Conference Highlights
Featured Highlights for OEB22
Saul Carliner
Professor, Concordia University, Canada
Saul Carliner is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Education at Concordia University in Montreal, where his research focuses on the design of instructional and informational materials for the workplace, the management of groups that produce them, and related issues of policy.
Also an industry consultant, Carliner has provided strategic advice, and conducted workshops and evaluations for organizations like Alltel Wireless, Boston Scientific, PwC, ST Microelectronics, and several government agencies.
He is the author of the best-selling "Training Design Basics", award-winning "Informal Learning Basics", and co-author of "Career Anxiety: Guidance Through Tough Times", "The e-Learning Handbook", and "An Overview of Training and Development".
He is President of the Canadian Network for Innovation in Education, a Fellow of the Institute for Performance and Learning, past editor of the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, and a Fellow and past international president of the Society for Technical Communication.
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Calling All Heroes: Adventures with Open Educational Resources
Date Friday, Nov 25 Time – Room Tiergarten I/II/III
Calling All Heroes: Adventures with Open Educational Resources
This Learning Café will engage with participants in different OER-themed, collaborative games to provide an opportunity to relax, network, and focus on the benefits of OERs. Presenters will discuss participants’ experiences with OERs, and what successes and/or challenges they have seen using OERs. Attendees will work in small groups and led in gaming experiences that will include role-playing and mini escape room experiences. Presenters will provide enjoyment and networking opportunities as well as emphasise (through the game goals and strategies) the benefits of OER.
Outcomes
- Define and identify benefits of open educational resources.
- Find freely available instructional materials.
- Name the major resources to support creation and adoption of open educational resources.
- Analyse various available resources to determine quality and usefulness.
Tyler Tait
Student, Kennesaw State University
Stephen Bartlett
Associate Director, Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences Office of Digital Education, Kennesaw State University, United States of America
An online educator for 12+ years and Associate Director of the RCHSS Office of Digital Education at Kennesaw State University for 6+ years, Stephen Bartlett has been involved with the evolving world of e-learning for more than half his teaching career. In addition to the thousands of students who he has taught a variety of world history topics, he has also trained 500+ faculty in online pedagogy and presented at e-learning conferences in the United States and internationally.
Julie R. Newell
Hybrid Specialist, Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences Office of Digital Education, Kennesaw State University, United States of America
Jeanne Law-Bohannon
Director of Composition, English Department, Kennesaw State University, United States of America
Brayden Milam
Program Coordinator, Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences Office of Digital Education, Kennesaw State University, United States of America
Elly Sloman
Student Assistant for Accessibility, Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences Office of Digital Educati, United States of America
Elly Sloman is a Student Assistant in Kennesaw State University's Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences' Office of Digital Education. They help faculty with ensuring that their courses meet federal requirements for accessibility, and have helped with making resources accessible. They are majoring in English Education with a minor in Korean language and culture. They are excitedly anticipating learning more about digital education in order to apply it to their studies and then their own classrooms in the future.
Kaylee Polk
Lead Student Assistant, Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences Office of Digital Education, Kennesaw State University, United States of America
Kaylee Polk is an undergraduate student at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, US. As lead student assistant with Radow College's Office of Digital Education, she assists faculty members in ensuring that their online course materials all accessible to all students.
Aiden Reichner
Student Assistant for Accessibility, Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences Office of Digital Education, Kennesaw State University, United States of America
Aiden Reichner is an undergraduate at Kennesaw State University studying Environmental Science. They are a student assistant for the Office of Digital Education in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. As a student assistant, it is their job to help faculty improve the accessibility of online courses for all students.
Moderator
Tamara Powell
Director, KSU RCHSS Office of Digital Education, Kennesaw State University, United States of America
Dr. Tamara Powell is the Director of the Office of Digital Education for the Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Kennesaw State University (KSU). Her research interests include student success, particularly for underserved groups.
Tamara began teaching online in 2001 and has been hooked on this exciting and versatile medium ever since. Currently, her work involves hybrid/blended and online course quality assurance, digital material accessibility, and open educational resources.
She has won several honors and awards, including Best Paper Award for “Student Success Innovations vs. Faculty Workload Concerns: How to Find a Balance for Success” at The Thirteenth International Conference on Mobile, Hybrid, and On-line Learning eLmL 2021. July 18022, 2021. Nice, France.
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Natalia Kmiec-Braun
Management Consultant, Accenture, Poland
Natalia Kmiec-Braun is a seasoned corporate trainer with strong academic background in teaching and languages. In Accenture, her main areas of focus include Change Management, Learning & Development and Communications. She is a part of the Talent Development & Learning Team, where she designs and develops learning experiences for her clients. As a member of the Storytelling Team, she focuses on workshop delivery and on tailoring messages for specific audiences.
Teaching for the Future: 10 Hands-On Teaching Tools to Boost Creativity & Innovation for Our Accelerating World
Date Thursday, Nov 24 Time – Room Rook
Teaching for the Future: 10 Hands-On Teaching Tools to Boost Creativity & Innovation for Our Accelerating World
This hands-on How To session is designed to equip participants with practical tools and approaches to learn at least 10 well-tested, effective, interactive classroom methods for teaching creativity and innovative thinking, and you will directly experience 3 - 4 of them through brief interactive exercises that the speaker will facilitate. You will also get an understanding of a how a framework for innovation in our accelerating world (viability, desirability, feasibility) can help you and your organisation plan future L&D endeavors.
Outcomes
- Engage with several effective training tools that boost creative and innovative thinking.
- Be able to collaborate and interact with others as you directly experience each method first-hand.
Charles Wood
Professor of Marketing, The University of Tulsa, United States of America
Dr. Charles M. Wood (Ph.D. University of Missouri) is a Professor of Marketing at the University of Tulsa. He has academic degrees in Engineering, Journalism, and Business, and worked for a dozen years in industry - as an engineer for a Fortune 10 firm, and as a founder of a successful stage production company and creative agency. To date Dr. Wood has published over 50 articles in both refereed journals and conference proceedings, and received a Fulbright Scholar Award to Ireland from the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Wood's teaching and service have also received a national award from Houghton-Mifflin, the top teaching award and top service award at The University of Tulsa, along with several “Most Valuable Professor” awards. He has made presentations by invitation at major business conferences in India (AIMS), Sri Lanka, and in several universities across India, Austria, Ireland, and Italy. He specializes in teaching innovation and has helped students develop over 100 applied projects benefiting small businesses and non-profit organizations.
Maria Spies
Co-CEO, HolonIQ, Australia
Maria is Co-CEO of HolonIQ, the world's leading platform for impact intelligence. HolonIQ’s intelligence platform is shaping the global impact economy, accelerating social and economic outcomes around the world. Prior to HolonIQ, Maria led digital learning futures for a global education company, envisioning new futures for education through investment and research into the future of learning.
Maria has worked in public and private higher education for over 20 years in the APAC region specializing in transforming education through technology. Maria has built and led global innovation teams, driving innovation in curriculum, teaching and the student experience in over 50 countries.
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Papa Youga Dieng
Program Coordinator, Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, Senegal
Papa Youga Dieng works for the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) as Coordinator of the Initiative francophone pour la Formation à Distance des maîtres (IFADEM), in Institut de la Francophonie pour l'Education et la Formation , based in Dakar (Senegal), since 2017. IFADEM is a distance learning program for the capacity building of teachers in 15 francophone countries in Africa, Haiti and Lebanon.
Former Board member of Open Education Global, Dieng has a rich and long experience in the development and implementation of e-learning programs in Africa and across the Francophonie.
Prior to Join IFEF in Dakar, Dieng works in OIF’s Headquarter in Paris, was project Manager of the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative in the e-Africa Commission in Pretoria (South Africa), and Inspector General of National Education, responsible for ICT in Senegal. He is a former Professor of Physics and Chemistry, a trainer in the Senegalese in-service training institution (SFC), Head of the Science and ICT office in the Ministry of Education, and he was also the Coordinator of RESAFAD.
Papa Youga Dieng is a citizen of Senegal. He holds a D.E.A. (Master’s) in Education from Rouen University, France, the DUTICEF, Louis Pasteur University of Strasbourg, (now a Master’s in ICT in Education), a certificate for teaching in secondary schools, FASTEF University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, Senegal, an a B.Sc. in Physics and Chemistry from the University of Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal
Performance Based Functional Onboarding
Date Friday, Nov 25 Time – Room King
Performance Based Functional Onboarding
Most companies have a lot of vacancies for new employees. Many also support internal mobility. New and existing employees need to be onboarded rapidly and effectively in their (new) role/function. This shouldn’t be an unwelcome chore for L&D. On the contrary. Learn about an onboarding programme in one department, that has been an international success, leading to requests from other departments and a raising of the profile of L&D to that of a true strategic business partner.
In this Boardroom Dialogue you will find the applied approach, first outcomes and lessons learned, followed by a group discussion on how this could be applied in your organisation.
Geraldine Voost
Global L&D Manager, BRONKHORST HIGH-TECH, Netherlands
With an educational background in Cognitive Science, my work experience has always been a mix of psychology and computing science. I enjoy working in the area where these two interact. After several years in IT, I started working in L&D in 2000. I gained experience as a trainer, instructional designer, e-learning developer, learning technology specialist and L&D management.
In September 2019 I started my current job as Global L&D Manager at Bronkhorst High-Tech. When I joined there was 1 e-learning module in the recently acquired LMS. All other training was instructor led classroom training, with participants flying in from all over the world. My mission is to modernize the training (now L&D) department, to integrate learning and working, and to introduce and implement performance based (learning) solutions.
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Mariana Mocanu
Professor, University Politehnica of Bucharest, Romania
Mariana Mocanu, full professor, with habilitation, was head of the Computer Science Department between 2016 – 2020. Currently she is the president of the QA Commission of the University Senate, member of the Faculty Council. She is in charge with the"e-Governance" master study programm and participates in the development of the ERASMUS Knowledge Alliance project - IT in Aviation. She was member of the national team that developed, implemented and self-assessed the National Qalification Framework and coordinated the team that developed the National Register for Qualifications in Higher Education.
She participated in several national and european projects related to quality assurance in HE. She participated in several activities concerning the development of digital society, like: coordinator of the team that published the report “Industrie 4.0 in Rumänien. Einblicke und Ausblicke”, published in “Abhandlungen der Leibnitz-Sozietät der Wissenschaften, Band 54 – Industrie 4.0 zwischen Idee und Realität; participation at the Annual conference of the International Network on Cultural Diversity and New Media at the University of Potsdam, 2019. She also coordinates World University Service – Romanian Committe, an NGO that promotes the human right to education.
Using the Latest eLearning Developments to Foster More Personalised and Effective Learning Experiences
Date Thursday, Nov 24 Time – Room Charlottenburg I
Using the Latest eLearning Developments to Foster More Personalised and Effective Learning Experiences
As we all adjust to the realities of life and work after a global pandemic, learning professionals are looking for ways to achieve better engagement in hybrid learning activities, support active learning in the virtual classroom, and build strong online learning communities. Face-to-face education can no longer be the norm; every learner needs to thrive in the virtual learning environment, and education technologies hold the key to making that happen.
In this Learning Café, we will discuss the latest edtech trends that enhance the learning experience and ensure it can happen continuously. We will provide a snapshot of the past, present and future of e-learning, discuss strategies to support effective skills development for learners, and talk about the role of learning platforms (LMS, LXP and ILP) in promoting individual learning journeys.
Outcomes
- How the evolution of e-learning has transformed the process of building learning experiences.
- What e-learning technologies support effective skills development for learners-
- How to promote personalised learning using the latest ILP features.
Valeria Fomina
Educational Technology Specialist, CYPHER LEARNING , Spain
Valeria is an Edtech Specialist with over six years of experience in education. Having worked as a school administrator, academic coordinator, LMS manager and teacher, she has extensive knowledge and expertise in e-learning implementation processes and instructional design.
Antonio Maratea
Lecturer, University of Naples Parthenope, Italy
Antonio Maratea has a Master's Degree in Statistics and a PhD in Information Engineering. Since 2008 he works at University of Naples "Parthenope", teaching mainly Databases and Data Science at the graduate and post graduate level. His recent research focus is on Rough-Fuzzy methods, Machine Learning and XAI.
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Driving Smarter Business Impact – Start-up Tips for Corporate L&D
Date Thursday, Nov 24 Time – Room Check
Driving Smarter Business Impact – Start-up Tips for Corporate L&D
Business start-ups have a unique set of challenges when it comes to L&D – or do they? Many have an all hands on deck approach to business, strong entrepreneurial leaders create high octane environments designed to disrupt, innovate and digitise. This presents a number of challenges for those involved in building skills and developing talent. Challenges that are shared by many in corporate L&D.
How do we align learning to support fast paced business changes? How do we build a positive learning culture? How do we equip leaders and line managers for the future?
In this fun and interactive Learning Café, we will consider the strategies of high performing learning teams and combine them with the innovative approaches of start up companies. Join us to combine our collective wisdom. We will explore creative ways to :
- Let digital take the strain.
- Tap into purpose and values.
- Tackle the management challenge.
- Co-create value in rapidly changing environments.
Laura Overton
CEO, International Speaker, Analyst, Facilitator, Emerging Stronger, United Kingdom
Laura Overton is an author, facilitator and award-winning learning analyst dedicated to uncovering and sharing progressive practices that add strategic business value. She led a 15-year global research programme that explored impactful learning strategies. Her work through #Learningchangemakers and Emerging Stronger continue to support and inform the changing world of workplace learning.
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Dinye Hernanda
Senior Learning and Development Manager, HEYJOBS, Germany
Dinye Hernanda is an award-winning Learning & Development Manager, highly experienced in establishing L&D departments in hypergrowth startups. Having worked as an innovation manager in top german companies, Dinye brought her entrepreneurial and creative mindset to L&D, often juggling the role of a trainer, facilitator, coach, and problem solver - all at once. A Berlin-based, passionate community builder, she regularly shares her learnings through a global community called L&D Shakers.
How PUMA is Promoting Diversity and Inclusion Through Language Learning
Date Thursday, Nov 24 Time – Room Charlottenburg III
How PUMA is Promoting Diversity and Inclusion Through Language Learning
PUMA is an international, multicultural company and one of the world's leading sports brands. It employs over 16,000 employees from 134 countries. Because of this incredible diversity, one of the main issues they were facing was a communication barrier. Therefore, it was clear that all employees needed language training to improve and enhance communication internally.
PUMA needed a professional standard language learning solution that could drive inclusion, with multi-languages and learning flexibility to support teams working in office functions and stores. Learn how PUMA is building a culture that embraces diversity and inclusion through language learning with Busuu.
Alina Booge
Senior Business Development Manager, Busuu, United Kingdom
Polly Ivanova
People Development & Organisational Learning Manager, Puma
Polly is a pationate learning & development enthusiast, managing training offer in PUMA Headquarters and beyond with her colleagues.
Felix Schuchter
Sales Director, Busuu, United Kingdom
Felix leads Busuu’s new business team globally. His industry experience spans across education, technology, FMCG, retail, energy, manufacturing, and the financial sector. His team works with global organisations helping them improve communication and productivity through integrated language learning solutions.
Marieta Jansen van Vuuren
Senior Academic Developer, North-West University, South Africa
Marieta is a former teacher from South Africa who majored in languages and started her teaching career in
1984. In 2000 she joined the North-West University School of Languages. In 2008 Marieta was subsequently appointed in the
School of Educational Sciences as language lecturer an also provided supervision to Honours, Masters and PhD students. In 2012 Marieta was appointed as Senior Academic Developer in the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the North-West University.
She holds a doctorate in Sociolinguistics with the focus on Language and Internet based Communication,
Using Corpus Linguistics as a research method. She also holds a post graduate diploma in Design Thinking and Innovation from MIT. Current fields of interest and research include topics such as education and digital alternative assessment, hybrid virtual teaching mobility, Teaching Learning mentorship and micro credentials for higher education.
Educational Design Patterns and the Academic Digital Skills of Students
Date Friday, Nov 25 Time – Room Check
Educational Design Patterns and the Academic Digital Skills of Students
In this Learning Café you will try out a rapid design method for creating Educational Design Patterns (EDPs). The concept of EDP covers a method to capture best practices from educators and other experts and disseminate these into concrete educational design patterns and activities. Participants will get an understanding of a collaborative method to develop learning design patterns and they will get inspiration to work with academic digital skills within a framework of four core categories.
Outcomes
- Didactic design in the format of educational design patterns.
- A rapid collaborative method to create the first draft of an Educational Design Pattern.
- Exploring new ways of collaborating on academic digital skills.
Anne Bagger
Information Specialist, The Royal Danish Library, Denmark
Anne Bagger is librarian and master in ICT and Learning. Since 2008 she has been teaching information literacy at the Copenhagen University Library (part of The Royal Danish Library) and she has been involved in several informaton literacy projects local as well as across the university library sector at national level.
Charlotte Arnholtz
Information Specialist, The Royal Danish Library
Librarian with a MA in Film editing. Working in teaching information literacy at Copenhagen University Library. The Royal Danish Library since 2009.
Henrik Tang
Librarian / Information Specialist, The Royal Danish Library
Redesign Sprint: Rethink Three Courses in One Day
Date Thursday, Nov 24 Time – Room Chess
Redesign Sprint: Rethink Three Courses in One Day
Higher education is changing at breakneck speed and there is no sign of it slowing down. Currently, educational institutions around the world struggle with transitioning to blended learning. One of the biggest challenges is: How to design blended courses at scale?
In this hands-on How To session, the authors of Redesign Sprint will walk participants through their method, share tips for running it, and provide materials that will help participants implement it in their institutions, learning how to design a one-day collaborative workshop that results in finished blueprints for up to three different courses.
Outcomes
- Learn how a successful Redesign Sprint is run.
- Receive a blueprint of the workshop so you can run it yourself after a little preparation.
Nikos Basbas
Instructional Designer, Tilburg University, Netherlands
Learning designer at the Education Innovation Lab at Tilburg University, the Netherlands. Freelance course designer and blogger.
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Chiara Baldo
Instructional Designer, Tilburg University
As an Instructional Designer Chiara develops processes and continually draw upon conceptual models, theories and research to inform her approach when developing captivating learning experiences. She engages supportively and creatively with educators, to question, influence, understand, empathise and design.
Her goal is to allow educators and students to find enjoyment in successful and rewarding teaching and learning respectively, wishing to help them to work towards their personal mission.
Integrating Online and Experiential Learning to Foster Global Citizens
Date Thursday, Nov 24 Time – Room Rook
Integrating Online and Experiential Learning to Foster Global Citizens
There is common agreement that higher education, as it stands, is not equipping students with skills that allow them to thrive professionally nor contribute to their communities in a meaningful way.
In this How To, you will learn how by combining an online programme that is intentionally designed, curriculum and pedagogy-wise, with in-person experiential learning, students can benefit from the best of both worlds. We will explore how to create opportunities for students to apply and transfer their classroom learning to the community and the workplace, narrowing the gap between what students “learn” and what they need to “do” to thrive in the real world, integrating a student’s entire learning journey.
Outcomes
- Create experiential opportunities for students to apply their classroom learning and engage in their communities.
- Design virtual classes that develop students’ skills and knowledge to be transferable to real-world scenarios.
- Create intentional and integrated learning journeys that satisfy explicit learning objectives.
Özgür Özlük
Professor of Business & Academic Program Manager, Minerva University & Minerva Project, Turkey
Professor Ozgur Ozluk is an Academic Program Manager at Minerva Project and a data analytics expert. Ozgur also teaches in the Business College at Minerva University. Ozgur is the CEO and Founding Partner of Verite Analytics, a predictive analytics company. He has published research on various business applications of mathematical programming models, from supply chain optimization to pricing and revenue management. Ozgur earned his Ph.D. and M.Sc., both in Operations Research, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Bilkent University.
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Ninon Godefroy
Experiential Learning Manager, Minerva Project
Stephen Downes
Researcher, National Research Council Canada, Canada
Stephen Downes works with the Digital Technologies Research Centre at the National Research Council of Canada specializing in new instructional media and personal learning technology. His degrees are in Philosophy, specializing in epistemology, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of science. He has taught for the University of Alberta, Athabasca University, Grand Prairie Regional College and Assiniboine Community College.
His background includes expertise in journalism and media, both as a prominent blogger and as founder of the Moncton Free Press online news cooperative. He is one of the originators of the first Massive Open Online Course, has published frequently about online and networked learning, has authored learning management and content syndication software, and is the author of the widely read e-learning newsletter OLDaily.
Downes is a member of NRC's Research Ethics Board. He is a popular keynote speaker and has spoken in three dozen countries on six continents.
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Debate
OEB Annual Debate: "This House Believes Education Should Move to the Metaverse"
Debate
Date Thursday, Nov 24 Time – Room Potsdam I
OEB Annual Debate: "This House Believes Education Should Move to the Metaverse"
"The metaverse has been described as the next evolution of the internet or Web 3.0. It offers an ‘extended reality,’ in which people can socialise, work and learn.
Is it the future for education – a brave, new, digital world where every experience is an immersive learning opportunity and students’ grades are higher than ever before? Or is it a dangerous distraction from the essential discipline and structure of traditional education?"
Carlos J. Ochoa Fernández
Co-Chair Education Committee / Founder and CEO, VRAR Association / ONE Digital Consulting, Spain
Carlos is an Engineer from the Madrid Polytechnic University, and has an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Babson College and a Post-graduate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Maryland University, Digital Marketing for International Business Development and ITC & Gis by Siemens Data-Technic Schule.
Carlos is Founder and CEO of ONE Digital Consulting, and over the last 10 years he has successfully led a range of institutional/national/European projects, and has received a range of international awards for his educational innovation activities. With more than 30 years’ experience in Innovation Consultancy and Smart Education, leading multinational organizations (SIEMENS, Sagentia, Cap Gemini, eLearning Consulting).
He is President of VR/AR Association Madrid Chapter, and Co-Chair of VR/AR Education Committee since 2017, where he coordinates the Experts Sessions, Forums, Case Studies, Best Practices and Collaboration activities worldwide. Today, with more than 600 active members and more than 100 on-line sessions around XR in Education Is one of the references organizations in XR in Education Worldwide.
He is one of the Immersive Learning Founding Members, ICICLE X-Reality for Learning and Performance Augmentation SIG, Principal Member of the Metaverse Standards Forum, and founder Member of Smart Cities Standards Experts Group of AENOR. He is Independent Expert Evaluator in XR Projects for several international institutions, European Commission and Alberta Innovates
Carlos is working for several International Experts Committees in XR in Training, Education, Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Smart Cities, and Principal Member of XR4Europe, Educators in VR, where he is main speaker, Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN), principal member.
He is working as a consultant and advisor of several Education Institutions in Europe, and leading the implementation of Smart Education Labs for the Ministry of Education of UAE.
Author of many publications and articles about Innovation and Advanced Technologies. White Paper “Best Practices in VR in Education” and “State of Art of XR in Education” by VR/AR Association.
During these last years, he has shared his business work, with the delivery of more than 100 conferences on XR in Education, Augmented Education and MetaEducation, and the development of immersive experiences with ONE XR Studio, with artists like Ouka Leele and the Creative XR Arts Explosion, La Escuela Internacional de Música Reina Sofia and the “Music 5 Senses” experience, or the Metaverse of the Islamic City of Cuenca.
Currently, he is involved in a new Innovative Project about “Creating Immersive Experiences with 5 Senses around creative arts and music for education”.
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Christina Yan Zhang
CEO, The Metaverse Institute
Christina is a pioneer in the metaverse. She started her master research on the topic in 2006 using metaverse to develop international strategies for universities worldwide. In 2012, she completed a PhD in using digital twin services in the metaverse to simulate and augment construction, engineering and architecture projects.
Christina is an award-winning business leader who has 16 years’ experience turning forward-thinking ideas into ultra-high growth business with global impact. She has extensive experience working with government ministers, universities presidents, and business CEOs on industry, innovation and skills strategies.
She worked for QS, the leading world university rankings agency, between 2013 and 2020, leading China business. Starting from scratch, Christina grew the UK-headquartered firm’s profile and commercial success in China. In January 2016, China’s Vice Premier highlighted the use of QS rankings in a keynote speech, with the rankings impacting 5 years funding allocations to 3005 universities across China with 48 million students, and an annual budget of £150bn.
Christina was the first Chinese elected to the national executive of the UK National Union of Students (NUS) since its foundation in 1922, and represented the interests of one million international and EU students studying at 600 UK higher and further education institutions who contribute £30bn a year to the UK economy. She has sat on 20+ advisory committees for UNESCO, the World Bank, the Commonwealth, the EU, and UK Governments. She led many successful global campaigns including the future of work and skills, equality, diversity, inclusion, and international strategy. She led a successful campaign against the Home Secretary Theresa May's proposed legislation to restrict foreign students' visas, which persuaded the Minister to abandon some of the proposed policies. Christina also contributed to the establishment of the Commonwealth Students Association, representing 2 billion youth across 54 countries. Between 2012 and 2013, she worked in the UK Parliament developing policy for the Shadow Business Secretary’s team.
For two years Christina contributed to the BBC as a campus journalist. She has seven years’ experience as a TV presenter for People’s Daily Online, interviewing heads of state and the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies on global issues. As a bridge-builder between the government, business, education, and innovation sector, she regularly meets with top leaders, is a frequent keynote speaker at high level events, and is interviewed by top media.
Andy Fidel
Spatial Network Evangelist & Immersive Experience Designer, Spatial Network, France
Andy Fidel creates social experiences for remote communities, using digital and immersive technologies. Making local conversations, global discussions. #spatialnetworks
Producing virtual events since 2016, Andy Fidel designs experiential gatherings for community and enterprise, specializing in conference extensions, virtual festivals, and metaverse education.
Andy Fidel studies the impact of VR/AR on digital communications and what the future holds for human connection. What does it mean to have a virtual identity? How do you engage with a virtual community? How do we form and share meaningful stories? Our social lives are changing as immersive experiences take center stage in our new spatial reality.
She coined the term, ‘Spatial Networking’ in 2016. Exploring the social side of immersive reality. Spatial networks refers to all social platforms using immersive technology (VR/AR), empowering people with tools to connect, share, and build community. Owner & host of @SpatialNetworks & @GetSocialVR on social media.
Andy Fidel also leads #GetSocial, a digital network for emerging technology creators & entrepreneurs. Weekly meet-ups to discover new immersive experiences, to meet XR thought leaders, attend virtual events with opportunities for professional development.
She is currently the ‘Influencers and Partners Manager’ at Rec Room.
Past and ongoing collaborators include: Rec Room. LinkedIn, Scout House, WXR Venture Fund, PepsiCo, AltspaceVR by Microsoft, C2 International, C2 Montreal, TikTok Canada, Twitch, VRScout, Google VR/AR, YouTube VR Creator Lab, Verizon 5G Labs, VR/AR Association, and communities at large in the multiverse.
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René Schulte
Director of Global Innovation, Research & Incubation, Valorem Reply, Germany
René Schulte is leading the Spatial Computing and Metaverse practice at Reply working with teams across the globe on emerging technologies. He is a creative developer, thought leader and digital content creator with a passion for UX, (Edge) Cloud computing and deep technical knowledge from more than 15 years in VR/AR, Spatial Computing technology and 3D programming.
He is a frequent keynote speaker and panelist at conferences, writes articles and is the creator of the video podcasts QuBites and Meta Minutes. For his community involvement he is honored since 13 years with a double Microsoft MVP award, recognized as Microsoft Regional Director. Additionally he is an advisory board member for the VR/AR Association and XR Bootcamp.
Moderator
Harold Elletson
Editor / Senior Fellow, International communications consultant and editor of the eLearning Africa Report, United Kingdom
International communications consultant and editor of the eLearning Africa Report, UK
Dr Harold Elletson is an International Communications Consultant and Senior Fellow of the Institute for Statecraft.
He is a founding director of the Africa Forum on Business, Investment and Security, a member of the steering committee of OEB, a member of the Organising Committee of eLearning Africa and a consultant to ICWE GmbH. He is also the editor of The eLearning Africa Report.
Dr Elletson was previously Director of the NATO Forum on Business and Security, which he created with support from the NATO Science Programme.
A former Member of the United Kingdom Parliament (from 1992-1997), he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the early stages of the peace process and was also a member of the Select Committee on Environmental affairs. He served as a member of the Lancashire Education Authority (the Education Committee of Lancashire County Council) before being elected to Parliament where he represented the interests of schools and colleges in his constituency in discussions with Ministers and on the floor of the House of Commons. He is a Fellow of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme and of the Industry and Parliament Trust.
As a communications and public affairs specialist, he has advised many leading companies on aspects of their business in challenging markets, including BP in Azerbaijan and Alstom in Siberia. He has written widely on political and historical subjects and his first book, The General Against the Kremlin, that was published by Little Brown. His journalism has been published in a variety of newspapers and magazines. Dr Elletson holds a PhD in Social Sciences from the University of Bradford.
Laura Pomares
Associate Learning Fellow , United Nations System Staff College, Italy
Laura Pomares is an E-Learning Fellow at the Knowledge Centre for Leadership and Management of the UNSSC. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and Advertising from the University of the Basque Country where her final research focused on experiential marketing for the non-profit sector. Laura also holds a Master’s degree in Multimedia Design from the University of Turin. Her graduate research explored the design and implementation of digital learning experience strategies.
Laura has been part of the United Nations System Staff College since 2019, contributing to the development of several e-learning offerings. At the moment, she is involved in various projects aiming to increase learner engagement in the Blue Line platform.
John Helmer
Learning Hack Podcast, UK
John Helmer FLPI is best known as host of two of learning's most popular and valued podcasts: "Great Minds on Learning" and "The Learning Hack podcast".
A communications expert specialising in digital industries and emerging technologies, particularly in learning, HR & education, John is also a published novelist and musician (he once appeared on Top of the Pops and was joint winner of a Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe).
As a consultant he has developed many Thought Leadership programmes in the learning space, bringing together practitioners, vendors, and thinkers to grow mutual awareness and understanding.
Jürgen Handke
Linguist, Educator, Awardwinning Digital Learning and Teaching Pioneer, Germany
Jürgen Handke is a German Professor for English Linguistics and Web Technology. He retired from university in April 2020 but still conducts several teaching and learning projects. Together with his team, he runs the Virtual Linguistics Campus, the world's largest learning platform for content in English and general linguistics. His associated YouTube channel "Virtual Linguistics Campus" contains many hundreds of freely accessible self-produced teaching videos and is the largest of its kind.
Handke is the main German proponent of the Inverted Classroom Model, for which he was awarded the Hessian University Prize for Excellence in Teaching 2013 in the Mastery variant. In 2015, he received the Ars Legendi Award, the highest German teaching award for "Digital Teaching and Learning" from the German Donors' Association and the German Rectors' Conference.
In 2016, he won the German Adult Education Innovation Award with his refugee language course #DEU4ARAB, a MOOC with more than 3,100 participants, and his MOOC #FIT4Uni was awarded the national OER Award in the 'Higher Education' category in 2017. Since June 2017, he has been conducting the BMBF project H.E.A.R.T., which tests and evaluates the use of humanoid robots in university teaching. With the RoboPraX project, he was able to acquire another BMBF-funded project in 2019 that tests robots in school use and adapts them to the respective target groups. For this approach, he and his team received the "Science in Dialogue" award in 2019.
In 2020, he was a moderator/subject matter expert for the topic of "Digital Campus" as part of the structural planning for the planned Nuremberg University of Technology. In 2022, he took on the task of advisor for digital teaching at the Louisenlund Foundation.
Links
Esther Grieder
HPass Lead / Platform Solutions Specialist, Humanitarian Leadership Academy (part of Save the Children), United Kingdom
Esther Grieder has worked in the international development and humanitarian sectors for fifteen years, with a focus on education and employment, youth and learning. In recent years she has led the HPass initiative from concept through to implementation as a digital badging currency platform used by 30+ organisations and over 20,000 individuals in the humanitarian sector.
Shih-Wei Lo
Digital Learning Manager, Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA, Germany
Shih-Wei Lo has been working at Ottobock, the world market leader in prosthetics, for over 7 years in various positions on the topic of digital learning. Before that, he worked for several years as a special needs teacher and trainer for a subsidiary company of the city of Göttingen.
Shih-Wei Lo business economist (IHK) degree and, while working, completed his B.A. in Business Management and his M.A. in Economics online. He has always continued his education and has taken other certificates/continuing education such as Certified European E-Learning Manager (CELM), Train-the-e-trainer, learn coach, etc.
Lifelong learning is not a phrase for him, he lives it and likes to share his knowledge and experiences to discuss, learn and develop.
Join The Innovative Learning Arena: Let's Battle It Out!
Date Wednesday, Nov 23 Time – Room Pavillon
Join The Innovative Learning Arena: Let's Battle It Out!
Following a global 'black swan' event, we all looked for the best possible new learning approaches in a mostly online learning world. Now it’s time to shape the future by making the most valuable choices and thinking about the long run.
This is an embodied learning session in which each willing participant is invited to speak out and defend their preferred learning method. You are permitted to lurk, but taking action is always heroic….
Are you willing to stand up and spontaneously share your ideas in this highly spirited Plenary? Or do you prefer to sit back, relax, reflect and show your support for speakers by asking questions or applauding their “pitch”?
Although the subject is serious, this session will be very animated. Each argumentation (3 minutes) will contribute to what will no doubt be a lively exchange, under the expert guidance of its host. The idea is to win over the audience for your case and our host is unlikely to be too strict about the methods you use!
However, in the end, your fellow participants will hold the power; they will be able to vote for each learning approach. The winning method of this "learning battle" will be awarded "the best learning approach" and of course, the person defending it will get a trophy too.
This Plenary may challenge you on multiple levels. Do you dare to speak in a group? Are you willing to listen intently to arguments? Are you able critically to analyse learning approaches for their merits?
The session will set the scene for the OEB days to come, in which we hope to enter into dialogue and learn from each other. And it will be fun too, listening to learning approaches and sharing our best (or worst) experiences of the last years.
Come along alone, bring your most argumentative colleague, invite a friend… and join this merry bunch of (online, hybrid, classroom) learning experts.
Inge de Waard
Sr. Learning Strategist & Connector, EIT INNOENERGY and Secret Shakers, Belgium
Inge is a senior learning strategist, longtime researcher, award-winning learning innovator and (e)Learning coordinator. She developed multiple online and hybrid courses, she coaches and co-creates international, blended curricula with engineers and teachers, and explores new, innovative learning formats. Her expertise has been recognised by peers, resulting in additional co-authored papers, invited talks and keynotes in both academic and professional conferences, workshops and seminars. But most of all, she likes to connect, listen and share stories.
Her latest projects are: an EU Cross-KIC project looking at AI skills for professionals, matching skill gaps to AI courses (https://aiskills.innoenergy.com/); and an initiative gathering stories of professionals beyond 50, 70, 70 ... who reignited their careers later in life (https://www.secretshakers.com). These two projects fit within the goal of diversity, ensuring a tailored, lifelong learning journey to professionals of all ages.
Links
Johanna Braun
Head of Teaching Center, Department of Banking and Finance, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Johanna Braun is leading the Teaching Center at the Department of Banking and Finance of the University of Zurich that focuses on online learning, online assessment and innovation in teaching. Before joining the University of Zurich, she worked in Strategy Consulting at Deloitte Consulting.
Olivier Crouzet
Head of Pedagogy, 42, France
With a scientific background, Olivier Crouzet got a Master degree as an IT engineer. After 2 years as System Administrator in the 3rd French Internet service provider, he spent thirteen years developing an IT training model. For the last ten years he has been involved in 42, the IT school founded by Xavier Niel, a French telecom tycoon. While still evolving the revolutionary Peer-Learning model of 42, Olivier Crouzet is also promoting the evolution of the French education system through various conferences.
Links
Transforming Training Using Agile Design and Peer-to-Peer Support
Date Friday, Nov 25 Time – Room Knight
Transforming Training Using Agile Design and Peer-to-Peer Support
When the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK reorganised, many departments got new missions. Old school linear radio and tv professionals suddenly had to deliver world-class digital content for an inpatient audience using mobile phones. New durable and perishable skills had to be learned, and old habits, roles and workflows had to be left behind.
How did we help people navigate this change successfully? By designing group learning in, or close to, workflows, using agile methods and peer learning for four to twelve weeks.
In two years, we scaled this to 200 employees in 25 different groups/programmes without using any classroom training. Everyone got to learn at their own pace as they experienced best practice, created content themselves, and got feedback from each other.
Join us to hear the story of how we did this, what outcomes the projects had and share some practices that we believe would foster learning culture in any organisation.
Outcomes
- How to map, motivate and organize for peer learning.
- How to help foster psychological safety in groups.
- How to use simple agile rituals to strengthen learning.
- How to use OKRs in learning programs
Andreas Bugge Grimsæth
Learning Business Partner, Schibsted, Norway
Andreas Bugge Grimsæth is a journalist with fifteen years of experience in developing digital content and online services, like the weather site YR.no. He has six years of experience from learning and organisational development in the Norwegian broadcasting corporation (NRK), two of them as head of L&D. He worked as facilitator in the wonderful jungle between strategy, tech, editorial and HR to create innovative products, workflows and processes. Education-wise: a serial drop-out with no finished formal training, he is now working at Schibsted with some of the biggest newspapers and strongest brands in Norway and Sweden.
Links
Guy Shtub
Head of Training, ScyllaDB, Israel
Guy Shtub is Head of Training at ScyllaDB and holds a B.SC. degree in Software Engineering from Ben Gurion University. He co-founded two start-ups and is experienced in creating products that people love.
Amy Zidulka
Associate Professor, Royal Roads University, Canada
Amy Zidulka teaches and researches in the areas of creativity and innovation in the Royal Roads Faculty of Management in Victoria, BC, Canada. She is also the founder and lead of the Royal Roads Design Thinking Challenge and the Design Thinking Educators' Conference.
She has a deep interest in innovative education and has long experimented with how virtual education might be engaging and creative, while serving to connect learners to each other and their personal and professional contexts.