Global Citizenship badges: Using gamification to recognize non-formal learning in a university context
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The University of Cape Town's Global Citizenship Program aims to foster social justice leadership among students through courses focused on global citizenship topics. This initiative incorporates gamification and digital badges to enhance non-formal learning, promoting active engagement and reflective practices. The program has evolved over four years, prioritizing student-centered redesign and digital portfolio creation as part of its educational strategy.
Global Citizenship badges: Using gamification to recognize non-formal learning in a university context
- 1. Andrew Deacon Centre for Educational Technology, University of Cape Town Janet Small & Nicola Pallitt Centre for Open Learning, University of Cape Town Global Citizenship Badges using gamification to recognize non-formal learning in a university context
- 2. Outline • Global Citizenship programme at UCT • Reimaging after 4 years • Badging and gamification • Designs as Enhancement vs Problem-centric • Discovery – Dream – Design – Delivery • Towards digital portfolios • Conclusions
- 3. UCT Global Citizenship Programme Global Citizenship: Leading for Social Justice – Three short courses: Continuing Education certificate – Each year involves over 200 students from all faculties – Students becoming citizens rather than simply learners
- 4. Goals of Global Citizenship Programme 1. Knowledge: Exposing students to global citizenship and social justice issues beyond degree and discipline 2. Skills: Developing capacity for leadership on contemporary social justice issues by improving active listening and critical thinking 3. Values: Promoting awareness of themselves as future global citizens motivated to work for social justice through community service
- 5. GC Media and Branding GC marketing
- 6. GC classesGC class activities
- 7. GC service daysGC reflective writing
- 8. GC Course Website on LMS (2012)
- 9. Reimagining GC course site (2013) After four years: • Redesign to be more student-centred • Actively promote course completion • Draw on tutors to inform the redesign • Imagine new possibilities: – Supporting badges and gamification elements – Creating portfolios of reflective writing
- 10. Badges: Physical vs Digital • Badges in the physical world: –Physical representing a rank or accomplishment • Badges in the digital world: –Digital ‘clickable’ portfolios or collections –Accomplishment linking evidence to criteria http://www.flickr.com/photos/conner395/
- 11. Gamification: Not games Using game-thinking and game mechanics in a non-game context to engage people and solve problems - Sebastian Deterding (2011)
- 12. Gamification of education? • Do universities use game elements? – Students get “points” for completing assignments – Points translate to “badges” for passing courses – Students performing well “level up” at year end – Best performs get on the Dean’s “leaderboard” • Not really…
- 13. Learning Design Thinking A complex, iterative process of problem-defining and problem-solving of ill-defined learning needs that requires a creative and analytic approach through iterative prototyping based on formative feedback
- 14. Macro-level becoming a global citizen Meso-level reflective writing Micro-level coherent course website Learning Design Education - Technology Gap
- 15. Taxonomy of Design Problems New Design Problems Enhancement Problems Selection Problems Tuning Problems Crises Intractable problems
- 16. Generic Design Cycle Conceiving and giving form to something that addresses a problems User experience design plan produce gap (for problem-centric designs)
- 17. Discovery Dream Design Delivery Decide what to learn about, who to involve, and how to involve them Conduct the inquiry, share insights Envision the ideal impact or outcomes for those involved Develop principles to guide the changes Innovation, improvisation and more inquiry Appreciative Inquiry (for enhancement–centric designs)
- 18. Discovery: Activities in GC2 Activities Evidence Interface cues Attend class sessions x8 Signed register Acknowledge completion Community work days x2 Signed register or blog Badges Post reflective blogs x4 Blog post on LMS Badges Submit essays x2 Submission on LMS Acknowledge completion
- 20. Design: GC2 choices made • Interface communicates completion requirements • Simplify reflection expectations • Tutors participate in design • Include feedback on progress • Badges (link evidence & criteria) • Students compile a portfolio
- 21. Delivery: GC2 Dashboard (2013)
- 23. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 29-Jul 30-Jul 31-Jul 1-Aug 2-Aug 3-Aug 4-Aug 5-Aug 6-Aug 7-Aug 8-Aug 9-Aug 10-Aug 11-Aug 12-Aug 13-Aug 14-Aug 15-Aug 16-Aug 17-Aug 18-Aug 19-Aug 20-Aug 21-Aug 22-Aug 23-Aug 24-Aug 25-Aug 26-Aug 27-Aug 28-Aug 29-Aug 30-Aug 31-Aug 1-Sep 2-Sep 3-Sep 4-Sep 5-Sep 6-Sep 7-Sep Monitoring (‘game mechanics’) Falling behind with blogs Catch-up or starting next blog Blog done on-time previous blog deadline
- 24. Digital Portfolios • Broad interest to – Enable students to create portfolios – Develop reflective writing skills – Repurpose for others courses, CVs, … • Practical challenges – Difficult to anticipate student future needs – Difficult to curate and manage
- 25. Mozilla OpenBadges • Mozilla Foundation project – Provides infrastructure for hosting badges – Control rests with badge recipient – Shares success stories • OpenBadges – Criteria: URL with description and name of issuer – Evidence: URL to digital artefact meeting criteria
- 26. Mozilla OpenBadges: Backpack Portfolio collection title Evidence (with URL) Criteria (with URL)
- 27. Conclusions • Appropriateness of badges – If not in Global Citizenship, then where? – Fun and appreciated by students – Help align more formal structuring of reflection – Feedback on progress – Link criteria and evidence – Moving towards digital portfolios • Of course, designs should be mindful of – Appreciating what is working well – Side effects and social contracts