Making Informal Recognition Visible and Accessible Erasmus Project

Project Title

Making Informal Recognition Visible and Accessible

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits); Research and innovation; Access for disadvantaged

Project Summary

Background
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More than 90% of what we learn throughout life takes place outside formal education institutions, in everyday life, at work, in social or domestic activities. Yet this learning which is characterised as “non-formal” or “informal”, unlike “formal” learning, remains essentially invisible: if formal education is made visible through its diplomas and certificates, what about informal learning? There are, of course, recognition mechanisms such as the Validation of Acquired Experience (VAE) in France, but this involves going through the filter of formal education institutions and obtaining a diploma. The only visible recognition of informal learning was formal recognition.

This was the situation until 2011, the year of the invention of Open Badges: with Open Badges it became possible to make informal learning visible without having to go through the institutional box. Moreover, while Open Badges had been designed to “make informal learning visible”, they were also intended to “make informal recognition visible”.

The main objective of MIRVA (Making Informal Recognition Visible and Actionable) was therefore to study how Open Badges could contribute not only to making these recognitions visible, but above all “actionable”, notably by relying on the new Open Badges 2.0 specification. As Open Badges could now be “endorsed” by any person or institution to informally accredit their value and timeliness, we had the possibility of shifting the centre of gravity of recognition to the informal space, giving people more room for manoeuvre in a recognition process currently dominated by formal educational institutions.

Thanks to working closely with associated partners in the various collectives initiated following the creation of the Reconnaître- Open Recognition Alliance, MIRVA has produced :
* Open Recognition Framework
* Guidelines for communities and individuals
* Guidelines for organisations and practitioners
* Guidelines for technology suppliers and customers
* Guidelines for linking informal recognition to benchmarks

Results beyond initial expectations
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The initial objectives of the project were largely exceeded, particularly in France where the results of the reflections carried out during the design of the Open Recognition Framework were taken up by the rapporteurs on the revision of the VAE appointed by five ministers to “identify the blocking points” of the system of validation of acquired experience (VAE) and “formulate proposals for concrete evolutions”.

Following Badgeons la Normandie, Reconnaître has enabled MIRVA to develop through “learning territories” projects in which dozens of local organisations promote the ideas and practices of open recognition:
– Badgeons le Centre Val de Loire
– Badgeons les Pays de la Loire
– Badges Ouverts A Tous (BOAT) en Nouvelle Aquitaine
– Collectif BRAVO en Bourgogne Franche-Comté
– Badgeons la Mayenne
– Badgeons le Pas de Calais
– Badganou le collectif de la Réunion
– Badgeons le Grand-Est
– Manche Open badge

Other results :
– Creation of Reconnaître-Open Recognition Alliance (not-for-profit association)
– Creation of Open Recognition Belgium (not-for-profit association)
– Creation of Open Recognition Netherlands (not-for-profit association)
– Creation of Bit of Trust (start-up on the future of Open Badges technology)
– Setting up new European projects on Open Recognition
– Financing of several Open Recognition projects within the framework of Plan d’investissement dans les Compétences (PIC)
– Creation of REVA (REconnaissance VAlidation) a state-sponsored startup to support a “renewed” approach to recognition of prior learning and experience using Open Badges.

Participants
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1. EMF (Centre for Scientific, Technical and Industrial Culture) – France
2. EAEA (European NGO – Adult Education) – Belgium
3. FiBS (Research Institute for Economics of Education and Social Affairs) – Germany
4. Gear Up (Consultancy) The Netherlands
5. EPL EFPA EURE (Higher Education) – France
6. Open Knowledge (NGO) – Belgium
7. CINECA (Research Centre) – Italy
8. Mind 2 Innovate (Expert Group on Education, Research, Social Innovation and Industry) – Greece

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 444013 Eur

Project Coordinator

ESPACE MENDES FRANCE-MAISON DES SCIENCES ET TECHNIQUES DU POITOU-CHARENTES & Country: FR

Project Partners

• CINECA CONSORZIO INTERUNIVERSITARIO
• OPEN KNOWLEDGE BELGIUM
• FiBS-Forschungsinstitut für Bildungs- und Sozialökonomie
• EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF ADULTS
• GEAR UP
• ETABLISSEMENT PUBLIC LOCAL D’ENSEIGNEMENT ET DE FORMATION PROFESSIONNELLE AGRICOLE DE L’EURE
• MINDINN MONOPROSOPI IKE