INFORMATION FOR
The Cheng Library recently launched its new LEARN badge as part of the WP LEADS Badge program. WP LEADS (Learn, Engage, Advocate, Develop, Serve) is a digital badge program coordinated by the Office of Campus Activities Service & Leadership. The purpose of WP LEADS is to provide students with additional components to their educational experience at the university and offers an Engagement Portfolio where the completion of digital badges, participation in student organizations, and other extra-curricular activities are collected to supplement student transcripts or resumes.
The LEARN Badge (Library Engagement And Research Needs) is the first digital badge offered by an academic unit on campus. The badge is de-signed to support student lifelong learning objectives and supplement academic and extra-curricular activities. The badge will deliver a new element to the WP LEADS program by offering students a variety of workshops and educational programs, guest speakers, research skills, and discovery and learning resources. The LEARN Badge is structured into four tiers of learning components: Introductory, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Each tier iscomprised of different learning outcomes and engagement components. The broad variety of topics and program offerings will enable students to pick programs which appeal to their interests. Students complete one program from each tier to complete the badge.
The first program offering students the opportunity to earn LEARN Badge credits was the annual Constitution Day program hosted by the Cheng Library on Tuesday, September 19th. This year the Constitution Day pro-gram featured a Pod-Talk from the Library’s Civic Literacy Initiative, “Affirmative Action & Higher Education.” Students and faculty who participated in the event engaged in a guided discussion using a podcast episode from Civics 101 on the recent Supreme Court ruling onrace conscious admissions policies at higher education institutions. In addition to the discussion, attendees received a participant guide which included library re-sources to further explore the topic and information from our previous Pod-Talk events. You can learn more about our Pod-Talks by visiting the Civic Literacy Initiative guide at https://guides.wpunj.edu/civicliteracy/pod-talks.
While Constitution Day marked the first opportunity for students to earn LEARN Badge credits, it is not the Library’s first venture into the WP LEADS badge program. Since 2017 the library has offered dozens of programs and events providing students with opportunities to earn credit to-wards their WP LEADS Civic Engagement Badge. With the LEARN Badge, the Library is now fully immersed in the LEADS pro-gram and continues to support our students academic, extra-curricular, and lifelong learning goals.
For more information about the LEARN Badge visit our guide at https://guides.wpunj.edu/LEARN or contact Reference & Outreach Librarian Gary Marks at marksg@wpunj.edu.
