How Mormon Badges are Riding the Wave of Internet Culture

Project Overview

The Mormon Badges project aimed to integrate badges with culture, doctrine and programs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Through rewarding learning about LDS doctrine and misconceptions, the project used badges as an education resource to engage youth in activities, promote gospel learning for investigators and members alike, and to supplement existing Church programs.

The Open Movement (Open Education Movement)

The Open Movement is an online movement moving away from controlled structures to utilize the inherent sharable capabilities of digital media and the internet. One specific example is the open education movement, which aims to share and promote resources and techniques which allow education and online learning to become accessible to anyone no matter if they are a student at a major university or just someone who wants to learn more about something that interests them. Badges are an open educational resource as they rely upon the idea of open learning, that any person can drive their own learning in order to learn about what interest them no matter if they are earning a degree or not, through an open credentialing system. Not only are these badges inherently sharable, but they also rely on open coursework and requirements to demonstrate that learning has legitimately occurred.

Gamification

Gamification refers to companies, programs, applications, etc. that implement or promote a game-like atmosphere in order to make things more fun and interesting.  Companies that take advantage of gamification can capitalize on the natural human tendency toward play, and make less than desirable activities more engaging.  Badges are an important example of Gamification. Badges provide an achievement for gaining granular knowledge, and thus encourage and improve continued learning.  Mormon Badges specifically use this growing trend to engage the youth in Church activities, educate and engage members in Gospel learning, and supplement the CES curriculum.

Commodification of Learning

Learning has always been a commodity, but badges represent a new (or reinvented) commodification of learning, in which knowledge and skills are represented by a shareable digital badge.  In other words, badges are a commodity that represents learning.  As badges gather speed and popularity, they will increase their fungibility-- their ability to be used as online currency which can be used to obtain job opportunities and entrance to new learning communities for the user.