New technologies are being used at University of California – Davis to determine student participation and competency in its “sustainable agriculture program”.

Interestingly, the fact that the system allows assessment on competency is the reason the approach is gaining attention nationwide.

The idea was hatched as the university worked toward the 2011 launch of the sustainable ag major. It’s an ambitious interdisciplinary program, featuring collaboration among eight departments in the university’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences as well as the Agricultural Sustainability Institute.

The new curriculum is particularly hands-on, with lots of experiential learning that occurs outside the classroom, such as through internships and fieldwork. Much of that learning isn’t captured by conventional grading.

…There are seven core competencies in the program. Employers contributed to the identification of those competencies, which include systems thinking, experimentation and inquiry, understanding values, interpersonal communications, strategic management, civic engagement and personal development.

For example, competency in systems thinking requires students to integrate societal, environmental and economic perspectives into their analysis of complex systems.

Each competency connects to digital badges students can earn for their experiences, skills and knowledge. The badges themselves are graphical representations of an accomplishment – basically the digital version of a felt patch a Boy or Girl Scout might earn.

…The university is drawing plenty of attention for the new badges. Normoyle is fielding invitations to speak around the country. Interest is also high on campus and among employers.

Several experts on experiential learning said they are taking badges seriously. So is Michael V. Reilly, executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

Reilly said he is in favor of efforts to capture students’ experiences outside the classroom, whether through e-portfolios, badging or other ideas.

“The transcript is pretty limited in what it does,” he says. “Students want a broader representation of their experiences.”

Reilly likes what he has heard about the badging system at UC-Davis, particularly because Normoyle isn’t talking about replacing college credentials.

“It’s very much the right way to go,” he says, “and much less confrontational.”