their role ? I assumed that most learning technologists would have an awareness , but I wanted to explore management and academic awareness . At what stage of implementation of Open Badges were institutions ?
• Were there any geographical differences in attitudes or implementation of Open Badges ? We knew this was going to be an international survey with members of the Europortfolio 16 network invited to respond , so
15 http :// www . hear . ac . uk /
16 http :// www . eportfolio . eu /
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