Here at ExtensionEngine, we are quite excited about the Open edX platform, the community of developers and users, and our role in both. In case you don’t know, Open edX is a free and open source course management system (CMS) originally developed by edX as a joint venture between Harvard and MIT. This platform is used all over the world to host Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as well as smaller classes and training modules.
Our excitement led us, again this year, to be a top-level sponsor for the Open edX Conference. Specifically, we’re excited about making more connections with people in the Open edX community (while learning some great stuff about the platform), giving a talk about using adaptive learning within Open edX, and the hackathon following the conference.
Conference details
The Open edX Conference is going to be held on October 12-13, 2015 on the campus of Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The focus of this conference is on the development and use of the Open edX platform. This conference is for developers, system administrators, education specialists, and anyone who works with or wants to learn more about the Open edX platform.
Get more information at the conference Web site; you can register at this page.
Talks at this year’s conference will be in four distinct groupings:
- Deploying and developing the Open edX platform
- Analytics
- Lessons from Open edX implementations
- Course authoring and extending the Open edX platform
A talk we’re giving
As I said earlier, we’re excited about this platform and community. We are doing more than making a financial commitment to this — we are lending our time and expertise. ExtensionEngine is going to be embedded in this conference, contributing in a variety of ways.
One event that we’re particularly excited about is Ed Daciuk’s talk about adaptive learning. (He’s a principle here.) This is the abstract for his talk:
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You’ve heard the hype; now learn how to deliver on its promise and potential. Focussing on the intersection of Open edX and adaptive learning technology, this discussion will delve into recent developments that allows the Open edX platform to provide adaptive learning pathways to users. We will discuss the emerging landscape of adaptive technology, illustrate the use cases for integrating adaptive learning into the Open edX platform, and show how a major international corporation is integrating third party solutions with Open edX to develop cutting edge, scalable courses with personalized learning pathways for traditionally static areas like corporate training and regulatory compliance.
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Now you can see why we’re so excited! We have had great experiences integrating adaptive technology into Open edX, and we want others to benefit from those experiences.
Hackathon
Right after the conference (on October 14-15th), we hope that you’ll join us for the 2nd Annual Open edX Con Hackathon. Community members and edX developers will work together on bringing cool ideas to life within this platform. This hackathon will be held at CIC Boston, a beautiful co-working and conference space centrally located in the middle of downtown Boston!
Due to space constraints, the hackathon will only be open to conference attendees and edX employees, so be sure to register today! The conference page will soon contain more details about projects, schedule and how to connect with other Open edX hackers.
Wrap up
So, that’s it! To us it appears that the Open edX Conference is goint to have lots of opportunities to learn, to connect, and to contribute. What more could you want? Sign up today — we hope to see you there!
