Educational Functions and Design of Badge Systems: A Conceptual Literature Review

In today's technological era, emerging educational technologies, such as digital badges, have shown the potential for fostering student learning. To examine the major considerations undergirding the design of digital badges used in an educational context, a conceptual literature review of multidisciplinary electronic databases oriented towards computing and education was undertaken. The three core design dimensions found in our analysis were the specific function of badges, the structure of badge systems, and the different types of design and interaction features used with badges. We highlight the main effects of studies addressing these dimensions and provide recommendations and suggestions for further research to educational stakeholders who seek to better understand how to implement badges within their own institutions.