Digital open badges (e.g. Mozilla Open Badges) offer novel possibilities in identifying and recognising competences independent of how they were acquired. Digital open badge-driven learning suggests to enhance learning by promoting inspiring gamified competence-development. This paper offers a summary of the first European doctoral dissertation to represent an innovative application of competence-based approach and gamified learning process. The summary aims to address recent theoretical approaches to digital open badge-driven learning and principles for designing gamification with badges that could potentially support a competence-based approach in continuing professional development to meet the individual professional needs. The research aimed to explore vocational teachers’ different ideas, views and experiences of the competence-based approach to professional development of digital pedagogical competences; it also sought to investigate the structure and process of digital open badge-driven learning. The data were collected from Finnish pre-and in-service vocational teachers (n=29) in 2016 via group online interviews (n=6) and via online questionnaires in 2017 (n=329). The study draws on descriptive mixed research methodologies: qualitative content analysis, phenomenography and a novel application of descriptive statistical methodology (constrained correspondence analysis) to the context of educational research. The results culminate in defining digital open badge-driven learning process grounded on the badge constellation of competences. This paper offers to summarise findings of different sub-studies emphasising gamification of competence-development. First, gamified criterion-based challenges arouse and maintain interest until the intended competence is achieved. Second, flexible study options support self-determined studying and prompt the desired learning action, allowing students to self-select the time and place of learning. Third, the option to customise studies represents another central principle: personalised study paths arouse interest and maintain students’ motivation and engagement as their studies progress. Further, inspirational play through gamification encourages students to continue their studies after completing an initial task even towards the highest possible skills set level; this motivation is particularly apparent when they are given the option to personalise their study paths entirely. The triggers of the learning process appear more versatile than the triggers of gamification or online-learning alone. In terms of digital open badge-driven learning, the prompting trigger for learning might be realised at different stages of the learning process in various forms, including community building and collaboration facilitated by gamification, scaffolding or criterion-based challenges. © The Authors, 2019. All Rights Reserved.
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