Improving Merit Badge Universities

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There ARE unreasonable abuses of the MBU concept.

Let's have some practical ideas on how those abuses may be corrected and reasonable standards for merit badges earned at Scout Camps, MBU and in Scout Troops themselves maintained.

Some things are being done, such as requiring certifications for various aquatic Merit Badges.

What else can be done that is practical?

My knee-jerk response is to just not do them at all. It's not that there's a few "abuses of the MBU concept" - it's that the "MBU concept" is almost completely opposed to the intent, purpose and goals of the Merit Badge program.

There are a handful times when I think that "Merit Badge classes" are acceptable, mainly out of respect for the time and generosity of a volunteer counselor. For example, a counselor for a "rare" merit badge in your geographic area volunteers to host a class on a certain date, and offers considerable generosity in terms of preparation, supplies, etc. In a case like that, I have no problem with bending the rules a little bit, in order to make a "rare" opportunity available to a large number of Scouts, and also to be respectful of the generosity of the counselor. Same idea with summer camp - sometime practicality means that we should offer certain badges "en masse," rather than in the traditional 1-on-1 or small group setting.

In terms of reasonable standards, I think we mainly just need to enforce some standards that we already have - namely not signing off on a requirement unless it has actually been completed.

Another idea that might have some drawbacks is to ask each counselor to provide each Scout with his or her contact information (phone and/or email). It's incredibly unlikely that any Scout will get a badge completed in the 1-5 hours allotted in a typical MBU or summer camp, so being able to communicate with the counselor from home will almost always be necessary in order to complete the badge. That additional communication, responsibility and follow up will strike a better balance between the "economies of scale" that sometimes justify MB Classes, and the need for more personal guidance and mentoring between the counselor and the Scout.

Ever wonder why some schools advertise a student to teacher ratio? It's because there's better quality of learning (supposedly) in smaller groups. What I notice at the colleges or whatever is that 50 Scouts are lectured by an adult. Sure, the adult demonstrates his knowledge and proficiency, but does the Scout?

I'm aware that not all classes are the same. But it's becoming a trend where well-intentioned adults lecture and reward for attendance. They might learn this from the adult leader training courses they take. A few suggestions that will probably never be used include:

-Allow for INDIVIDUAL TESTING.

-Make the Scouts, not the parents, contact a counselor. No contact, no entrance. They will get the message.

-Don't accept crap. I once did a paper for Citizenship in the World on construction paper and crayon in a hurry. Never did it again once the counselor basically told me not to BS the work.

-Don't make them into generic classroom extensions of school, where they will be there and hear you, but not listen.

-If prerequisites aren't done, DON'T SIGN OFF ON THEM.

-Train counselors on merit badges and the programme. Too often I saw as a kid that they either didn't care, were passionate but boring, or sometimes they could be engaging. Mostly though, "wait you went to Philmont? Have a couple of merit badges."

-At summer camps, supervise badges more. I don't know why kids are allowed to counsel badges, as it's not their place and they have little training.

Merit Badges completed under the auspices of a Troop can be crap, too.

I recall one Eagle Scout applicant who had complete ALL of his Merit Badges with his father. My personal assessment at the time was that he was a competent 2nd Class Scout.

And as we've heard, Merit Badge classes at some Scout Troops are subject to low standards as well.

What I'm basically asking here is what policies the District Advancement Chair and council Adavancement Committee should be following to preserve the integrity of the Merit Badge program. In particular, I would suppose that District Advancement Chairs organize or are responsible for a lot of MBUs.

Biggest thing would be for council advancement committees doing their dang jobs in certifying the course. (And I see summer camps as the prime example that they don't.) If, as a Scoutmaster, I could have faith that the CAC's stamp of approval really meant that the classes are being conducted properly, I'd be more likely to allow my Scouts to attend.

Class size is the big thing, and I'm thinking no more than 6 kids for required MB or those which are particularly complicated or difficult (and if they're not, why are the being offered?) Most of these classes run about 6 hours. If you spend three hours on instruction, that only leaves 30 minutes each to sit down with the boys and sign off on the requirements the way you're supposed to.

In lieu of small classes, have multiple counselors available to help with the sign-offs. So you have Steven Spielberg teaching Cinematography or Jim Lovell for Space Exploration and 100 kids want to take it. Great, but you then need another 15 or 16 counselors available to complete the work 1-on-1.

Or only use blue cards signed in advance by the Scoutmaster. All others get a certificate listing the requirements they completed (even if they completed all of them) which they could then take to a regular MBC who could accept the requirements as complete, work with the Scout enough to know how he did and/or make him re-do the requirements. Registration materials need to make clear to Scouts and parents that the Merit Badge process includes the prior approval of your SM. Without it, your unit is under no obligation to accept the Merit Badge.(This message has been edited by Twocubdad)

Here's an idea ...

Don't sign off on any badge at the MBU. At the end of the weekend, boys get the MBC's contact info and can arrange an appointment in the following weeks.

Use the U primarily for the "Explain" and "Demonstrate" portion, and for boys to meet a bunch of counselors and vice versa, and buy the book if they're interested. That way their contact after they get their blue card isn't so "cold." Then, they can set up the "Guide" and "Enable" portion later.

(I'm just using EDGE for argument's sake here.)

Seattle,

I am interpreting your comment on "preserving the integrity of the MB program" as meaning guiding the MB program to be consistent with the aims of scouting.

I think that "preserving the integrity" can be interpreted by some as placing more emphasis on the program than on the scout. Which I don't think you meant.

Part of the issue with MBUs is that there are different motives driving some of the sponsors, vs. many of the scouting participants. While one group is concerned about quality and integrity of the program, the other group may be concerned about costs, profits, and volume.

Here's my experience:

A service club at a nearby University runs an annual MBU. They use it as a fund raiser. The quality of the "instruction" is poor (I can say this, as someone who has, in the past, participated as an instructor). Part of the reason for the poor quality has to do with the way it is set up. The first time I did it, I arrived to discover that I was counseling the Communications badge to an audience of a couple hundred, in a huge lecture hall. Um hm. Not what I had been told to expect. Oh, and none of the technology in the classroom was accessible unless one had a university instructor code. Another part of the reason has to do with how counselors are recruited. Upon arrival, I discovered that they'd recruited two of us to teach the same session in the same room at the same time - and told neither of us. So we both had different, unconnected, ideas of how we'd be doing it and had to coordinate on the fly. The third reason that the quality suffered was because they wanted people to get completed badges - to drive return customers (and fund raising) in following years.

So, as a fundraiser, the incentives were to pack as many boys into sessions, get as many completed merit badges, and do as little leg work to coordinate the whole thing, as possible.

I did participate as a counselor for a couple of years. The first was a disaster, and I tried to be constructive and helpful with feedback (even offering to help advise the student service club in future years, since I also work at that same school). They made a few small changes, but the situation never really improved and after 2 or 3 years I gave it up as a bad job. They didn't want to improve their fundraising model, which worked just fine for them.

there needs to be better methods of removing an mbc who allows mb candidates to slide thru. This would also apply to service groups who put on a faulty mb university. Where's the Inspector General?

National needs to decide which merit badges can be taught en masse, and which can't (or parts thereof). And also which should take more than a day -- allowing for contemplation and insight.

It's tough to get all the volunteers that are needed (Duh!). We need to work with what we have. Maybe National could provide a better set of curriculum guidelines for the instructor.

I've read lots of threads on complaints about the Merit Badge part of the Scout program ---many no doubt justified.

About the only practical solution I've encountered is for Scoutmasters to exert themselves and take charge of where Scouts are directed to complete Merit Badges.

But that doesn't do anything about weaknesses in the program as a whole.

I suggest that the other major solution would be for more volunteers to participate in their district or council advancement committees where there is a lot more authority to address these issues and make standards and solutions stick.

Most districts have monthly committee meeting of adult leaders you could attend, and I suspect that most district advancement committees would be glad to have more unit leaders volunteer to attend advancement committee meetings and help manage the advancement programs.

I chair a Merit Badge Trail Drive event spanning 3 Saturdays, each one 2 weeks apart.

Here's what it IS and IS NOT.

It IS focused on offering badges not primarily offered at our local Summer Camp.

Class size IS limited, to 10-15 Scouts,... usually closer to 7-9. I have 3 sessions each Saturday day with ~20 different MB's each session, usually have ~250 Scouts spread out.

It IS NOT a fundraiser. the registration fee ($5) covers the patch, janitorial fees (and some administrative costs (paper, printer ink, extra Blue Cards..).

MBC's give out their contact info since it's expected outside work IS needed to complete the badge requirements.

Its stressed to Scout & MBC's that ATTENDANCE IS NOT PARTICIPATION.

I personally extend MBC training to new MBC's, and I only use the Council MBC approved list of councilors who have current YPT and use email (I use email for communication before, during and after the event).

I use Blue Cards originating from the Troop (signed by the SM), and provide a Troop/Scout MB report spreadsheet with any progress for each MB and return the updated/and/or/signed Blue Cards to the Unit (not the Scout) after the event. I use the Blue Cards (last thing touched by the MBC) to check my electronic record which also has a check mark for Blue Card (so no Blue card is lost).

My MBC's have no quota to fill, and have the option to continue working with the Scout when the event is closed.

The event IS NOT a give-away in any shape/form, in fact, I announce the ATTENDANCE IS NOT PARTICIPATION during preceding RT's and at the opening Ceremony.

I believe the event is well regarded in our council and outside the council. I even get some Scouts from out of state.

Hello dg98adams,

Sounds like a fine program!

Is this a district program, and a program of the district advancement committee perhaps?

Who developed this program, and where did the motivation to do so come from?

dg98,

Congratulations on running a MB trail drive. I hadn't heard that term before, nor seen something that spans multiple weekends. (I am assuming that the participants are working on the same MBs over the course 3 weekends, rather than on different MB's each weekend). I am sure that there is a lot of work to doing it right.

My experience teaching at a MB weekend was much like Lisabobs. (I particpated reluctantly - it was a favor to a friend that organized the weekend, and the person he had lined up had to back out at the last minute.). The expectation was that scouts would "earn" their FA MB in a half day session. Format was for counsellor to show a skill, have the scouts do it, then sign off completion of the requirement. Had several scouts specifically ask if they would "earn" the badge that day. Didn't get through all of them, so sent scouts home with partials. but I did not feel proud, or feel that the scouts went away with much, if any, knowledge that would be retained in what I consider an important life skill. Pure impression that completing the badge was what was more important than actually learning a useful skill. But perhaps thats just me.

Scouts went away from the weekend with 3 or 4 badges, all with the focus of getting badges rather than a focus of providing experiences.

And that is where I think the MB program falls short in its implemetation. Adults have an objective of helping a scout earn a badge, and particularly when done in a large group setting with expectations (whether stated or unstated) that scouts will leave with completed badges. To do so, adults end up finding ways to provide short cuts. To remove things that BSA has explicitly stated are part of the MB process, such as completing requirements individually (how does one effectively have a class of 10 or 20 or more all complete multiple "describe" requirements with a single counsellor?)

I differ in the belief that National or Council should do something to ensure quality at the local level. I believe that is up to the folks at the local level. I think that expecting National/council to do something additional in this realm is analogous to expecting the Federal/state government to solve all of our problems. Sure, they could, but I for one don't really want them to be more intrusive in my life. (Does that make me a Libertarian?)

Note: I also think that the material for training counsellors is quite good at laying out expectations for MB counsellors and the MB program (http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/TrainingModules/MeritBadgeCounselorInstructorsGuide.aspx). It simply gets ignored, discounted, or not referred to, and that is a choice at the local level. Every unit has the ability to vote with its feet. And with the prevelance of experiences that dont match dg98's described program, the feet are saying that there are customers for the opportunity to knock out a few quick MB's. Don't blame the providers when there are willing customers.

Discussions like this are great, because they bring up a lot of pros and cons, and then folks can make informed choices based on the priorities that they have for their unit.

(This message has been edited by venividi)

I understand holding classes for hard to get merit badges like Aviation, nuclear science, it is difficult to find a councilor.

I don't see the need for the citizenships or even 20 to be offered together.

I wonder the whys of offering such a course......Was it at the encouragement of a DE????? Improve his advancement numbers.

So please explain to me why or your motivation to organize such a thing??????

How many completed merit badges are generated by this event????

The Chief Seattle Council in Seattle has had an alternate means of promoting particular Merit Badges by partnering with major corporations to present a merit badge.

An example would be a program conducted recently by Alaska Airlines to present an aviation Merit Badge. This was promoted from the top by the CEO of Alaska Airlines, and not surprisingly co-operation was great all along the way.

Boy Scouts encountered pilots, mechanics and other trades and professions in a high developed program. They had access to the latest in facilities and equipment to inspect.

I'll bet this was a superior experience for the scores of boys who took this program.

The Chief Seattle council has organized several of these in the past few years.