Multinational Perspectives on Next-generation Digital Learning Environments

I have a Bachelor degree in Computer Science Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC). I currently work in the eLearn Center, the e-learning research and innovation center of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). I am in charge of e-learning laboratory (eLearn Lab) at UOC, providing the infrastructure and the set of instruments needed for experimentation in real classrooms. I am also in charge of the Learning Analytics infrastructure, providing a data analytics service for research and innovation projects at UOC. I run national and international projects in the field of learning technologies, learning resources, learning standards, interoperability and learning analytics. Previously, I was responsible for the design and technical architecture of the UOC's Virtual Campus, and for the interoperability and integration of e-learning solution and educational resources. I have also been a researcher in the e-learning field, author of learning materials and Instructor at UOC. 

Links

http://www.uoc.edu/portal/en/universita…

Jeff Merriman is the Associate Director of MIT's Office of Educational Innovation and Technology where he leads activities to help enhance teaching and learning at the Institute through new and innovative uses of information technology.  His group is currently focused on the development of content and software services that can be utilized for educational application across disciplines. Jeff has spent much of his career building and promoting various kind of educational technology infrastructure for higher education.  As Director of Residential Computing at Stanford University he brought the notion of “wired campuses” into the forefront by networking all of Stanford’s graduate and undergraduate residence halls, leading an aggressive effort that began in 1987.  In 1998 he helped to form Stanford’s Academic Computing program and became Director of Academic Computing Technology.  In this role he began to widen his focus to include issues of software infrastructure in support of educational initiatives.

Jeff joined MIT in 2000, where he has led the development of the Institute's learning management platform and has also served as Executive Director of  the Open Knowledge Initiative, an Andrew W. Mellon funded project to develop service oriented architecture standards for educational software integration and development.

Links

https://odl.mit.edu/about/our-team/jeff…

Beth Havinga is passionate about supporting a lead in the change, development and growth of positive tools and strategies that enable a stronger, more interoperable education experience. She believes in the need for a more networked education environment and is excited to connect industry leaders in technology, global publishers, startups and governments through her work to build robust and innovative solutions. With over 15 years in the education industry, she is dedicated to improving the education space.

Originally a high school teacher, Beth has managed publishing houses and education software companies in Europe, founded her own startups, and continues to support a wide variety of education organisations through her company, Connect EdTech. Beth works with large tech corporations, education publishers, governments, ministries of education and education startups globally, supporting them in education policy, digital implementation, and development and market strategies. As a specialist in the digitisation and interoperability of education systems, Beth is currently on the expert committee of the Austrian Ministry of Economy, Research and Science, and is also the executive director of the German Alliance for Education. Additionally, Beth is a stakeholder in EDUvation, a business angel company supporting education startups based in Germany, complementing her work with StartEdTech.