We look forward to welcoming Ignacio Despujol, New Internet Application Senior Analyst at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), to the Open edX Conference next week. Read on for more background on his work with Open edX!
Where is UPV located?
In Valencia, on the east coast of Spain, in southern Europe.
How does working with Open edX relate to UPV’s mission? UPV is a public university and we contribute to the economic, cultural and social development of the Spanish society as part of our mission. Our mission includes internationalization and solidarity as university values. We are also an innovative university that wants to incorporate the best educational technologies. Open edX is a powerful tool to help us reach all these objectives.
How did you first hear about the Open edX initiative?
We were following the edX initiative closely, so we knew about Open edX when it was announced that you were going to open source the code and we waited eagerly to test it.
How long have you been working with the Open edX platform? What’s been your focus?
We installed Open edX and started testing in summer 2013, just after the release of the first version. As the MOOC initiative coordinator, I have been involved in the use of Open edX as our MOOC platform and the migration from Google Course Builder. I am in charge of supporting teachers to create the courses, the deployment of the courses, and the day-to-day operation.
What will you be discussing at Open edX Con?
I will be speaking about installing edX outside the Amazon infrastructure and the modifications we have made to comply with European Union personal data protection directives.
What are some other projects you’ve worked on with Open edX or in the EdTech industry?
I have been part of Proyecto Ibertel, a cooperation project funded by the Spanish government to improve education in Honduras using technologies. We gave an online introductory course on educational technologies to 300 Honduran teachers, created more than 500 educational videos on secondary and high school subjects, created a Youtube channel and a platform to make the videos accessible in remote schools, and installed four video recording studios using our Polimedia technology in high schools in Honduras so they can continue producing their own resources.
What other topics are you interested in hearing about or talking with your fellow Open edX developers about?
I would like to talk and hear about the creation of a strong Open edX development community that can foster the use and improvement of the platform. I think it has a tremendous potential to improve the way we teach the world if we are able to make it have a wide reach.
