Presentation delivered at the NMC Summer conference highlighting the work done to prepare for the launch of a digital badge initiative aimed at engaging incoming Freshmen.

1. BADGES AT SHU
Presented by: Danielle Mirliss, Tom McGee, Mike Soupios

2. Please rate your overall
knowledge of digital badges
1. I could lead this session
2. I’m comfortable with the
concept
3. I was a Boy / Girl Scout. It’s
like that, right?
4. Completely new concept
5. I walked into the wrong
0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
session
1 2 3 4 5

3. Please rate your experience
with digital badges
1. We’re launching our own
program
2. We’re planning to launch
3. We’re planning to plan
4. We’re discussing the
possibility of planning
5. Still in the wrong session 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
1 2 3 4 5

4. What is your primary role in
your organization?
1. Programmer
2. Faculty
3. Administrative
4. Technical
5. Other
0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
1 2 3 4 5

5. How much technical
information do you want?
1. Hit me, I can take it
2. I’ll take a little code
3. No code, please
4. Looking at your code will
make me run screaming from
the session
0% 0% 0% 0%
1 2 3 4

6. The Pirate Patch
A Digital Badges Initiative

7. omputer Science Student Network Badge System
Design for America: A Badge Community for Innovation
The SA&FS Learner Driven Badges Projec

10. Pillars of Retention

11. • User accounts are given early
• Includes access to Blackboard
• June laptop distribution
• Web scavenger hunt (doubloon)
• Weekly chat sessions
• Summer Reading
• Summer Homework
• ePortfolio (University Life Course)

12. The Pirate Patch Pilot
The Dangers of Creative Energy

13. We Didn’t Get the Grant
• Are we still in?
• Who’s at the table?
• Who’ll be the audience?
• What’s the timeline?
• Who’s responsible for what?

14. Principles
• Engagement
• Skills & Activities
• Academics
• Create Culture of Use
• Low barrier to access
• Student interest
• Meet them where they are

15. Let’s Pilot
• Pirate Adventure Begins!
• Freshman Preview
• On Campus Adventure
• Summer programs
• Welcome Week

16. Pirate Adventure Begins!
• Welcome aboard!
• Incoming Student Portal
• Site Launch
• Companion Blog

17. Freshman Preview
• Everyone gets a Patch
• Culture of Use
• Stand out in the crowd
• Challenges

18. On Campus Adventure
• The Big Push
– I’m Connected; SAB Voice Heard; Curious
Pirate; Pirate Leader; Pirate On; Pirate Gear;
Extrovert; DOVE Orientation; Tweet-up Housing
• Distribution methods
• Utilize everyone

19. Summer Programs
• Summer Reading
– Optional Enrichment Activities
• Tech Skills One
– Skills Training carries for years
• Doubloon Hunting
– Leveling Up

20. Welcome Week
• Leaderboard Launch
• Assess where we are
• Last chance to push the captive audience
• End of the Pilot?

21. Technical Aspects
Issues and Answers

22. Users
• What Kinds of Roles?
– Recipient
– Editor
– Awarder
– Creator
– Administrator
• How to Handle Registration?
• What Method of Authentication?
• How to Protect Your Badges, and Delegate?
• What Privacy Options To Present?

23. Logged-in User

24. Different User Roles See
Different Things

25. Make Sure Users Pay
Attention To Their Privacy

26. The Privacy Settings
We Offer

27. Making It More Granular

28. Badge Creation
• How To Create New Badges?
• Simple Copying?
• How To Edit?
• I Only Want It Available During A Specific
Time!
• What Are Badges vs. Awards and Why?
• Decentralization: Who Can Make Them?
• How to Build Level-up Badges?

29. Creating a Badge

30. Editing and Cloning Badges

31. Time Limits for Real Events

32. Badges vs. Awards

33. Protecting Your Badge
And Delegation

34. Logically Leveling-Up

35. Earning Badges
• Click?
• Snap?
• Can We Just Award Them?
• How To Automate Level-ups?
• Can We Prevent Cheating?
– Duplicates
– Sharing

36. Basic Methods of
Granting Awards

37. Embed a Link in a Web Page

38. Make Posters, Cards or T-Shirts

39. Batch Awarding

40. One Per Customer, Please

41. Displaying Badges
• Privacy
• Points
• Leaderboards
• Baking
• Backpacks
• Validations

42. Baking, Hiding and Displaying

43. What’s The Score?

44. Only See What They Let You

45. Bakery Action

46. A Little Code
jQuery does this:
$('a.bake').click(function() {
var badge = $(this).attr('name');
var action = $(this).text();
var button = $(this);
if ( action=='Show') newtext='Hide' ;
else newtext='Show';
var formdata = 'badge=' + badge + '&action=' + action;
//alert(formdata);
window.open('http://beta.openbadges.org/baker?assertion=http://tltc.shu.edu/badges/folder/' + badge);
return false;
});
Translated in the .htaccess file:
RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)(/)?$ bakeme.php?a=$1

47. This Is The Last Code, I Promise
$json_request = <<<END
{
"recipient": "$badge_eMail",
"evidence": "$badge_evidence",
"badge": {
"version": "$badge_version",
"name": "$badge_name",
"image": "$badge_url",
"description": "$badge_description",
"criteria": "$badge_criteria",
"issuer": {
"origin": "http://tltc.shu.edu",
"name": "$badge_issuer",
"org": "$badge_organization",
"contact": "$badge_contact"
}
}
}
END;
header('Content-Type: application/json');
echo $json_request;

48. openbadges.org Backpack

49. Backpack Details

50. Demonstrating Criteria

51. Proof Of Ownership

52. Technical Next Steps
• Limited issuance & other features
– The first 50 clicks can win this
– Card readers
• Facebook
– OBI has a Facebook app in the works
• WordPress
– Several levels of WordPress tools, from widgets to
major plugins, are in development
• Better GUI for user management
• Open it up

53. Badges Next Steps
• Get through the Pilot
– Still quite a bit left
– Assess buy in and short- to mid-term prospects
– Where do the new badges come from
• Cautiously plan to roll out
– Undergrads
– Clubs and Organizations
– Graduate students
– Faculty and Staff
– Alumni
– Business partners
• Be thankful for all the creative talent

54. Additional Resources
• Google Group:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/openbadges
• Project Web Site:
http://openbadges.org/en-US/
• Community Calls every Wednesday 9am PT
• Wiki: http://openbadges.org/en-US/
• GitHub: https://github.com/mozilla/openbadges
• SHU’s Blog: http://blogs.shu.edu/badges