The project aims to enhance and broaden the reach of Computer Science (CS) education in the U.S., responding to the increasing industry demand for computational literacy across all sectors and job levels. It emphasizes the need to scale CS education effectively without compromising core learning objectives, such as those defined by the College Board’s Computer Science Principles.

Role of Badges in CS Education

The project explores the use of digital badges—visually distinctive and validated indicators of achievement—as tools for:

• Motivating students

• Signaling educational accomplishments

The research questions whether existing theories of Motivation and Assessment are sufficient to explain and guide badge design for both student engagement and performance measurement.

Theory and Experimental Framework

The research, conducted by Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh, proposes a three-category badge theory, where each badge type is associated with distinct motivational and assessment mechanics. They will:

• Test and refine the badge theory within the Computer Science Student Network (CS2N) platform.

• Monitor and adapt badge systems and assessments across CS content modules aligned with established CS learning objectives.

• Experimentally manipulate badge use to identify optimal configurations for learning outcomes.

Platform and Implementation

The CS2N environment already implements a badge structure that corresponds well with the proposed theoretical framework, offering a practical setting to evaluate the impact of different badge types on student achievement and module completion.

Intellectual Merit 

The project aims to formalize and test a Theory of Badges specific to Computer Science Education by addressing key design, research, and evaluation questions:

• Design Questions:

  • Which types of badges are perceived as desirable, clear, and accurate indicators of student performance?

• Research Questions:

  • Can the proposed theory reliably predict associations between specific badge types and motivational states?

  • Can it predict causal pathways from motivation (e.g., engagement, interest) to broader outcomes like skill acquisition or career aspirations?

• Evaluation Questions:

  • Does implementing the badge system increase:

    • Student persistence in learning

    • Mastery of CS content

    • Interest in CS careers

Broader Impacts 

• The project leverages strong ties with large robotics competitions (e.g., VEX and FTC) to reach a wide audience of students and educators.

• The CS2N platform will serve as the operational base for the study and improvements made to its badge system will benefit current users.

• CS2N also provides a scalable infrastructure to:

  • Reach more students in the future

  • Distribute badged Computer Science content more widely

• Enhancements to content module assessments will improve alignment with Computer Science Principles.

• The Theory of Badges is expected to influence future badge system development in CS education and beyond.

• CS2N will remain available as a research platform to support ongoing and future CS education research.

• All research findings regarding badges and CS learning outcomes will be formally published for broader academic use.