Dr. Ali Jafari, a renowned entrepreneur and computer scientist, is the 2015 keynote speaker. He will share his vision for social learning spaces.  

Jafari has gained an unofficial title of Founding Father of the LMS, will discuss his vision of the next generation of Learning Management Systems (LMS). Dr. Jafari envisions a new learning environment that looks and feels like an engaging social site with full-fledged learning management features, a system that networks your students with learners taking similar courses from across the world, and a platform that offers recognitions, badges, and a lifelong academic ePortfolio.

Jafari is an entrepreneur with 17 years of experience and is well known for his research and entrepreneurship in the area of information technology-more specifically, on the development of a series of learning management systems. He currently works as Professor of Engineering and Technology and Director of CyberLab at Indiana University, IUPUI campus and CEO of CourseNetworking LCC.

The four major software system products he envisioned, created, and commercialized compete among a dozen internationally known LMS products. Jafari’s projects included Indiana University’s Oncourse (now Sakai) (1999); ANGEL Learning (2000), which was acquired by Blackboard; Epsilen Environment (funded by The New York Times); and CourseNetworking, LLC (theCN.com, 2011).

As a researcher and a technology designer, Jafari continues to innovate and combine the next generation learning management and social networking features into the academic sphere to form a new solution to teaching and learning. He leads a development team in China and a research and development team in the CyberLab (a partnership between CourseNetworking and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis).

Jafari has contributed his entrepreneurial and technology savvy to three books, co-editing and authoring Handbook of Research on ePortfolios, Designing Portals, and Course Management Systems for Learning: Beyond Accidental Pedagogy. He has presented papers and delivered keynote addresses at more than 100 national and international conferences.

He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Isfahan in Iran, an M.S. in media technology from the University of Wisconsin, and a Ph.D. in telecommunications and mass communication from Indiana University.

If you  have any questions, please email info@c2conline.org.