Using Badges for Assignments

[JeffCampbell]

I have been looking at options for awarding badges to students. Everything I find that talks about badges implies that badges can be set up to be awarded for completing modules, but I cannot find anything that indicates badges can be awarded for completing assignments. Has anyone implemented badges in this way (or can it be done)? The curriculum I am using (comes from outside Canvas) has badges for each assignment, but it does not actually award badges. It just shows a video saying you have been given a badge. I would like to try actually implementing them.

I'm not sure if it varies from user to user or is a Canvas integration, but it says Badgr when I go to the Badges option in the menu. I have read that Open Badges can also be used. I'm open to options other than the default Badgr.

[greydon]

Hello @JeffCampbell 

Thank you for contacting the Instructure Community. If you're using the Canvas Badges (FKA as Badgr) certificates, you are correct and they are tied to modules. You can of course issue badges based on assignments within the module but they are ultimately tied to the module. Here is the Canvas guide:  Creating an issuer and badges in Canvas - Instructure Community  That is essentially how they were created to work. Is the curriculum you're using integrated with Canvas Badges or some third party issuer? You would likely be able to get them integrated for use but you may need to speak with Canvas Support or your school directly for assistance with that. As of now, that's basically it for Canvas Badges setup and integration but there are third party options some schools are using. Hopefully somebody that is using an alternative can speak to that. Hopefully this helps. 

[JeffCampbell]

Thank you for confirming how Badgr is intended to work. Maybe someone has an alternative that might work. It is a 3rd party curriculum that I have pulled into Canvas for my students. The badges are nothing more than a simple video saying they have earned a badge. They have provided image files we can use if we want to print something off. I was hopeful I could turn them into digital badges.

[jcarpenter1 · Accepted solution]

Hello @JeffCampbell !  As someone who trains others on how Badges works, it is recommended that Canvas Badges not be used with Middle School students.  This is because Canvas Badges are Open Digital Badges that are a specialized badge with verifiable data.  They are also meant to be shared in other platforms like LinkedIn.  

With what you are hoping for, I'd like to make this suggestion.  Make a page at the end of your module.  Add the video there and a link to the image for the students to see and/or download.  If you use requirements in your modules (How do I add requirements to a module?), then the students can't access the video or image until after they've passed the assessment.

[JeffCampbell]

Thank you for this information. I had not dug enough into them to realize they were Open Badges with all that data. Definitely something to avoid at the moment. I like your suggestion too and will look into options for that as well.

[jsowalsk]

@JeffCampbell Have you looked into credentials? It seems as if Canvas Badges is going on the wayside.

[jcarpenter1]

@jsowalsk , Credentials is the name for Badges in your Canvas instance.  

[jsowalsk]

@jcarpenter1 Yes, it will be changing because of: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/The-Product-Blog/Advancing-Canvas-Credentials-The-Path-from-LTI-1...