The Benefits of Using Badges in Online Learning

What are digital badges?

Online badges create digitized records of a learner’s skills, knowledge, and competencies. In traditional learning, it is difficult to measure and portray mastery level. But the badges can indicate the proficiency level accurately. You can customize the badges depending on your specific requirement and encrypt it to prevent fraud.

Digital badges are popular because it benefits all stakeholders concerned. Employers who have adopted badging practices are keen on upskilling their resource pool ensuring their competitiveness. They need to be sure that their employees have all the relevant skills to excel at work. Employees have an option to showcase their competency with the help of the badges they win. Having a badge makes them stand out from their competition.

Here are the top four benefits of using badges in online learning.

#1: It motivates learners to learn.

It is difficult to deny the motivation badges offer employees. The underlying game mechanics create competition. Once your employees earn one badge, they want to get the next one. The digital badges provide intrinsic motivation to the learners as there is no financial reward involved. They want to collect as many badges possible to flaunt their knowledge and skills. Another factor that coaxes them to acquire badges is peer competition. A healthy competitive environment is beneficial for both the organization and its employees.

#2: It provides opportunities for success.

It may not be easy to obtain a badge in the first attempt. Learners can try many times until they succeed. This ensures that your employees do not simply move ahead by skimming through the content. Instead, they have to master the content in order to proceed.

#3: It helps them achieve milestones.

A long-term learning goal lacks instant gratification. This may demotivate the learners as there is no encouragement between the beginning and the finish line. In a badge-based learning module, rewards are embedded throughout the learning journey. They help to nudge the learners along the way. They need not wait until the last step to be recognized for their time and effort. There are badges at regular levels.

#4: It encourages self-guided learning

Badge-based learning modules encourage learners to take charge of their learning process. The learners have a hand in choosing what they want to learn. If you want them to stay motivated throughout a long learning journey, then break the entire course into short learning interventions with badges at the end of each.

An elearning reward system involving badges offers your learners the chance to earn incentives and display their achievements on social networks. Badges ensure that the learners are invested in the online course.

At Designing Digitally, Inc. our mobile-centric instructional design team will ensure that your content is easily understood and accessed using mobile devices. We understand how providing easily accessible content through mobile devices can make a world of difference to the learners.

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