We were very excited to launch the Open edX 2016 website, as well as publish a complete schedule for the conference! We’d like to share some statistics and details about what we’ve got in store this year.

What’s New This Year for the Schedule

We are doing a few new things with the schedule this year.

Note on tutorials: Please register for tutorials you want to attend by going to the conference schedule on Sched.org and clicking “Add to my sched.” For some, there are a minimum number of participants needed to run the session, so please consider registering.

Note on tutorials: Please register for tutorials you want to attend by going to the conference schedule on Sched.org and clicking “Add to my sched.” For some, there are a minimum number of participants needed to run the session, so please consider registering.

  • Breakout Sessions – This year 26 breakout sessions are scheduled for 40 minutes. These 40-minute blocks will include at least five minutes for questions.We are also introducing panels as part of the proceedings.
  • Tracks – Tracks are being used to help organize the conference proceedings. For this year, the tracks are:
    • Analytics
    • Course authoring
    • Extending and developing the platform
    • Innovative courses and implementations
    • Operations & deployment
    • Technical deep dives

    They are color-coded on Sched, the site we are using for publishing and updating the schedule, as well as attendee networking.

  • Lightning Talks – There were so many amazing proposals for lightning talks that we scheduled 4 lightning talk sessions, with 4-5 talks per session, for a total of almost 20 lightning talks. Unlike last year, these will be held concurrently with other breakout sessions, rather than as part of the plenaries.
  • Lunch & Reception – Taking advantage of the location, all conference supplied meals will take place outside, so plan to bring your sunglasses and sunblock!
  • Hands-on Days – In the two days following normal conference proceedings, there will be Hands-on Days for tutorials in addition to the regular hackathon. There are 12 tutorials scheduled, covering topics including deployment, development, mobile, analytics, and course authoring.Note on tutorials: Please register for tutorials you want to attend by going to the conference schedule on Sched.org and clicking “Add to my sched.” For some, there are a minimum number of participants needed to run the session, so please consider registering.

More hackathon planning will take place closer to the conference. Slack and the Confluence Wiki will be used to develop ideas and coordinate on projects. Even if you don’t participate in pre-planning, you should still come to the hackathon! There will be projects for all skill sets and all skill levels. We welcome people to both participate in the hackathon and attend any workshops/tutorials they are interested in.

We are grateful for the opportunity to try out new things with the conference. Afterwards, we will send out a feedback survey looking for your opinions on how it went.

Location

The big change this year is moving the conference away from the Boston area. Stanford Online graciously offered to host us on their campus, continuing to be exceptional members and supporters of the project. We look forward to meeting those of you for whom the west coast of the US is more convenient and have been unable to attend previous Open edX conferences.

Communications

To keep up with the conference:

We hope to see you at Open edX 2016!

Loading