Beyond Grades: Harnessing Digital Badges to Champion Holistic Skill Development and Celebrate Active Engagement across a Large Enrollment Organic Chemistry Module

In a technology-enhanced learning environment and underpinned by a unique hybrid pedagogic model that borrows from gamification, constructivism, and experiential learning approaches, badges were purposefully used to foster engagement. This approach promoted the development of a mindset that identifies and appreciates the worth of a portfolio of practical and general skills developed across an entire introductory organic chemistry lab course. Within the subthemes of General Laboratory Skills, Purification and Characterization Skills, and Professional Desk-Based Skills, ten key microskills that align with course objectives were identified. A visually attractive badge icon that clearly illustrates the specific achievement was created for each. Development of each skill was presented as a standalone short-term goal to be rewarded with an individual task-completion badge. Award criteria included effort and engagement with structured prelab activities, including LearnSci lab sims, instructional videos and online quizzes, hands-on laboratory experience, and postlab reporting. The broad range afforded students opportunities to construct their knowledge and skills across different scenarios, both on and off campus. Award criteria were judiciously selected for their compatibility with our Virtual Learning Environment, Moodle, and its badges plugin. In this way, the logistical demands of validation and badge issuance for a large enrollment class were serviced by technology. Across two academic cycles, ∼3,250 badges were awarded to ∼370 students. Survey responses show that participants found this hybrid pedagogic approach useful for highlighting skill development and evidencing achievement. Students considered it an attractive teaching method that positively impacted on their education and enabled them to make links between in-curriculum skill acquisition and competency for employment.