Exploring the “Why” of Micro-Credentials and Digital Badges: Engineering Students’ Motivations for and Perceived Utility of Learning Outside of Class

Abstract

Educational institutions are working to implement micro-credentials and digital badges to address gaps in formal education and meet workforce demands. Calls from the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and disciplinary societies like the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) encouraging institutions to align with workforce needs more closely, despite already tight engineering curriculums, require institutions to explore innovative approaches such as micro-credentials. Micro-credentials are typically represented by digital badges which students can display on personal web portfolios and through networking sites like LinkedIn. As more higher education institutions begin to implement micro-credentials and award digital badges, the student perspective and motivation in this realm warrants exploration.The purpose of this study was to investigate both (1) engineering students’ motivation for participation in micro-credential offerings and (2) the value they attribute to the digital badge token itself. Study participants included engineering students who completed at least one of a variety of micro-credentials offered by various departments within a College of Engineering at a large northeastern public university. Micro-credentials were offered as both synchronous and asynchronous opportunities. They required Micro-credential offerings included formal assessment of knowledge and skills for successful completion and the subsequent award of the corresponding digital badge. A survey comprising both the validated Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS) and questions investigating the perception of the digital badge itself were sent to participants immediately upon completion of the micro-credentialing experience.This study finds participants to be both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to take part in micro-credentialing experiences, attributing some professional values to the digital badge itself. The findings lay necessary groundwork for future research in this evolving domain and also suggest where institutions can better communicate to stakeholders, including students, the value of these relatively new approaches.