This dissertation consists of three journal articles about using open digital badges to improve learning performance and facilitate students' goal setting processes. In the first study, we investigated the impact of instructional ODBs on pre-service teachers' perceived technology capabilities and their actual learning performance in a large…

Post-secondary education attainment results in higher salaries (Pew Research Center, 2014) and an increase in positive societal benefits (Baum, Ma, & Payea, 2013). Nevertheless, only 31% of U.S. citizens over the age of 25 have a bachelor's degree (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). While tradition would dictate the preparation for going to college…

Modern day students in higher education are challenged by the daily struggle of balancing life outside of school, the impetus to use technology in many aspects of their daily tasks, and their self-identified placement along the Self-Determination Theory continuum; however, gamifying a class may benefit students needing motivational incentives as a…