| NSF Org: |
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | November 20, 2014 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | January 6, 2016 |
| Award Number: | 1451303 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Ellen McCallie
emccalli@nsf.gov (703)292-5115 DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | December 1, 2014 |
| End Date: | March 31, 2016 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $115,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $115,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
300 5TH AVE STE 2010 WALTHAM MA US 02451-8778 (617)618-2227 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
96 Morton Street New York NY US 10014-3326 |
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Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| NSF Program(s): | AISL |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): | |
| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
Young people's participation in informal STEM learning activities can contribute to their academic and career achievements, but these connections are infrequently explicitly recognized or cultivated. More systemic approaches to STEM education could allow for students' experiences of formal and informal STEM learning to be aligned, coordinated, and supported across learning contexts. As part of NSF's Advancing Informal STEM Learning program, Science Learning+ (SL+) is a partnership among US and UK foundations. SL+ funds projects that take transformational steps to inform, improve, and advance the knowledge bases, practices, and design of informal STEM learning experiences and environments.
This specific planning project brings together stakeholders in two digital badge systems--one in the US and one in the UK--to plan for a study to identify the specific structural features of the systems that may allow for the alignment of learning objectives across institutions. Digital badge systems may offer an inventive solution to the challenge of connecting and building on youth's STEM-related experiences in multiple learning contexts. When part of a defined system, badges could be used to represent and communicate evidence of individual learning, as well as provide youth and educators with evidence-supported indicators for other activities in the system that might be interesting or valuable. Properly designed and supported badge systems could transmit critical information within a network of informal STEM programs and schools that (1) recognize context-dependent, interest-driven learning and (2) provide opportunities to explore those interests across multiple settings.
This project advances the field of informal STEM learning in two ways. First, the project documents and analyzes the processes by which two small groups of informal science education organizations and schools negotiate the meaning and value of badges, as proxies for learning objectives, and how they decide to recognize badges awarded by other institutions. This process builds capacity within the target systems while also beginning to identify the institutional, cultural, and material capacity issues that facilitate or constrain the alignment process. Second, the project conducts a pilot study with a small number of youth in the US and UK to investigate factors associated with an individual youth's likelihood of: a) identifying badges of interest; b) connecting the activities of various badge systems to each other and to non-badging institutions, such as school or industry; c) determining which badges to pursue; and d) persisting in a particular badge pathway. Findings from this pilot study will help identify institution- and individual-level factors that might be associated with advancing student interest and progression in STEM fields. Deepening and validating the understanding of those factors and their relative impact on student experiences and outcomes will be the focus of investigations in future studies.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Planning a Design-based Implementation Research Agenda to Investigate Digital Badges as Transformative Assessment in Informal Science Learning (Award ID: 1451303) was an NSF Science Learning + planning grant to partner small groups of out-of-school science learning organizations with public schools and researchers in the United States and the United Kingdom (UK) to plan for a long-term research program about digital badge systems. The objective for that research program was to investigate whether and in what ways a digital badge system could serve three functions within a STEM learning ecosystem: (1) to support authentic assessments of student learning in informal STEM learning environments; (2) to support practitioners in school and in out-of-school contexts to define shared learning goals, create coordinated learning experiences for youth, and use assessment data to inform program refinement; and (3) to increase young people’s experiences of their STEM learning as being connected and coordinated across these settings.
A digital badge system, in this context, was defined broadly as a network of formal and informal education institutions with human resources and technological infrastructure to enable youth to document their experiences and, with the assistance of educators at multiple sites, build “STEM learning pathways.”
The planning partnership did not achieve the goal of creating a research program beyond the planning phase, for four reasons we summarize below. Briefly, however: the UK-based team was more successful in convening out-of-school learning organizations and planning a badge system than was the US-based team. It is likely that four main factors influenced whether the UK and US partnerships were able to plan for the creation of badge systems, which could have implications for future efforts: leadership; stakeholder engagement; funding and resources; and social context.
While these four factors are likely germane to many types of partnership building, we find that there are aspects of each of these factors that are particularly important with respect to building digital badge systems. Further, we suggest that future collaborators consider these factors when deciding to create a partnership that includes a digital badge system.
1. Leadership
A leader—or champion—at each organization within the partnership is necessary to ensuring that organizations begin and persist with partnership and badge system planning.
2. Stakeholder engagement
Closely related to leadership, we found that it is very important that a shared value proposition is established for the badge system, and that key stakeholders are engaged in defining and delivering this from the outset. Key stakeholders include learners, educators, content providers/endorsers and employers/consumers.
3. Funding & Resources
A significant level of funding and staff resources are required to effectively set up a digital badge system. It is essential that there is staff time allocated to the design and implementation of a badge system. When resources are not available, the badge system is unlikely to be setup or managed effectively, leading to poor engagement and/or outcomes for learners.
4. Social Context
Finally, social context is fundamental to creating the right conditions for badge systems to thrive. Badge issuing organizations tend to demonstrate an open mindset and are confident as innovators, comfortable working in partnership with others to build capacity and expertise. They typically have existing programs they are delivering and are looking at badges as a way to enhance and scaffold this activity through validating skills and achievements and connecting learning opportunities together.
If digital badge systems contin...
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