MBA Research Digital Badging: Proof-of-Learning for resumes, portfolios, digital media
New, portable MBA Digital Badges make it easy for your students to document and share individual achievements in learning. Each offers significant value-added for students who earn badges. Students can accumulate multiple badges that can be used for resumes, electronic portfolios, scholarship applications, and more.
What’s a digital badge?
Think of them as stackable credentials. Each digital badge represents a special area of achievement. Students use them to document particular accomplishments – at school, at work, and in the community. Instead of a patch to sew on a sash, digital badges are web links that can be attached to a resume, portfolio, or anything that accepts links. More about badges
How it works
Each MBA Research digital badge has its own set of requirements that can range from passing an online exam to completion of sophisticated projects. Instead of working for two or three years to pass that huge end-of-program exam, students can work on smaller pieces of the larger credential – and be recognized at each step along the way.
Each time an individual meets criteria for a given badge, s/he’ll claim it by giving MBA Research permission to post it on a private web site. (Each recipient will have his or her own password access.) Once posted, each student may then access the web site, copy the badge and its link, and post it to most digital media, including digital portfolios, resume’s, LinkedIn, and any of the many other social media sites popular at the time.
Each badge is linked to its own web page. Potential employers, colleges, scholarship sponsors, or anyone with whom students choose to share their badges, can access a detailed badge description. Backed by challenging, research-based, MBA Research assessment criteria, the documentation for each badge will give readers detailed information describing both the content that the badge represents and the specific requirements required to earn it (e.g., exams, projects, or documented experiences).
For cut score criteria, click here.
Click here for a short video by Tammy Cyrus, teacher in North Carolina, explaining the digital badging system and why it should be an important part of your business and marketing program.
Differentiating MBA digital badges
Initially, all digital badges will utilize an online exam created by MBA Research and based on the National Business Administration Curriculum Standards. All exams will maintain a level of rigor appropriate for the type of badge being offered. Some badges are based on exams that are more comprehensive in nature and/or may represent a higher level of difficulty (i.e., High School of Business™, A*S*K Institute). Badges based on an individual standard or instructional area will consist of 25 questions. Exams at a course level are 50 questions, while a program of study (end of program) exam are 100 questions. The graphic depiction for each series of badges will look different depending on the exam criteria. Instructional area badges will look different from course level badges, which will look different from end-of-program badges. Eventually, each series of badges may have multiple achievement levels (e.g., gold, silver, bronze) depending on additional requirements beyond the exam (e.g., authentic assessment, special projects). The criteria for all requirements is developed by MBA Research.
Digital Badge Levels
MBA Research offers 5 levels of badges. Each level represents a specific series that is differentiated by how comprehensive the qualifying exam is or by a level of difficulty. Likewise, each badge level has a distinct graphic depiction. All badges have their own distinct purpose or value and do not represent a good, better, or best achievement. Teachers are able to view which performance indicators are being assessed. Once a student claims a badge and puts it into their “backpack”, the performance indicators are accessible by the “viewer” of the badge. All questions addressed on the badge exam are drawn from the industry-validated MBA National Business Administration Curriculum Standards and utilize the planning levels from the MBA Research curriculum model.
Digital Badge—Level 1
Level 1 badges are based on an individual instructional area/standard (e.g., communication skills, emotional intelligence, economics, and professional development). Questions addressed on the exam are drawn from the Business Administration Core of the MBA National Business Administration Curriculum Standards at the pre-requisite (PQ) and career-sustaining (CS) levels. Level 1 exams are 25 questions.
Digital Badge—Level 2
Level 2 badges are based on an individual instructional area, but exam questions are at a higher planning level than level 1 badges. Level 2 exam questions are at the career-sustaining and specialist levels and can be from the BA core, a specific cluster core (i.e., finance, management, marketing) and/or from a specific pathway. Level 2 exams are 25 questions.
Digital Badge—Level 3
Level 3 badges are based on an end-of-course assessment representing a full course using performance indicators from MBA Research course guides that have been developed. Level 3 exams are 50 questions.
Digital Badge—Level 4
Level 4 badges are based on an end-of-program assessment drawn from the programs of study developed by MBA Research. Programs of study provide a broad foundation in business administration as well as a concentration in a career cluster (i.e., business management, entrepreneurship, finance, and marketing).
Digital Badge—Level 5
Level 5 badges represent achievement in both the ASK Institute Certification exams and the High School of Business™ end-of-course exams and also include a High School of Business™ internship badge and a program completion badge.
Click here for more info about MBA Digital Badges, including criteria for individual badges.