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Rebecca Stromeyer, ICWE, Germany

Online Educa Berlin grew out of the challenges faced by former Soviet states to provide quality education over wide geographic areas using extensive satellite networks previously used to transmit military information.
November 21 2014
5 Min Read

International education is in Rebecca Stromeyer’s DNA so it’s no surprise that the education events she organises focusing on e-learning are celebrating decades of success. In the lead up to the 20th Online Educa Berlin conference, she shares her views on the evolution of ed tech and reveals the trends to watch.

The PIE: You and your family have been in international education a long time. Tell me about the early days.

RS: My father, Karl Badde, was an educationalist, but also an entrepreneur, who set up language schools and adult education centres in the Arab world in the 1960s. In the late 80s, I worked for his publishing company that produced guide books on studying abroad. During my time there, he was asked to do a language exhibition and I became involved in the events side of the business.

In the early 90s, my father, my brother Markus Badde and I started ICEF, a new company that specialised in exhibitions and conferences in the education sphere. In 2001, I decided to set up my own company, taking over some of the events I had been handling on my own and starting new ones.

My father, Karl Badde, was an educationalist, but also an entrepreneur, who set up language schools and adult education centres in the Arab world in the 1960s

The PIE: This year is the 20th anniversary for ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN (OEB), how did that start?

RS: In the early 90s we organised an exhibition in Russia on Higher Education. All sectors were involved, even the military. This was shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the CIS States (the former states of the Soviet Union) had extensive satellite networks that had previously been used to transmit military information. The CIS States, which still had their Soviet era unified education systems, faced challenges when it came to providing quality education over wide geographic areas. They were looking to use these satellites to transfer educational expertise.

So my father had the idea to organise a conference about it, and chose Berlin because it was easier than working in Moscow in terms of technological infrastructure, and because Berlin was the perfect bridge between the East and the West. ONLINE EDUCA was my father’s brainchild, but technology in education always interested me and I have managed the conference since the very beginning.

The PIE: What was that first conference like?

RS: It took place in 1995 in the eastern part of the city with the subtitle “Technology Supported Distance Learning and Training”. Over 500 high-level people participated – all the international experts and gurus were there. Now we see around 2,200 participants each year, from approximately 100 countries. We attract delegates from all sectors – academia, the public and corporate sectors – and it is a unique event for its breadth of themes and its diversity.

Immersive learning and gamification of content are emerging as excellent tools for creating memorable experiences

The PIE: How have trends changed in e-learning over the past 20 years?

RS: The first conference was very much focused on video conferencing using satellite technologies. In 1995 we hardly used the internet, it had been dial-up for many years and quite slow, so CBL and CBT [computer based learning and training] were high on the agenda.

In 2014, we’ll be looking at trends in data such as adaptive learning where the environment adapts to your own needs; data in the classroom; cloud-based environments. Mobile is also very central, so much so that it is no longer a trend. However, a huge trend will be wearable technology. It’s not mainstream yet but there are always some teachers who experiment and inspire others. Immersive learning and gamification of content are also emerging as excellent tools for creating memorable experiences.

The PIE: You hear a lot about e-learning in the context of Africa, how did your African e-learning event start?

RS: In 2003, mobile phones and internet access were beginning to change people’s lives on a basic level – a farmer, with no prior access to a landline phone but with access to a mobile phone, could find out if there was any demand for his produce without the need to travel. A mobile with internet connection provides access to information, access to knowledge; the scope is huge.

For two years I had been thinking about how I could work that into ONLINE EDUCA, but eventually decided that e-learning in Africa was too big a topic to fit into OEB, so in 2005 I organised eLearning Africa in Ethiopia. I thought it would be a small conference with about 300 people, but over 870 turned up.

We try to make e-learning Africa as accessible as possible, through targeted subsidies and scholarships

We decided then that we would develop eLearning Africa as a roaming conference, a truly Pan-African event. The first year was Ethiopia, then Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, Zambia, Tanzania, Benin, Namibia, Uganda and now we are returning to Ethiopia, to celebrate the 10th year.

There are around 1,500 participants annually and we try to make the event as accessible as possible, through targeted subsidies and scholarships. We aim to bring together diverse groups, from teachers and developers who are working at the grassroots level to CEOs, ministers and heads of state.

The PIE: What effect do you think the boom in e-learning and ICT will have on global student mobility?

RS: Initially, many universities thought that e-learning would replace the need to go to university, but physically attending a university is not just about acquiring knowledge: it’s about the whole student experience and the cultural experience of living and studying in a new place.

Technology will not change student mobility in a big way, and universities that embrace the technology and that understand the role it plays in students’ lives will be able to use it to their own advantage.

The PIE: What are your thoughts on MOOCS?

RS: When they became a mainstream topic for discussion, it made my work much easier because everyone started talking about e-learning. But really, MOOCs are just distance learning repackaged, and not particularly revolutionary or disruptive.

The idea touted by some was that MOOCs would provide access to Ivy League education to people who would otherwise never come close. But in reality, an 18 year old will always prefer the university experience and barriers to access still exist in the same places: the privileges of time, hardware, electricity and Internet.

MOOCs are just distance learning repackaged, and not particularly revolutionary or disruptive

However, they are great for supporting your educational environment and they have many other benefits. Students can even do a MOOC to find out what they want to study at university; perhaps they will reduce the number of university drop-outs.

The PIE: What are you most excited about?

RS: Educators are being bombarded with new technologies and new methods – often with scarce evidence for their efficacy – and the question is, who decides what is put in place, and where. Through our events, we hope that we can provide a platform for open dialogue about these questions.

The PIE: How many conferences does ICWE organise and what’s next?

RS: Around 10 of our own, as well as many events and communications campaigns for international clients. We employ over 60 people in our Berlin head office.

We’ll continue to do what we do best, while always looking to innovate. I think that good content is the catalyst for really great networking. You can’t beat face-to-face contact and the ideas that spring forth from serendipitous meetings. That’s not something that can be done better online. Or, at least, not yet!

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