Enroll in #EmTech to earn a Coursera Certificate of Completion and SUNY Digital Badges.
Share your accomplishments and badges with others through your ePortfolio, your resume, and social networks to showcase your learning and accomplishments and your efforts as a lifelong learner.
Everyone is eligible to participate in the entire course for free!
Anyone enrolled in #EmTech who also pays the $49.00 (USD) course fee is eligible to earn an #EmTech Coursera Certificate of Completion and SUNY Digital Badges.
Anyone from the State University of New York (SUNY) including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and affiliated partners are eligible to earn these awards at no cost.
In #EmTech there are a few types of badges that can be earned, including #EmTech Completer, ePortfolio, Contributor, and Fellow Badges.
Everyone who completes an ePortfolio and follows the Optional ePortfolio Checklist & Rubric can earn an ePortfolio Badge.
Everyone who contributes a new tool or resource to EmTechWIKI is eligible to earn a Contributor badge.
What is a Digital Badge?
A digital badge is defined as a symbol or indicator of an accomplishment, skill, quality, or interest (Knight & Casili, 2012). On the surface, a badge seems to just be a pretty picture. Beneath the surface, a badge is much more complex.
What makes a digital badge unique is the data-packed inside. This image of an open digital badge, created by Bryan Mathers, shows that a digital badge is comprised of several parts, including the image, the earner’s personal information (making the badge unique to the user), and the evidence (often a permanent connection to the accomplishment of the badge earner). This combination ensures that each badge is unique and a true representation of an earner’s accomplishment.
Badges help participants track their progress, encourage the completion of Discovery Exercises, and provide motivation to complete #EmTech.
This video from the MacArthur Foundation explains what a badge is and its benefits. It also includes examples of their use within education. A key message shared in the video is that “Badges are a new idea to recognize the learning that happens anywhere and share it in the places that matter.” Watch the following video, “What is a Badge?,” by the MacArthur Foundation (video length 3:36 min.).
Instructors: Consider adding #EmTech content and activities to your courses! Contact the EmTech team to discuss ways that you can integrate EmTech into your curriculum.
#EmTech Badge Constellation
How to Claim and Share #EmTech Badges & Certificates
Sharing Your Coursera Certificate
After completing all of the modules in #EmTech in Coursera, you will earn a Coursera Certificate of Completion if you are either affiliated with SUNY as a student, faculty, staff, or alumni or you have paid the #EmTech course fee in Coursera. Your certificate is able to be printed, shared through social media, and added to Linkedin. Coursera Certificates of Completion are accessed through the Accomplishments page in Coursera. This information on the Coursera Help site explains how to access and share your Coursera Certificate.
How to Claim and Share Your Badges
- Share your badges on Social Media
- Print out your badge as a certificate
- Embed badges in your ePortfolio or other platforms (blogs, website, etc.)
What Does the Research Say about badges?
If you are interested to learn more about badges, refer to some of the articles and research below. In addition, search the EmtechWIKI resources for badges and info about other gamification strategies.
Carey, K. L. & Stefaniak, J. E. (2018). An exploration of the utility of digital badging in higher education settings.
EDUCAUSE. (2019). 7 things you should know about digital badges.
Knight, E. & Casili, C. (2012). Case study 6: Mozilla open badges.
Shawgo, K. E. (2013). Digital Badges: An Annotated Research Bibliography. Public Services Quarterly. Taylor & Francis.
*Note: Access to the research articles may require logging into your campus’ library system, or you may request an article through Inter Library Loan (ILL).