(Floe) Badging: The Outside-In Project
Background
Outside-IN provides on-line training in skills that relate to accessibility and inclusion. With funding from the Government of Ontario, the initial target cohort was Ontario youth who self-identified as having an episodic disability; however the program was open to any interested participants. Participants who met project criteria were paired with a mentor to support their learning. The expectation was that over time, participants would become mentors themselves.
The Outside-IN Project incorporates the use of badging. Participants are able to earn badges for completed stages of each workshop, which can then be used to demonstrate their acquired skills to potential employers.
On This Page
Learning Approaches
A variety of learning approaches are available within the Outside-IN project, including
short but resource rich, online feature topics,
full online workshops,
experiential learning (see A11YCan Hackathon Web Page, A11YCan Twitter Feed) , and
onsite, in-person resource sessions on self-employment and job readiness.
Feature Topics
Feature topics provide a brief introduction to topics that are explored in more depth in the online workshops. These features are resource rich and provide participants with information about current reading and social media offerings on the topic.
Outside-IN offers three feature topics:
Redefining Disability, Inclusion and Access
Online Workshops
Outside-IN online workshops can be completed in as little as one day or as long as three or more weeks. The speed of training depends upon the preferences of the participant. While completing the online workshops, participants receive badges for various stages of skill development.
Online workshop topics include:
Web Accessibility,
Document Accessibility,
Video Captioning,
3D Printing,
Laser Cutting and
Appreciative Inquiry.
One goal of the project was to assist participants in on-the-job, self-employment training. When a workshop is completed, participants become eligible to work on related projects with the support of a mentor, until full competency is achieved. Note: this aspect of the project has not been fully realised due to time constraints and the inability of obligated organizations to develop appropriate requests for services during the project funding period.
Badging
Badges are awarded as skills and competencies are gained by participants. Badges may be awarded automatically by a “trigger” activity such as completing and submitting an assignment, or based on evaluation by a mentor or facilitator. Badges are shown in each course in the form of a “leader board” as well as on a personal portfolio page. Each workshop typically provides 4 badges: the first three badges reflect competency-building and the fourth badge represents completion of the online training.Badges for online workshops are described in the following sections.
Web Accessibility Auditing Badges
Principles of Website Auditing
The holder of this badge has demonstrated their understanding of the fundamental concepts and principles of website auditing. This badge is completed upon completion of the “Getting Started with Web Accessibility Auditing” and “Web Accessibility Guidelines” components of the Outside-IN “Website Auditing” course.
Student of Website Auditing
The holder of this badge is on their way to becoming a website accessibility auditor. This badge is earned after completing the "Getting Started with Web Accessibility Auditing" lesson in the Outside-IN "Website Auditing" curriculum.
Tools of Website Auditing
The holder of this badge has demonstrated their ability to use the tools related to website auditing. This badge is received upon completion of the “Evaluation Tools” and “Evaluation Process” components of the Outside-IN “Website Auditing” course.
Website Auditing Competency
The holder of this badge is proficient in the principles and tools of Website Auditing. The holder can integrate these capabilities to audit a website in order to improve its accessibility. This badge is earned upon completion of the Outside-IN Website Auditing curriculum in its entirety.
Video Captioning Badges
Principles of Video Captioning
The holder of this badge has demonstrated their understanding of the fundamental concepts and principles of video captioning. This badge is completed upon completion of the “Some caption basics” and “Form and Structure of Captions” components of the Outside-IN “Video Captioning” course.
Student of Video Captioning
The holder of this badge is on their way to becoming a video captioner. This badge is earned after completing the first lesson in the Outside-IN “Video Captioning” curriculum.
Tools of Video Captioning
The holder of this badge has demonstrated their ability to use the tools related to video captioning. This badge is granted upon completion of the “Introducing YouTube’s Caption Infrastructure” and “Using the YouTube Caption Editor” components of the Outside-IN “Video Captioning” course.
Video Captioning Competency
The holder of this badge is proficient in the principles and tools of video captioning. The holder can integrate these capabilities to caption videos in order to improve their accessibility. This badge is earned upon completion of the Outside-IN Video Captioning curriculum in its entirety.
Portfolio Page
All participants are provided with a personal space that can be self-edited to show personal information and to display earned badges. Participants can direct prospective employers to their badge page to demonstrate their skills.
