Award of Excellence for sustained leadership in educational technology

August 26, 2010

George Siemens, project manager at AU's Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute (TEKRI), has been awarded the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education's Award of Excellence for sustained leadership in educational technology. AACE cited Siemens'continued innovation and leadership in the field as the basis for the award.

"The award, from a major international organization, recognizes the significant contributions Canadians make to the field of learning technologies internationally," says Siemens. He says it's also a recoginition of the important role of TEKRI and Athabasca University in fostering environments that produce world-leading research, innovation, and creativity.

"George is an internationally respected scholar who joined AU last year," says Dr. Rory McGreal, Associate Vice president, Research. "He is the principal developer of the theory of ‘connectivisim' making use of a network with nodes and connections as a central metaphor for
learning and of Massive Online Courses. I would like to congratulate him on receiving this prestigious award."

Siemens' works includes Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age and Knowing Knowledge, a book that explores the impact of the changed context and characteristics of knowledge. Prior to joining Athabasca University, he was the Associate Director of the Learning Technologies Centre at the University of Manitoba.

The Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), founded in 1981, is an international, not-for-profit, educational organization with the mission of advancing information technology in education and e-learning research, development, learning, and its practical application.

For more information, contact:

John O'Brien
Manager, Media Relations
Athabasca University
403-298-2931
403-990-1131 (cell)
jobrien@athabascau.ca

 

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Updated August 21, 2012