Digital Badges and Ethics: The Uses of Individual Learning Data in Social Contexts

Abstract

Empirical evidence contained in open digital badges has the capability to change educational curricula, assessments, and priorities. Because badge data in educational, social media, and workforce contexts is publicly available, questions of privacy and ethics should be scrutinized. Due to change driven by digital transparency, ethical questions at the intersection of learning analytics and the data contained in badges poses three distinct, yet related questions: within learning analytics systems, can the use of educational data in digital badges be used in a predictive manner to create a deterministic future for individual learners? Can badge data that is freely and openly accessible in social media be used against individuals if it exposes intellectual weaknesses? And, can the student data in badges be isolated to exploit particular skills for nefarious reasons, i.e. surveillance or hacking? These questions address ethical principles of human autonomy, freedom, and determinism.