Technology-enhanced learning is growing by leaps and bounds, reaching areas of the world where the opportunity for higher education (and education in general) used to be next to impossible.
Today, single mothers in India have access to online training programs, while goat herders and farmers in remote regions of Africa can learn how to improve their livelihoods through technology-based open and distance education initiatives. Even some of the world’s most disadvantaged individuals, such as those living in the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya, are being provided with access to education thanks to edu-tech (and the great work being done by the UBC Faculty of Education and its partners).
While these are just three examples of excellent efforts to increase access, equity and engagement through innovations in educational technologies, much more will be discussed at the International Perspectives on Technology-Enhanced Learning (IPTEL) conference taking place this July 11-13 in Vancouver. Hosted by the UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, the Master of Educational Technology Program, UBC Faculty of Education, and the University of Kentucky Distance Learning Programs, this exciting conference will explore the many lessons, challenges, and possibilities associated with technology in education on a global scale.
“We’re all realizing how technology-enhanced learning has become an international phenomenon,” says Dr. Tom Sork, conference organizer and UBC Senior Associate Dean, International and Administration. “Conferences like this bring like-minded people together, often serving to initiate the conversations that lead to the creation of amazing edu-tech projects around the world.”
It’s expected IPTEL will attract a variety of attendees – faculty, students and edu-tech practitioners. The conference will offer research-based presentations, panel discussions and interactive workshops in a number of areas related to educational technologies. These may include:
- Social media and learning
- Massive open online courses (MOOCs)
- Innovative business models
- Student engagement, access and equity
- Mobile learning
- International collaboration
Three esteemed key note speakers with vast experience in the delivery of distance and online education initiatives to disadvantaged learners have been confirmed to attend IPTEL. They are:
- Professor Asha S. Kanwar, President and CEO of the Vancouver-based Commonwealth of Learning
- Dr. Vasudha Kamat, Vice Chancellor at SNDT Women’s University in Mumbai, India
- Catherine Wangeci K-Thuo with the African Virtual University
Faculty, students and practitioners have already been invited to submit proposals for paper, panel and workshop sessions. IPTEL Early Bird Registration has been extended to May 31.