Amplifying Openness with Rewards

[Dave]

Hi global dScribes!

Open.Michigan is researching ways to harness the excitement of students and faculty who share learning material and use it to build momentum in the open education movement at the University of Michigan. As student dScribes engage in open education and resource production, Open.Michigan intends to reward behavior that advances the initiative through a badging system. We are initiating a pilot project to define measurable tasks in open education production and advocacy, build a badge administration system, create and distribute badges as rewards, and test and analyze individual motivations as they relate to badging and the open movement.

So what are badges? The Open Badges Project uses the Dictionary.com definition of badge:badge 

[baj]: a special or distinctive mark, token, or device worn as a sign of allegiance, membership, authority, achievement, etc.

But more importantly, what do you think global dScribes? Are you currently a badge holder of any kind? Do you have any experience with badging systems from other online or offline communities?

Please share your thoughts, ideas and experience!

- Dave

[Kathleen (U-M)]

Thanks, Dave. It certainly seems like badging is a growing trend online. 

Over the past few years of dScribe at U-M, we've explored multiple incentives for recruiting dScribes including free food, t-shirts, part-time wages (though we don't have the funds to offer that on a large scale), fame and glory on our blog and website, as well as the practical knowledge gained about copyright, privacy, and materials development. 

I'm not a big gamer myself and at the moment the only badges I have are fabric ones from my Girl Scout days in my primary school. But  I am very intrigued by the use of badges in self-directed, learning environments (like OER) and volunteer efforts, where badges can represent clear milestones for oneself as well as a benchmarks of achievements. 

Something as simple as a badge can provide some structure to an otherwise ambiguous or open-ended task in addition to some personal motivation to finish the goals at hand. 

-Kathleen