Enhancing Student Engagement with Digital Badges: A Mock Micro-Credentialing Approach

Digital badges integrated with the student’s learning management system (LMS) were designed by faculty to encourage students to become more comfortable with laboratory content during the spring 2021 and 2022 semesters. Students were asked to complete weekly mock micro-credentials to earn digital badges. The micro-credentials were designed to ensure that the student gained the proper knowledge needed to successfully complete the in-lab exercises and assessments. These digital badges provided faculty with an overview of student preparedness. The faculty analyzed surveys completed by students, along with student involvement with the pre-lab assignments posted on the students’ LMS. Students reported that they felt more comfortable and confident with the lab material after earning digital badges. Further analysis showed a 20% increase in the mean proportion of student involvement in pre-lab materials after the implementation of digital badges. The majority of students felt more confident, actively participated in the lab, and were able to follow the experiment more easily as well as understand what was happening. The faculty felt digital badges saved time when checking for completeness of assigned materials. A long-term goal of the study includes the creation of digital badges that can be accessed by other courses.