Stephen Downes

Last updated
Stephen Downes
Stephen Downes 2009 cropped.jpg
Downes in 2009
Born (1959-04-06) April 6, 1959 (age 66)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Alma mater

(BA, MA)

Occupations
  • Philosopher
  • commentator

Stephen Downes (born April 6, 1959) is a Canadian philosopher and commentator in the fields of online learning and new media. He has explored and promoted the educational use of computer and online technologies since 1995. [2] He gave the 2004 Buntine Oration [3] and was a presenter at the February 2007 Online Connectivism Conference. [4] In 2008, Downes and George Siemens designed and taught an online, open course reported as a "landmark in the small but growing push toward 'open teaching'" [5] - widely considered the first massive open online course (MOOC).

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Downes lived and worked across Canada before joining the National Research Council of Canada as a senior researcher in November 2001. Currently, he is a researcher at the NRC's Digital Technologies Research Centre in Ottawa. [6]

Downes was the winner of the Edublog Award for Best Individual Blog in 2005 for his blog OLDaily. [7] He is Editor at Large of the International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning. [8]

Downes ran for Mayor of Brandon in 1995, when he was working at the Assiniboine Community College. A member of the New Democratic Party, he ran on a platform to the left of incumbent mayor Rick Borotsik. [9]

Notes

  1. ↑ Stephen, Downes. "Stephen Downs". Downes.ca. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  2. ↑ Kinney, Duncan (September 2010). "An Open Education Primer: What you need to know about the future of post-secondary education". Unlimited Magazine. Retrieved 2014-07-12.
  3. ↑ Downes, S. (2004). "Buntine Oration: Learning Objects" (PDF). International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning. 1 (11): 3–14. ISSN   1550-6908.
  4. ↑ University of Manitoba: Learning Technologies Centre Archived 2007-03-02 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Parry, Marc (August 29, 2010). "Online, Bigger Classes May Be Better Classes". Chronicle of Higher Education . Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  6. ↑ "NRC Experts and Staff: Stephen Downes". National Research Council of Canada. April 16, 2003. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  7. ↑ "2005 Edublog Awards". Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2006-08-12.
  8. ↑ International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning Editorial Board Retrieved on 2010-09-02.
  9. ↑ Bud Robertson, "Election-Profile-Brandon", Winnipeg Free Press, 1 October 1995, A1.
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