Why Districtwide Digital Badges?
Professional development can occur in a variety of settings throughout an individual’s career. This could include attending a workshop offered by a college, professional development conferences, participating in mentorships, or prior professional experience. Maricopa Digital Badging for Faculty Development provides an opportunity to recognize the achievement of meaningful and significant practices, without the requirement of seat-time or time-on-task in a formal learning environment. Badges can also provide an identified, focused direction for district-wide professional development in a variety of areas including, but not limited to:
- Effective teaching practices
- Student engagement
- Leadership
- Creating and curating open educational resources
- Integrated student support
- Formative and summative assessment
- Effective integration of technology to support learning
- eLearning
- Open Education (OE)
Professional development opportunities may be scaffolded across different levels, depending on the depth and complexity of the specific area. Each college determines the faculty development programming to support faculty in developing evidence demonstrating the achievement of district-wide professional development areas.
Badge Types
Individuals who participate/present in an MCCCD professional development opportunity approved by the Maricopa Digital Badging Alliance and meet the criteria for earning the districtwide badge will be issued a badge via Badgr. Once issued, the participant/presenter will receive an email indicating a badge has been awarded and the issuer.
Competency-based badges at MCCCD are measurable, meaningful, mastery learning-focused, and stackable trajectories for faculty to establish themselves at a college (early-career), expand their roles within MCCCD (mid-career), or give back to upcoming generations (late-career). These badges recognize the achievement of meaningful and significant practices, without the requirement of seat-time or time-on-task in a formal learning opportunity. Applicants are encouraged to develop meaningful pathways for career readiness. Each college determines the faculty development programming to support faculty in developing evidence demonstrating the achievement of district-wide professional development areas.
Issuers develop digital badges providing opportunities for faculty to demonstrate three levels of competency for the digital badge.
- Practitioner: Demonstrates the implementation of the skills and knowledge aligned with the criteria of a digital badge.
- Developer: Demonstrates the ability to not just implement a competency, but able to develop resources related to the competency that others could use.
- Mentor: An individual who has earned the developer digital badge and who successfully demonstrates the ability to collaborate with the Center for Teaching and Learning to guide a pre-determined number (determined by the issuer) of faculty in earning the practitioner and developer badges.
Apply to Issue Maricopa Digital Badges
Maricopa digital badges recognize districtwide mastery of competencies focused on evidence-based teaching strategies and practices. In order to have districtwide digital badges that are consistent, the principal applicant must complete the Maricopa Digital Badges training and submit an application for review by the Maricopa Digital Badging Alliance. Residential Faculty must serve as the principal applicant.