In this instalment of our Meet The Team series, we speak to Developer, Guy Thomas.
Guy is a highly experienced Moodle developer and educator who has worked in with eLearning in a variety of roles over the last 14 years. You’ll most likely recognise his name from his many contributions to the Moodle Plugins directory.
Here he gives some insight into his expertise in the field, and what he sees as the most important upcoming eLearning developments.
Guy, how long had you been working in the educational technology field before joining Titus?
In 2004 I took my first job as a Web Technologies manager in a school. I began evaluating Moodle as a solution to the school's online learning requirements. This lead to me working on commercial Moodle solutions with various companies and schools. Along the way I've committed myself to the open source ethic of Moodle , developing various free plugins. I've also contributed fixes and improvements directly back to the core of Moodle.
Which areas of eLearning interest you the most?
I'm really interested in user experiences (UX) and how eLearning can be more intuitive and pleasurable to use. We are very lucky to be in age where UX plays a big part in the development of all successful online platforms. I like to observe the user interface patterns from the tools I use everyday (Facebook, Twitter, Spotify , etc). I then evaluate how to best incorporate these patterns into our eLearning. If we incorporate the same user interface patterns used by users outside of their organisation, we lower the barriers to adoption and usage eLearning.
What was it that attracted you to the role at Titus?
Titus has a great team and I've had the privilege of working with many of the team members in previous roles. I feel that my role at Titus will provide me with opportunities to develop new skills and also to contribute my existing skills and experience. I wanted to do something different to the role I had previously (working for a major tech company). Titus offers an exciting dynamic that major tech companies struggle to deliver.
What do you think has been the biggest shift in eLearning during your time in the sector?
I'm hoping that the next big shift will be towards a focus on UX and software which is a joy for users and admins to use. Also, as opposed to the 'big data' obsession of recent years, I'd like to see a focus on delivering the most important 'micro data'. A user shouldn't have to hunt for their important course/deadlines, a course creator shouldn't have to hunt for the assignments they need to grade, etc.
How do you see eLearning developing over the next few years?
I'm hoping that the next big shift will be towards a focus on UX and software which is a joy for users and admins to use. Also, as opposed to the 'big data' obsession of recent years, I'd like to see a focus on delivering the most important 'micro data'. A user shouldn't have to hunt for their important course/deadlines, a course creator shouldn't have to hunt for the assignments they need to grade, etc.
What keeps you busy when you’re away from the keyboard?
I love spending time with my family, especially going on bike rides / visiting National Trust attractions together. Second to this I am a musician in a band and also performing as a solo artist.
To learn more about Guy’s development work, or to speak to us about our Moodle or Moodle Workplace services, get in touch below.
