Interview with Eden Huthmacher (Open edX)

Thomas: Hi, Eden. Great to have you here.

Thomas: Welcome to the German UDS. Can you tell us a little bit about,

Thomas: so we see the Open edX logo in your bag.

Thomas: Can you tell us a little bit about the Open edX project, how it was started,

Thomas: how it became an open source project, all that early developments?

Eden: Yes, of course. First of all, thank you, Tomas. Thank you for having me.

Eden: It's a pleasure to be here. I'm happy to talk a little bit more in detail about

Eden: the Open edX project, which is an open source software development project,

Eden: originally created by a nonprofit organization called edX, EDX, in 2012.

Eden: In 2012, it was co-created by Harvard and MIT as a nonprofit organization with

Eden: the mission to expand access to high quality education globally.

Eden: And also to revolutionize the way that education is being delivered from the

Eden: classic classroom style to delivering MOOCs, massive open online courses.

Eden: And in order to support those MOOCs, edX created a MOOC platform,

Eden: which is now known as the Open edX platform.

Eden: And it was made open source in 2013, one year after edX was founded.

Eden: And today, the Open edX platform is used by a variety of well-renowned universities across the world.

Eden: For example, the University of Bologna uses it, which is one of the oldest universities

Eden: in Europe. Stanford University, MIT, the University of California, and many more.

Eden: It's also used by a variety of governments and nonprofit organizations.

Eden: For example, the Ukrainian government, the UK government, and the Israeli government,

Eden: as well as the United Nations use the Open edX platform for large scale educational initiatives.

Eden: And it's also used for corporate training. Organizations such as Microsoft and

Eden: IBM use the Open edX platform to deliver corporate training and upskilling programs.

Eden: And the Open edX community is quite diverse. It consists of a variety of developers

Eden: and organizations that want to contribute to its open source development to

Eden: make it a widely used platform for delivering online education at scale.

Thomas: And um next to open edX or one of the major players in open edX is the company

Thomas: or the organization that you are working for axiom collaborative can you tell

Thomas: us a little bit about axiom collaborative and your role there as well yes.

Eden: So in 2021 most of edX's assets were sold to a company called 2U.

Eden: However, the open source Open edX platform remained under the stewardship of Harvard and MIT.

Eden: And while Harvard and MIT sold all of edX's brand assets, including the name edX.

Eden: It had to rename itself to a new organization while still maintaining the same

Eden: nonprofit organization.

Eden: And the new name became AXM Collaborative.

Eden: AXM stands for Access and Impact.

Eden: So AXM Collaborative continues on with the initial mission of edX,

Eden: which is to expand access to high quality education globally,

Eden: but with a specific focus on equity and inclusion.

Eden: And my role as community manager primarily is related to the open edX side side of things.

Eden: So I'm the community manager for the Open edX project and ensure that the community

Eden: grows and has the resources that it needs to continue to grow and be sustainable.

Eden: I also manage the Open edX provider ecosystem.

Eden: Open edX providers are a variety of vendors who deploy, customize,

Eden: and extend the Open edX platform for customers around the world out to deliver

Eden: online education for their own institution.

Thomas: So we just had another interview with Stefania from Abstract,

Thomas: that is one of those providers, and there are a couple of others.

Thomas: I don't want to make a product placement here, but there's a couple of Raccoon

Thomas: Gang, Edunax, and some others who are doing similar things.

Eden: Yes. In fact, we have over 100 Open edX vendors, but vendors are categorized

Eden: in three different categories.

Eden: We have Open edX partners, which is the highest tier.

Eden: That's abstract technology is what you would call an Open edX partner.

Eden: They contribute a lot back to the open source project.

Eden: They're heavily involved in the community, and we have verified their high quality of work.

Eden: And then the next tier is Open edX verified providers. They are also verified

Eden: and provide a significant amount back to the Open edX commons.

Eden: And then all other providers that follow are categorized as marketplace providers.

Eden: They are not verified, but they do provide solutions for customers on our website as well.

Eden: So we are happy to work with Abstract Technology as our partner for many years

Eden: and very happy with the work that they have provided. So we're glad to see that

Eden: your university is a customer of this as well.

Thomas: So basically you as AXIM are sort of the keepers of the gate to the main branch

Thomas: of the OpenAddicts core code, the extensions as well, I guess,

Thomas: and all of the plugins and whatever is around that and in that context.

Thomas: So how do you determine or how do you prioritize the roadmap for the upcoming releases?

Thomas: And how does that work for you? How is the process?

Eden: Yeah, that's a very good question. So we have a number of aspects that allow

Eden: us to prioritize certain feature requests for the roadmap.

Eden: So as you correctly stated, Exim Collaborative functions as the steward of the platform.

Eden: And as a result, we are responsible for ensuring the platform's continuous development

Eden: and quality as well as alignment with community needs.

Eden: So one factor is community-driven feedback and contributions by means of feature requests,

Eden: back reports, or any new ideas that are submitted by the community through our

Eden: public channels, which are on GitHub,

Eden: Discourse, our Wiki pages, as well as the Open edX working groups,

Eden: which you can find on our website.

Eden: So that's one component. The other component is close collaboration with Open edX partners.

Eden: So as I mentioned, we have partners, verified providers and marketplace providers,

Eden: partners being the highest tier.

Eden: We have very close collaboration with partners and verified providers because

Eden: they contribute a significant amount back to the open source project and play

Eden: a key role in contributing to the platform and helping to shape its roadmap.

Eden: They provide technical support, they share critical insights from their work

Eden: with clients, and thereby help us to prioritize features that would benefit the wide user base.

Eden: The other component is a mission alignment. So as I mentioned,

Eden: it's AXM's overarching mission to promote equity and access in education.

Eden: So feature requests that align with that mission tend to be prioritized as well.

Eden: And lastly, platform sustainability, so maintaining the stability and the security,

Eden: as well as the performance of the core infrastructure.

Eden: So as a result, releases may prioritize updates related to code quality or modularity,

Eden: as well as the platform architecture.

Eden: So all of those components play a role in shaping us and helping us shape the roadmap.

Thomas: Can you go a little bit into a little bit more detail on the process,

Thomas: how actually a proposal for an extension becomes an actual feature, so like the steps that.

Eden: Yes. So if you visit our wiki pages, the Open edX wiki pages,

Eden: there's a specific page you will find that outlines exactly how anyone in the

Eden: community or anybody interested in joining the community submits a proposal or a feature request.

Eden: The first step is to follow the outline on our wiki page.

Eden: It has a sample proposal on the page that you can follow that will detail which

Eden: components need to be included in a specific feature request.

Eden: Once that proposal has been submitted on our wiki page, it is then open for

Eden: community feedback in that public channel.

Eden: And it is also reviewed by our product working group. The product working group

Eden: will then be in charge of reviewing each proposal that comes in.

Eden: And once the proposal has been approved by the product working group,

Eden: it goes into the next phase, which is the technical review.

Eden: It will undergo a technical review to ensure feasibility and implementation details.

Eden: And once that stage has been completed,

Eden: it will go into the implementation stage, which is where contributors as well

Eden: as core developers, both on Axiom side and the community side,

Eden: implement the feature followed by testing and then final integration.

Thomas: So you just mentioned that you have also developers on Axiom's side.

Thomas: So basically, you are developing parts of the software yourself as a company.

Thomas: You're not only relying on the partners and providers.

Thomas: So what are your main tasks in this context?

Eden: Yes, that is exactly right. We as AXM are involved in the software development

Eden: process, particularly as it relates to maintenance and ongoing development of

Eden: the core infrastructure.

Eden: And the specific tasks as it relates to platform maintenance ensure any tasks

Eden: that ensure the stability, security and performance of the Open edX core infrastructure.

Eden: We also assess feature developments and collaborate closely with the Open edX

Eden: community to implement new features, extensions, or plugins.

Eden: And we are also involved in the code review process.

Eden: And as part of this, we implement agile software engineering methodologies such as Scrum and Canbin.

Eden: Scrum, because it allows for regular sprints and structured product cycles,

Eden: which are ideal for our roadmap-driven features.

Eden: And Canbin allows for flexibility in handling maintenance and smaller tasks, such as bug fixes.

Eden: This is our involvement in that process.

Thomas: Was there any reason why you decided for for these particular processes in in

Thomas: that case so you mentioned scrum and canvan for different uh developments or different areas.

Eden: Yes exactly because it it fits with the the current structures that we have

Eden: in place so scrum The regular sprints that are integrated with strums work great

Eden: with our roadmap-driven features.

Eden: And that's why we selected that structure.

Eden: And Kanban is ideal for managing maintenance tasks.

Eden: So that's why we have chosen Kanban for that.

Thomas: Okay. And how do you handle, for example, quality control?

Thomas: You mentioned you have a review process already. So can you go a little bit

Thomas: into detail on how does that work and how you're doing that?

Eden: Yeah. So we employ a robust quality control process focused on maintaining high

Eden: standards for contributions, code quality, and platform stability.

Eden: And it involves several steps. Number one, the code reviews.

Eden: All new contributions undergo a thorough review to ensure that they meet the

Eden: platform's coding standards and best practices.

Eden: We also integrate automated testing to catch bugs and verify functionality early

Eden: in the development process.

Eden: We integrate continuous integration or CI to ensure that all changes are systematically

Eden: built and tested before they are being merged.

Eden: As well as collaborative feedback. The code is always reviewed by senior engineers

Eden: as well as maintainers in the community who can provide constructive feedback

Eden: and ensure adherence to our technical requirements.

Eden: And lastly, we check for security and performance audits, making sure that there

Eden: are no security vulnerabilities or performance bottlenecks.

Thomas: And is the team you were, are you all located in Cambridge, is it, or Boston?

Eden: Yeah, so the office, we have a co-working space, interestingly enough,

Eden: in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Eden: So when the company first was first created in 2012 under edX,

Eden: we had an office space in Cambridge.

Eden: And then in the pandemic, all teams went fully remote.

Eden: And at that time, this was in early 2020, at that time, the company conducted

Eden: several tests or surveys, I should say,

Eden: and found that the productivity rate of employees was higher in the remote environment

Eden: rather than the in-person environment.

Eden: So as a result, post the pandemic, rather than going back to a full office environment,

Eden: the organization made the decision to keep its employees fully remote due to

Eden: the increased productivity.

Eden: But they also rented a co-working space in Cambridge near the MIT campus for

Eden: any individuals who prefer an office-structured environment,

Eden: perhaps to get away from distractions at home or just some people just simply

Eden: prefer to be in an office environment rather than being at home.

Eden: This works quite well because we have regular synchronous check-ins to foster

Eden: alignment and ensure consistent communication.

Eden: We also host in-person weeks a few times a year where everyone gets together as a team.

Eden: We conduct team building exercises, collaboration that allows for a deeper connection

Eden: and opportunity to work together in ways that may not be easily achieved in

Eden: a fully remote environment.

Eden: And so this flexible approach ensures that all team members,

Eden: regardless of their work style, have the support and resources that they need

Eden: to thrive while maintaining high levels of productivity and engagement.

Thomas: That's super interesting to hear. I mean, in the last couple of weeks or months,

Thomas: I heard a lot of big companies going back to saying everybody has to come back to work,

Thomas: to the workplace or to the office, and remote doesn't work.

Thomas: It's great to hear from you that actually it is working quite well.

Thomas: And that's an experience that I made myself as well in a previous team where

Thomas: I've been working, where we basically have been working since the pandemic in

Thomas: a more or less remote way.

Eden: Mm-hmm.

Thomas: Mm-hmm.

Eden: Yes, I agree. That's good.

Thomas: Okay, so I've read somewhere that you're also funding new developments in the area,

Thomas: the context of Open edX.

Thomas: So is that correct? And how, as a student, so not me, but maybe our audience,

Thomas: So how can I apply for such a funding opportunity or what are the requirements that I have to fulfill?

Eden: Yes. Yeah. So that is in fact right. Exim Collaborative does provide grants

Eden: to support new developments in online education, including projects related

Eden: to the Open edX platform.

Eden: The grants primarily focus on initiatives that align with ACSIM's mission of

Eden: expanding access to quality education, especially for underserved communities.

Eden: But ACSIM's strategy is not just about funding, but also about offering expertise

Eden: and facilitating collaboration between organizations to drive innovation and digital learning.

Eden: So as a student, you wouldn't apply directly.

Eden: We do work with universities that help achieve that mission.

Eden: So, for example, in the US, we have collaborated or provided grants to community

Eden: colleges, as well as HBCUs.

Eden: HBCU stands for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Eden: And on the Open edX side, there are specific projects that we have co-funded.

Eden: So projects that tie to using technology to improve educational outcomes or

Eden: advancing open source learning tools.

Eden: If you have a proposal in mind of that kind via the Open edX community,

Eden: you are always welcome to submit such a proposal.

Eden: Anybody can really submit a proposal.

Eden: If you're interested in doing that, you can reach us at info.open edX.org or

Eden: you can visit our website, open edX.org.

Eden: There's a contact us button and a form that you can complete where you can indicate

Eden: that you have a proposal that you would like to make and we can review that

Eden: and we'll follow up regarding the next steps.

Thomas: And,

Thomas: Following that, funding or not funding, so

Thomas: what are ways for a student or anybody basically to get involved in the development

Thomas: of Open edX or maybe also open source projects in general or Open edX in particular?

Thomas: And what do I need to do that?

Eden: Yeah we would

Eden: love to have you get involved as a student in open

Eden: edX development you can learn how

Eden: to contribute to the code or assist with documentation or

Eden: participate in one of our working groups the best working group to start out

Eden: with if you're seeking that kind of an experience is the open edX maintenance

Eden: working group it focuses on maintaining and improving the platform stability

Eden: through bug fixes and minor enhancements.

Eden: And you don't need to be an experienced contributor, I mean,

Eden: programmer to contribute.

Eden: It's an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on experience in open source development

Eden: and collaborate with experienced developers and also play a key role in keeping

Eden: the platform running smoothly.

Eden: So we hope that you really

Eden: learned more about the open edX project and its initiatives and that you would

Eden: want to get involved if you're interested in the open edX maintenance working

Eden: group we have a wiki page you can also contact us through the website and we'd

Eden: love to have you there as part of the community I.

Thomas: Actually would suggest to not to you but to to the audience so I mean we we

Thomas: will have or we have a project coming up in this course so,

Thomas: there might be one way to go,

Thomas: and I'd be happy to make the contact so if that is something that is interesting,

Thomas: you as the students and the learners,

Thomas: and if you say that would be interesting for Open edX as well,

Thomas: maybe we get a group together.

Eden: Yeah, that would That would be great. That would be great. Yes. Looking forward to it.

Thomas: Great. So it was a pleasure to talk to you. Is there anything that I missed to ask?

Thomas: Anything that you want to share, which I didn't ask? Something important that I forgot?

Eden: Or um yeah no i

Eden: think uh thomas thank you so much for the interview you covered it

Eden: very broadly if there's any information that

Eden: is missing or your students would like to learn more

Eden: about you can always reach us at

Eden: info.open edx.org you can

Eden: reach us on open edx.org complete a

Eden: contact us form we're always here to help

Eden: to share information we also host monthly meetups that are free and virtual

Eden: if you want to learn additional information about the project and its ecosystem

Eden: or exciting features that we're working on new releases that are coming out

Eden: we'd love to have you participate so don't hesitate to reach out if more questions come up.

Thomas: Great maybe maybe you can send me a couple of links so that i can add them to

Thomas: the video so that it's easier for the students to,

Thomas: just click and remember the.

Eden: Addresses.

Thomas: It was great talking to you and I hope we meet again in person sooner or later and see you soon.

Eden: Thank you. Take care. Bye.

Thomas: Bye-bye.