Full STEAM ahead! Expanding Equity through Digital Badge Portfolios

Panel

The separation between high school and college can feel like a distinct edge or maybe even like a chasm to some communities who are not adequately encouraged or supported in applying to higher education opportunities. We know that the more connections, pathways and bridges we build that link high school and college experiences the more supported young people, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, will be and the more they will thrive in their learning journey. We are looking at the edge separating high school and college as a site for incredible opportunity to rethink admissions protocols, faculty/applicant engagement, alternative credentials and mentoring strategies. We are not alone in this work. There is a nationwide trend of initiatives such as the Coalition for Affordability and Access, the test-optional movement and the Common Application who have recognized the potential of gathering thought leaders at the intersection of pre-college and higher education. We are looking to build our work in concert with this momentum and to engage with the DEL conference to share our methods and also learn from others who are innovating at the edge of youth programming and higher education access.

Timetable

Our presentation will focus on the successes and challenges we've encountered while implementing portfolio development and badging initiatives with New York City youth. We will share how we've partnered non-profit youth serving organizations with higher education institutions to establish official endorsement agreements that bolster individual applications to college. We plan to leave time for discussion and a closing exercise.

Introduction to Badging Portfolio Project (10 min)
Why portfolio-driven practices in K12 are key to this effort (5 min)
Research Goals for the near future (5 min)
Open Discussion (15 min)
Closing: Envisioning 15% Solutions Exercise (10 min)

Takeaway

Participants will learn about successful methods to utilize endorsement and alternative credentialing as a method to increase equity and access within an organization without needing to spend significant financial capital on such an endeavor. Participants will learn about a case study that details how to successfully implement a community/higher education partnership through co-design. This will be an opportunity for further discussion about how to be involved in a growing network of peers focused on alternative credentialing and increasing access to higher education for under-represented populations.

Abstract

We are a team of designers, faculty, researchers and non-profit leaders collaborating with peer institutions in New York, Boston and Philadelphia to build a network of higher education partners who value a mission to increase equity and access to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) fields using alternative credentialing methods. We are in our second year of a three-year project funded by the National Science Foundation to explore how we can best support pre-college experiences that nurture the next generation of designers, engineers and creative makers. While our pedagogical approach is universal by design, we are primarily focused on supporting under-represented communities including low income and first-generation students in their pathway to college. We are seeing a promising trend of traditionally underserved youth building confidence in their STEAM capabilities through their documentation of pre-college experiences and we are eager to share these methodologies with colleagues in the field so we can work together to create a more inclusive future in higher education.

Criteria for admission to colleges of art and design have traditionally revolved around the demonstration of strong skills evidenced in a portfolio of final work. Given that this is the standard approach for validating college-bound youth, we must ask "Who gets left behind in this model" and "How do we ensure that all young people have access to creating portfolios that evidence their personal voice?" We are experimenting with alternative methods of credentialing, including badging, along with peer-to-peer models of youth-led teaching as modes for increasing access to higher education through portfolio creation. We have learned that in order to better support 21st-century learners, the admissions portfolio of tomorrow will be much different than the one we see today. It will be multidisciplinary, easily sharable across media, and adaptable to different audiences. It will tell the story of learning rather than solely illustrating final products. Like an eagle scout badge or IP score we imagine these innovative portfolios to carry significant clout and to signal adversity and grit but without gamifying a system that plays to power and privilege. This is a tall order so we are actively co-designing with other education partners who hold equity and access at the center of their mission.