Cologna (GER)/ Bolzano (I), July 2007 - An attractive mixture of current trends like Web 2.0 and topics such as quality assurance and eLearning strategies characterize the programme of this year's ILIAS conference, which will be held on October 4th and 5th in Bolzano. Interested parties and users of the open source learning management system are meeting in Italy for the first time in Italy to exchange their experiences.
The sixth ILIAS conference is hosted by the autonomous province of Bolzano, South Tyrol, which successfully provides eLearning offerings throughout the region.
As in the past years, conference talks and workshops are directed towards a broad spectrum of people. So far, more than 50,000 pupils have used ILIAS successfully in class, and a variety of examples included in the programme will demonstrate the whole range of possible applications for ILIAS. Among others, a big Italian industrial firm will report on how marketing strategies can be supported by using eLearning. A supplementary workshop is going to provide comprehensive information about this concept and ways for its realisation in the business world.
Even in times of the Bologna process, eLearning remains important for educational development. This was again demonstrated in a report of the Bremen Polytechnic, where ILIAS is used to guarantee teachers' qualifications for the transition to the newly launched Bachelor's and Master's studies programmes. In one of the conference sessions, The Académie de Bordeaux will present strategies for profitable eLearning at school. Also, organisation development and supporting models for eLearning will be outlined by a host-talk from Australia.
During the two-day conference, a number of new ILIAS features will be presented. They include the integration of Web 2.0 functions, such as web feeds, podcasting, or Google Maps in ILIAS, as well as recently introduced options it offers for both teachers and students. ILIAS has gained precursor status with the new SCORM 2004 - interface, which will be presented by the developer team of the ETH Zurich. NATO will be among the first users of this new ILIAS version. At present, NATO is using ILIAS to prepare soldiers for their mission in Afghanistan.
In addition to exciting talks and intensive workshops, the conference also offers sufficient time and space for exchanging experiences participants have had with ILIAS or to familiarize oneself with the platform. On both days, South Tyrolean eLearning experts will present a practical introduction to the ILIAS LMS. Newcomers will thus have a chance to gain comprehensive information about the programme's operations and possibilities.
The languages to be used at the conference are English, Italian, and German. All presentations will be translated simultaneously. Enrolment can be made online, and early bird registration (€120) is possible until July 31st.
