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Brightspace Tip #344: Recognize Learner Accomplishments

Are you looking for a way to recognize learner accomplishments in your courses? The Awards tool enables instructors to provide merit-based awards to students. Instructors can use the Awards tool to provide students with a reward, in the form of a digital badge, that acknowledges an achievement, whether it is a skill, competency, or completed task.

bee pollinating a flower

Dr. Christopher Jones, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Washburn University, uses the Awards tool to recognize individual students in his courses. A few years ago, he stopped grading participation and started issuing badges to recognize learner accomplishments instead. A few of the badges he issues to learners in his courses are:

  • Bumblebee: Like a bumblebee, you work extremely hard in ways that aren't always appreciated.
  • Mantis shrimp: The mantis shrimp has the strongest punch and the widest visual color spectrum in the animal kingdom. Like the mantis shrimp, you see things from a lot of different angles and you aren't afraid to say so.
  • Crow: Crows are highly intelligent and they use their loud voices to stay connected to each other. Like a crow, you share your intellect and insight freely in ways that help others stay connected to the conversation.

If this has piqued your interest and you are looking to reward your students for positive behaviors, check out the sample awards in his award badges twitter thread!

Additionally, we conducted a workshop on how you can use Brightspace Awards to engage learners. In case you missed it, you can view the Engage Students Using Awards in Brightspace workshop recording at this link.

Also, we have a corresponding “Awards & Badges” module in the #LearnEverywhereXULA (#LEX) course that you can complete to earn a digital badge for this topic that will count towards your #LEX Advanced certification.

Want More Information?

The Usefulness of Digital Badges in Higher Education
Why Use Gamification in your Courses?
Issue Brightspace Awards to Recognize Learner Accomplishments
Awards Tool How-to's
Create a New Award
Brightspace Tip #237: Release Conditions

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call Janice Florent: (504) 520-7418.

Note: Are you doing something innovative in Brightspace or perhaps you've discovered a handy tip? Share how you are using Brightspace in your teaching and learning in The Orange Room.

Image credit: Image by Peggychoucair from Pixabay

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