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* attracts over 1700 participants from more than 66 countries representing all continents, and thus is the world's largest international e-learning conference.
* delegates are high-level decision makers from education, business and government - the three key areas driving e-learning adoption and innovation - making it the most important networking venue for experts, practitioners and newcomers from all over the world.
* is the largest gathering of e-learning and distance education professionals in Europe, enabling participants to develop multinational and cross-industry contacts & partnerships, as well as to enhance their knowledge, expertise, and abilities.
* is held entirely in English and includes plenary sessions with world-class experts, smaller presentation and special focus sessions, practical demonstrations and debates on specific topics, as well as various informal networking opportunities where practitioners share their experiences, ideas, new information and perspectives.
* features the work of more than 367 speakers from 43 countries, addressing all forms of technology enhanced learning and includes a rich mix of themes, topics and a variety of session formats.
* is accompanied by an exhibition and demonstration area where leading international e-learning manufacturers, suppliers and service providers present their latest products and services. Participants have come to value the exhibition as a central meeting point within the conference.
* is preceded by a full-day programme of workshops conducted by leading e-learning practitioners. These small, intensive sessions offer attendees a unique opportunity to fine-tune their skills and acquire new ones.
* features a number of special events that take place alongside the conference, such as product launches, special interest group get-togethers, sponsored workshops, best practice showcases and meetings.
The 11th ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN, International Conference on Technology Supported Learning and Training, took place at the Hotel InterContinental Berlin from November 29 - December 2, 2005.
The conference was organised by ICWE GmbH supported by the German Federal Minister of Education and Research and by the European Commission (Directorate General, Education and Culture).
More than 1900 participants from 73 countries gathered to listen to opinion formers, to share experiences with colleagues, to get advice from experts, to make contacts, and to gain the benefi ts of new stimuli and fresh ideas. The 2005 conference even succeeded in surpassing last year’s record attendance and reconfi rmed ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN’s reputation as the world’s leading international conference in the fi eld. Registered attendance fi gures were more evenly spread between the three key areas driving e-learning adoption and innovation: namely education, business and government.
"Very good conference. Generally very high quality of presentations. Well organised. Great venue. Excellent
cross-fertilization and networking opportunities." - Paul Sweeney, The British Council, UK
The programme for ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN 2005 included a total of 480 speakers and chairpeople from 53 different countries around the world.
ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN continues to build on its reputation as the foremost gathering of e-learning professionals by offering a rich and diverse agenda, featuring many of the leading exponents of technology enhanced learning.
This agenda, which includes a variety of formats and programme elements, was created through a selection process involving both a public call for proposals and a thorough investigation of the international e-learning sector to identify and invite leading experts and representatives.
The main conference agenda, created with the support of the conference Steering and Advisory Committees, included 4 plenary sessions and 84 parallel sessions broadly focussed on the main conference themes. In addition, the programme included 16 full or half day workshops and 3 different pre-conference events, the E-Learning for Defence & Security Forum, the Asia Pacifi c Forum and the 2nd Middle East E-Learning Forum and Exchange, which all took place during the two days prior to the main conference event.
In addition to the formal activities organised throughout the conference, an exciting range of accompanying events, launches and receptions, as well as specifi c events designed to support networking, were also included to ensure participants got the most out of their time in Berlin.
This year two new networking features were added: the highly popular Speed Networking Session, led by Lisa Philpott from WebCT, as well as the very successful ONLINE EDUCA Party, held in the fashionable FELIX ClubRestaurant, which attracted almost 600 participants. Both events ensured that many participants left Online Educa this year with a whole new set of contacts!
Opening Plenary speakers on Thursday 1st included Prof. Riccardo Petrella, President of the Group of Lisbon, Economist and Political Scientist, Belgium; Dr. Brandon Hall, Author, E-Learning Expert and CEO of brandon-hall.com, USA and Dr. Richard Straub, Director of Learning Solutions IBM Europe, Middle-East and Africa.
Thursday’s agenda ended with a very well-attended plenary session entitled Future Visions which explored the different perspectives of four experts; Sir John Daniel, President and Chief Executive Offi cer from the Commonwealth of Learning in Canada; Prof. Barbara Wasson, University of Bergen, Norway & Kaleidoscope; strong>Umberto Paolucci, Senior Chairman, Microsoft EMEA, Vice President for Corporate and Government Strategy, Microsoft Corporation and Prof. Wim Veen, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands.
The agenda for Friday got off to a great start with two very well-attended simultaneous plenaries. The first entitled Open Standards, Open Source and Open Content – the Shape of Things to Come? featured presentations by several leading experts, who presented their opinions about the implications of these signifi cant developments in e-learning.
Presentations were made by Susan d’Antoni, Head of the Virtual Institute, International Institute for Educational Planning, UNESCO; Prof. Dr. Rob Koper, Director of RTD into Learning Technologies, Open University of the Netherlands;
Dr. Vijay Kumar, Assistant Provost and Director of Academic Computing, MIT, USA and Randy Metcalfe, Manager OSS Watch, UK.
Friday’s second plenary session focussed on the impact of ICT as a Catalyst for Change in different contexts and featured presentations by 3 leading e-learning exponents; Prof. Gilly Salmon, University of Leicester, UK; Prof. Nigel Painez, Head of People Development, BBC Worldwide, UK and Mike McKeown, Manager, Education Sector, Cisco Systems, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
Parallel sessions included contributions from a large number of professionals from academia, corporate life and the public sector and were organised in the following ten tracks in the conference programme:
- E-Learning in Government, Private and Public Sectors
- Transforming Traditional Universities with ICT
- E-Learning: Design, Development and Delivery
- Open Source, Open Content and Online Learning
- Online Collaboration, Moderation, Teaching and Learning
- E-Learning as a Means to Support Inclusion
- Future Technologies and their Applications
- Policy Issues and Large Scale Take-up of E-Learning
- Quality Assessment, Measurement and Evaluation of E-Learning
- Understanding E-Learning and its Role in Society
In addition to sessions directly addressed these themes, a wide selection of special focus sessions which were included in this year’s agenda. Several allowed participants to fi nd out more about what is happening in the e-learning sector in specific countries and regions. These included:E-Learning in Canada, E-Learning in the CIS Countries, E-Learning in Germany and E-Learning in the Asia-Pacifi c Region.
Several organisations hosted their own special focus sessions. IBM led the way with regard to how ICT is transforming schools with their session entitled Schools Transformation Case Studies – Moving from Vision to Implementation.
Other organisations who led focus sessions were:
+ European eLearning Industry Group (eLIG) and EduXchange with a session about Open and Published Content;
+ CHECKpoint eLearning led a session on E-Learning Across Borders;
+ Kaleidoscope presented the Academy Industry Forum;
+ DED, GTZ and InWEnt organised a session entitled South-South ELearning Competence Networks;
+ T-Systems Multimedia Solutions organised a session on Information andLearning Management in the Public Sector;
+ The European Foundation for Quality in E-Learning led a session entitled Successful E-Learning from an International Perspective;
+ MMB organised a session on Content Sharing.
"Online Educa Berlin 2005 remains one
of the best conferences in this area, if
not the best." - Teemu J. Torvelainen, Mikkeli Polytechnic, Finland
-------
"This is an excellent international conference - the opportunities for developing international partnerships and collaboration are outstanding." - Brian Merison, The British Learning Association.
The Knowledge Café generated considerable discussion amongst participants on the increasingly important topic of informal learning in a popular semi-formal discussion setting. Also popular this year were debates on various subjects including:
ICT – The Way to Hell or Paradise? and Cultural Challenges to E-Learning in the Middle East.
Keen to pursue our goal of encouraging hands-on opportunities for participants, we continued the series of popular ‘show and tell’ demonstrations and best practice sessions.
These featured the work of many organisations and companies and offered participants a short overview of many different tools, applications and courses followed by the opportunity for a more in-depth, informal discussion amongst participants and those responsible for the specific products.
An exciting programme of 16 optional seminars and workshops and 3 different pre-conference events took place on Tuesday, November 29 and Wednesday, November 30, offering participants the opportunity to gain practical knowledge and insight from leading experts in a variety of specialised fi elds.
These intensive sessions offered attendees a unique opportunity to gain an insight into new markets and to fi ne-tune their skills and acquire new ones.
+ The E-Learning for Defence & Security Forum;
+ The Asia Pacific Forum;
+ The Middle East E-Learning Forum and Exchange;
+ The Challenge of Managing Change and Innovation – a Simulation-based Workshop;
+ The Process of Realising the “HIVE�? Content Repository at Erasmus University Rotterdam;
+ Models for Building a Learning Architecture;
+ Online Bricklaying: Building Your Online Scaffold;
+ Designing and Developing Educational Sound Online Learning Materials Challenges of Pedagogically based Learning Design;
+ E-Learning in Developing Countries – Factors and Instruments Critical to Success;
+ An Introductory Seminar to ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN 2005 for Newcomers;
+ Insight into the Critical Uncertainties: the eLearning Scenarios;
+ Did you hear the one about the ELF, the Model and the Learning Technologist? E-Learning Reference Models Explained and Examined;
+ Education Architecture Laying the Foundation of Success;
+ Design Principles for Teacher Training in ICT Supported Learning for Higher Education;
+ Benchmarking E-Learning Workshop for Tertiary Institutions;
+ Implementing Highly Effective E-Learning Programmes;
+ Experiencing E-Learning from Learners’ Perpectives;
+ Implementing Large-Scale Blended Learning at Universities;
"On behalf of our Ukrainian Team, please accept our best gratitude for the very professional high profile event performed. We had a great opportunity to learn a lot and share best practice experience with experts from all over the world." - Svitlana Shytikova & Zhanna Talanova National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine
A variety of networking, special and social events took place alongside the conference:
- Speed Networking Session;
- JISC and SURF celebrated the Launch of Knowledge Exchange;
- The Bridging OASIS Workshop;
- ONLINE EDUCA Party;
- Lunchtime Special Interest Get-Togethers;
- Various receptions hosted by different groups and organisations;
This year’s programme offered a great deal of choice and although all sessions were generally well attended, it is interesting to note which drew the most attention.
Looking at attendance fi gures, it is clear that Online Educa Berlin participants in 2005 were very interested in fi nding out more about the use of Gaming Strategies in E-Learning.
As the use of games and simulations gathers momentum throughout the e-learning industry, experience shows that, more than ever, bringing together the right mix of skill and imagination can make all the difference to how successful strategies are adopted in the real world.
Examples shown during Online Educa this year included those based on U&I’s format-based approach and Cyberlab’s simulations used in technical education and training along with Coedu’s Quest games aimed at secondary level students. All were very popular.
It was evident during Online Educa’s ePortfolio sessions that ePortfolios are moving from limited and marginal interest to genuine mainstream up-take in an effort towards realising an ePortfolio for all Citizens.
The National ePortfolio Framework for UK teachers proved a popular example as did network and sector-specific initiatives like those used in French Business Schools and Dutch Undergraduate Medical Training.
Informal learning is here to stay as a popular topic and throughout the agenda at Online Educa this year, participants and presenters alike returned to this theme. It was the subject under discussion during the Knowledge Café and was also picked up in several key note presentations such as the one given by Prof. Nigel Paine from the BBC in his description of how employees are adopting collaborative informal learning, utilizing an effective mix of blogs, wikis, podcasting and other techniques. Jay Cross is leading much of the discussion in this field and his presentations and input at Online Educa Berlin on the subject were much appreciated this year.
Learning on the move received plenty of attention with all sessions on the topic of mobile learning being particularly well attended. Research being undertaken by people, such as Prof. Pierre Dillenbourg from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology on the importance of spatial information in the “learn anytime anywhere�? model backed up many of the more practical examples of real mobile learning applications, such as MUSIS in Sweden and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile Training.
Wikis and Blogs were also very popular with many participants who heard about how institutions all over the world are using these types of accessible technologies in highly imaginative and rewarding ways. Examples presented and discussed came from all sectors, from training would-be journalists in South Africa to facilitating informal learning in the US corporate setting to supporting undergraduate film studies in Belgium.
As the offer from e-learning service and technology providers matures, so too does the tendency towards sectoral approaches and specialisations. This year on the conference programme, specialist sessions were organised for people working with both the medical sector and in defence and security.
These are increasingly popular as people get to grips with refi ning e-learning to meet the needs and expectations of specifi c target users. In medical training, ICT is increasingly used to support the learning of both undergraduates and professionals like net-based specialist programmes for nurses in Sweden and the way in which ICT is being used to underpin the Andalusian Public Health system in Spain.
The complete Conference Programme, together with the names of the Steering and Advisory Committee members, can be found under:
ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN 2005 was accompanied by a parallel exhibition which featured 130 exhibiting companies and institutions from 26 countries around the world. The exhibition has established itself as a central meeting and networking point within the conference and a much appreciated opportunity by all the delegates and visitors alike to fi nd out about the latest services and products.
EXHIBITORS
23 Yyzee, Pax Warrior Media
4 System GmbH
Al-Quds Open University
Avallain AG
Bergen University College
Berlin - Stadt des Wissens
BI Norwegian School of Management,
Distance Education Centre
BitPress Educatie B.V.
Blackboard International
Canadian Interactive Alliance / Alliance
Interactive Canadienne
Centre for International Cooperation in Higher
Education
Cisco Systems
Claroline
comartis AG
common sense | eLearning & training
consultancy
CVCE
CyberBook as
Daten + Dokumentation GmbH
Desire2Learn, Inc.
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische
Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH
Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst (DED) -
German Develpoment Service
digital publishing AG
DTW Associates, Inc.
ECDL Foundation
education.au limited
edugolive B.V.
EDUXCHANGE / PROLEARN
Eedo Knowledgeware
Elluminate, Inc.
Emantras
Embassy of Canada / Ambassade du Canada
ENOVATE AS
European Commission
European Foundation for Management
Development (EFMD)
EVD: Agency for International Business and
Cooperation
Exact Learning Scandinavia
Experteese Ltd
Fachhochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft
Berlin - University of Applied Sciences
(FHTW)
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation
and Development
Festo Didactic GmbH & Co. KG
FIZ CHEMIE Berlin
Fronter AS
Futurecom
Gatlin Education Services
Geco Systems GmbH
Giunti Interactive Labs
HarvestRoad
Hewlett Packard
HKSE Engineering GmbH
Horizon Wimba
IBM
iMOVE at the Federal Institute for Vocational
Education and Training
INFObases GmbH | CHECKpoint eLearning
Innovation Norway
Intelligent Media Systems AG
Intrallect Ltd
InWEnt - Internationale Weiterbildung und
Entwicklung GmbH - Capacity Building
International
IP Learning e-ducativa
ITACA, SL
it’s learning
JISC
Kaleidoscope
LAMS International Pty Limited
LearnTel Pty Ltd
LERNET - Web-based Learning in SMEs
and Public Administration - a Project of the
Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour
Limit.no as
Litespeed Education PTE LTD
Luebeck University of Applied Sciences (FH
Lübeck) | oncampus
Maat G Knowledge
Macmillan English Campus
Microsoft Education Europe Middle East &
Africa
MMBase Foundation
Mohive AS
Moscow University of Industry and Finance
NetDimensions
Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion
- NCH
Varastream
Northumbria Learning / JISC Plagiarism
Advisory Service (UK)
Norwegian Association for Distance and
Flexible Education (NADE)
Ministry of Education and Research
Norway Opening Universities
Noterik Multimedia BV
NRK - Norwegian Broadcasting
OLAT, University of Zurich, Switzerland
Operitel Corporation
Oracle Education Foundation
Pettit Inc.
PHYSICON | OpenTeach Group
PONS
QualitE-Learning Assurance Inc.
Questionmark
RefWorks
Remittag Software Company Ltd
Riverbend Learning
Rosetta Stone Europe
Rosk Education Systems
Russian National Multimedia Centre
SANAKO Corporation
Savvica Inc.
SIVECO Romania SA
SMS-Coaching - Weinreich
Unternehmensberatung GmbH
Stoas Learning
streamcast media GmbH
SURF
Swedish Net University
Synergetics NV
TANDBERG
Tata Interactive Systems
The Mediator Group
Thinking Cap® (Agile.Net Inc.)
Tribal Technology Ltd
TurboDemo.com - Bernard D&G
Turpin Vision
Universal Knowledge Solutions, UKS
University of Oslo
University of Stavanger
Viatek
VINN
Virtual Global University
Vox, Norwegian Institute for Adult Learning
Vrije Universiteit; Center of Education,
Training, Assessment and Research (CETAR)
WebCT
Winvision b.v.
X-PERTeam
Young Digital Poland
A number of these exhibitors also gave presentations on their activities, products and services within the special Product and Services Sessions.
"Very well organised. We had an excellent show." - Matt Jukes, JISC, UK;
"It was indeed a pleasure to be part of one of the best organised conferences. I have attended." - Susan d’Antoni, UNESCO, France;
"It was the best and the largest conference I have attended on e-learning. You can truly claim that Online Educa is the world’s leading conference on e-learning." - Prof. Cristino A. Carbonell, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines;
"Thanks for managing one of the best conferences I have been to this year and I can assure you there were quite a number!" - Christel Schneider, virtualcollege, Germany
"Thank you for putting together an outstanding convention. I can only complement you on your planning and execution." - Eric Shepherd, Questionmark, USA
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