ExtensionEngine goes above and beyond as a member of the Open edX community, using their corporate resources to organize and host meetups and sponsor Open edX Con 2015. We asked them to share some insights about their involvement with Open edX – read on, below.
You can join ExtensionEngine (and us) at Open edX Con at Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA. Ticket sales end Monday, September 28th, so register today.
What is ExtensionEngine?
At ExtensionEngine, we’re experts in online education. We build online learning platforms for world class academic institutions, corporations and non-profits. We partner with our clients to ensure they achieve their online learning goals.
We innovate with industry leaders including Harvard Business School (we built HBX), Harvard Medical School, MIT, MITx, Holy Cross, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Ellevation, Amplify, and, of course, edX.
How long as ExtensionEngine been associated with the Open edX project? How do you interact with it?
ExtensionEngine is a significant contributor to the Open edX software initiative in several ways, including:
- EdX hired ExtensionEngine as a vendor to develop code for the repository and we have also contributed code via our independent development of Open edX based projects.
- ExtensionEngine sponsored the first Open edX Conference last year, and we have a team of developers contributing to the platform.
- The combined ExtensionEngine and edX team built the forthcoming search functionality, which we’re excited to see roll out in the next few months!
ExtensionEngine also contributes XBlocks and hosts the XBlock Directory, a repository where all (or, most) known xBlocks exist. Here, developers and course authors can post their latest creations, search for XBlocks they need, or simply rate and review existing xBlocks.
Furqan Nazeeri, a partner at ExtensionEngine, co-chairs the Adaptive Learning Working Group with Beth Porter (edX, VP of product) and Steve Hill (CTO at the Institute for Transformational Learning at the University of Texas System). This group is committed to guiding the development of the Open edX adaptive learning roadmap, contributing engineering resources to develop adaptive learning features, and testing and adopting new adaptive learning features. Following a successful series of meetups focusing on different use cases for Open edX (academic, pre-matriculation, corporate, and adaptive), ExtensionEngine is now co-organizing meetups with edX and Appsembler. Our new group is named Open edX Boston, and our first meeting is September 28th.* If you’re in the Boston area, please join us and get (or stay!) involved in this awesome, dynamic community.
What about the Open edX project excites you the most?
We’re excited about the ability to help improve access to learning around the globe. We want learning to be as fun and addictive as Minecraft or Call of Duty. We want to help the best learning institutions be better and launch revolutionary new ways of learning. That’s our mission. Open edX is one of the most transformative ideas to come to the education space and we want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to use the platform and get access to education.
What are you most looking forward to at Open edX Con 2015?
We’re obviously excited to share our thoughts on Open edX and Adaptive Learning in the talk by Ed Daciuk, a principal at ExtensionEngine. However, we’re most excited to have the chance to get together with fellow innovators in the space and learning about the cool things they’re doing with the platform.
We’re excited, too! Join ExtensionEngine, edX, and edtech innovators from around the world at Open edX Con in October. Ticket sales end Monday, September 28th, so register today. Come meet the open education technology community that ExtensionEngine is so energized to support and build!
*The first meeting of Open edX Boston is Monday, September 28th.
Edited for content.
