Empirical Study on the Effect of Digital Badges in a General Physics Homework System

Abstract

In this paper, we study the effect of digital badges within an online homework system for an undergraduate general physics course at a large university in Taiwan. Students (N=162) self-selected themselves into two course sections; students in one course section (N = 68) were able to earn one badge per assignment for turning their assignments in earlier than the assignment deadline – treatment group, while students in the other section (N = 94) could not – control group. In addition to submission before a special badge deadline, students in the treatment group were also required to obtain maximum scores to get these badges. However, assignments were designed to be easy enough for students to earn the maximum grade (which students generally did). Additionally, students in the treatment group were able to earn higher level badges by combining the assignment badges. Students in the treatment group were fully aware of badge requirements and the badge design was visible. Our results show that students in the treatment group actively attempted to earn badges, and there was a statistically significant increase in the timeliness of their assignment submissions. These findings show that badges can be used to motivate specific behaviors in students whilst requiring minimal changes to the course structure.