For an overview about the optional TiPPS digital badge and access to the TiPPS Discord community, please watch the video for Module 8, Lesson 3: Earning Your Digital Badge.
Then for more details, see the information and FAQs below.
THE TiPPS DIGITAL BADGE (OPTIONAL)
For those who want to take their learning further, we offer, for a nominal fee, access to our TiPPS Discord Community and the opportunity to earn the TiPPS digital badge.
In the TiPPS Discord Community, we have channels representing the 8 modules and more, where you can asynchronously post your questions, get feedback on portfolio documents, and share resources and tips. The TiPPS community will consist of fellow TiPPS participants who have gone through the modules just like you as well as TiPPS facilitators, as time permits. Please remember to follow our TiPPS Netiquette Guidelines when using Discord; violators may be barred from future access.
The feedback and advice you receive there will aid you in revising and fine-tuning your key portfolio items, which are necessary for the TiPPS digital badge. See criteria for it below.
DIGITAL BADGE CRITERIA
The TiPPS digital badge recognizes participants who have learned the module content and applied it to create a mini-portfolio.
To earn the TiPPS digital badge, you must do the following:
- Complete all TED-Ed lessons in the 8 Modules (including their Think, Dig Deeper, and Discuss sections).
- Complete a mini-portfolio containing the following:
- a Revised Philosophy of Teaching Statement
- a Revised CV, tailored for a particular job ad
- a Revised Cover Letter, tailored for a particular job ad, and
- a Revised Activity write-up
NOTE: To prepare for this, all the original drafts you wrote for these documents during the Modules should receive subsequent feedback from at least two colleagues (e.g., a TiPPS facilitator or fellow participants in the Discord community) and be revised accordingly.
- Complete a 3-2-1 Reflection on your TiPPS experience.
- Complete the Final Evaluation Form (link provided to TiPPS digital badge registrants), and then you will get the link to a separate Digital Badge Request form, where you can submit your mini-portfolio items and 3-2-1 Reflection for review. Once approved, your digital badge will be awarded.
REGISTRATION
To gain access to the TiPPS Discord community and to have your submitted documents evaluated for the TiPPS digital badge, there is a $25 registration fee, good for 2 years from the original date of registration.
Cancelation policy: To receive a refund for a registration fee, cancellation requests must be submitted via email no later than 30 days after the date of payment. A $5 processing fee may be subtracted from refunds. Cancelation will mean that access to the TiPPS Discord community will be removed and requests for digital badges will not be accepted.
Registration form coming soon
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a digital badge?
A badge is a digital mark indicating a completion of a learning event that leads to the acquisition of a specific skill, quality, or knowledge. In a nutshell, digital badges are small images that contain validated and shareable information about the learning event completed by the badge owner and the acquired skills or knowledge. The badges offered by the National Foreign Language Resource Center are created using Badgr. For more information about badges, please watch this video (2 min. 44 sec.).
What is Discord and how do I use it?
Discord is a messaging platform where you can leave text or audio posts to interact with other TiPPS community members or facilitators. The TiPPS Discord is divided into 10 channels. The #0 – general channel is for TiPPS announcements, general inquiries about TiPPS or its digital badge, questions about Discord, and so forth. The subsequent channels (#1 – #8) reflect the 8 TiPPS Modules, so if you have questions regarding the content, lessons, or tasks for a particular module, it’s best to post in that particular channel. Finally the #random channel is for posting items or resources outside of TiPPS that may be of interest to community members.
You can access Discord either via your web browser or downloadable app for your platform. New to Discord? Check our their Beginner’s Guide to Discord.
Am I required to use Discord?
No, using Discord is optional. But especially, if you don’t have fellow students or colleagues that you can get feedback from locally for your portfolio items, Discord provides a virtual community for that. Also, there may be occasions when you have a quick question related to the Module content or not exactly covered in TiPPS, it can serve as a good place to ask. How much or how little you use it is entirely up to you.
If the TED-Ed lessons are free, why is there a fee for the TiPPS digital badge and Discord community?
The TiPPS TED-Ed lessons are open educational resources (OERs), our contribution to the field to help more in our profession get the jobs they deserve. All of our best strategies and advice are available throughout this free website and its lessons. If participants want additional help, feedback, or the opportunity to earn the digital badge, it will require additional staff time beyond the scope of this project, primarily to evaluate materials submitted for the digital badge but also secondarily to moderate and participate in the TiPPS Discord community as needed. The registration fee ($25) also helps ensure that only those serious about getting feedback and getting the badge will have access.
To make the best use of your money, we recommend registering when you are either actively pursuing the digital badge or hunting for a job (i.e., times when you will actively be using TiPPS resources and possibly be in need of additional TiPPS help). It may be helpful to go through the self-study TED-Ed lessons first to see if they might be sufficient for your purposes and then if you need more, register at that point.
Once I pay the fee, is there a time limit for accessing the Discord community and earning the digital badge?
Once you pay your registration fee, you will have two years from your registration date to earn the digital badge and have access to the TiPPS Discord community. If you need an extension, you are welcome to register again.
If I submit my materials for the TiPPS digital badge and for some reason they don’t meet the criteria, do I have the ability to resubmit?
Yes. We want you to earn your digital badge, so if it takes more than once, that is totally fine. We would provide you with feedback on what needs to be remedied and you can resubmit with a direct link to the Digital Badge Request Form. You would just need to do it within the two-year span of your TiPPS digital badge registration.
Queries about TiPPS? Please feel free to contact us