This Mouse Design League Badge is formally endorsed by Parsons School for Design. In this context, badge endorsement is the action of having expert individuals or institutions formally recognize or value the achievements of learners participating in learning experiences outside of their own institution.
The purpose of this endorsement is to pronounce relationships between organizations with shared goals related to skills-building and to establish more explicit learning pathways for individuals who seek expertise applicable to their personal or professional interests.
A “Badge,” in this context, is a graphic representation of a skill or competency that is accessed online, earned through a specific criteria, and that links to “evidence” or portfolio data that can be reviewed by various stakeholders.
The process of endorsing this badge includes the following steps:
- formal alignment of desired curricular outcomes
- in-person review of partner organization’s programming and pedagogy at through multiple touchpoints by University stakeholders
- in-person evaluation and critique of project-based work product by University stakeholders
Endorsement leverages highly relevant third-party relationships to amplify the value of credible learning experiences wherever they occur. Learners utilized endorsed credentials as a supplement to formal application processes, and informally as evidence of skills and competencies.
Through this specific endorsement partnership these two institutions aim to increase pre-college student awareness about the Design and Technology as a course of study and work. Mouse and Parsons are joined in the effort to promote endorsed credentialing to increase diversity and access to pre-college student learning particularly in the areas of design, engineering, and technology.
