There are a number of excellent materials that address this topic. These are not required for the course. Explore them as your time and interest allow.

Assessment

• Educative Assessment, Designing Assessments to Inform and Improve Student Performance; Wiggins, Grant; © 1998.
  

Badges

• First Aid Merit Badge Requirements - from the Boy Scouts of America
• A Future Full of Badges, The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Think Different? Not in Higher Ed, The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Digital Badges Could Significantly Impact Higher Education, U.S. News and World Report
  
• How Will Mozilla's Open Badges Project Affect Higher Ed?, Inside Higher Ed
• Badges for Lifelong Learning Competition Winners Announced, (Supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)
  
• Mozilla Open Badge Project