In this paper, we look at how a course implemented as a traditional lecture and as a badge-based course compare in terms of grade distribution. Our pilot badge-based course was taught in 2013 and 2014, and our grade results show that the grade distribution was similar to the lecture-based course with the added benefit of students at the upper end of the class demonstrating significantly deeper knowledge in the subject matter. The low-performing students, arguably, learned the same amount of material as they would have in a lecture based course, and benefited from not wasting their own time (and others) in participating in things they were not interested in. Similarly, more ambitious students were able to pursue interest paths within computer architecture at their own pace.
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