Chapter 3: Badge-Based Assessment: A Self-Study of the Functions of Feedback in Online Teacher Education Courses During COVID-19

Fostering relationships and authentic interactions with students can prove challenging in asynchronous or hybrid higher education learning environments as instructors support student achievement. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Fall 2020, the author taught (a) an undergraduate teacher education course in which students had the option to attend face-to-face or participate in a virtual, synchronous modality and (b) a fully online, asynchronous graduate level course. The author utilized badge-based assessment and grading approaches in these courses, rather than traditional percentage- or points-based grading, emphasizing feedback and increased dialogue with students to support their learning and progress. In this chapter, the author presents his teaching narrative from the Fall 2020 semester, emphasizing stories of feedback with students, as part of a self-study of his badge-based assessment approaches in online and hybrid courses. The author will share examples of course badges and how he provided feedback and engaged students in dialogue around their coursework, in spite of the challenges presented by the pandemic, using digitally mediated approaches (e.g., Zoom, comments on assignment drafts, etc.). The self-study narrative was deductively analyzed using Narciss and Huth’s (2004) functions of feedback: cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational. Conclusions are shared, including how metacognitive feedback must be emphasized in the design and implementation of course badges in an intentional manner, rather than assuming it will spontaneously or incidentally occur. Key reflections are shared regarding the impacts of self-study and implications for future research. Finally, recommendations for future reading on the topics of badge-based assessment, feedback, and self-study are shared.