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Martin Dougiamas: From bush kid to global citizen

  • 25 July 2024

Dr Martin Dougiamas is someone who turns an idea into a reality. His childhood gave him a unique perspective on and appreciation for education, technology and what can be made possible. As the founder of Moodle, he has used his knowledge and lived experience to make it possible for anyone to access education, no matter their location, age or socio-economic status, an impact that has seen him receive honorary doctorates from Spain, Brussels and Greece, and recognition in the Australian of the Year Awards as a 2024 WA finalist.

With his sights always set on the future of technology and its impact on society, Martin shares with us how his desire to contribute has led to a new opportunity for research and innovation.

I’m a bush kid at heart. Until I was 12, I lived with my parents mostly in outback Western Australia around Wingellina, Warburton and Kalgoorlie. They built Wingellina alone from scratch as a mining camp, and ran food kitchens in Warburton for the Department of Community Welfare. I have fond memories of exploring the bush with my dog, learning via School of the Air on shortwave, and reading a lot of science fiction. That unique start sparked my love for both technology and education. I threw myself into maths and science, eventually getting degrees in Engineering, Computer Science, and Education. That helped me clearly see the need for a platform like Moodle – my open-source learning platform that’s now used by hundreds of millions worldwide.

black and white photo of a young child and two adults on scooter in Australian outback

My experiences growing up in remote Australia showed me firsthand the power of distance education, but also its limitations. I was fascinated by the potential of the internet to connect learners and educators in new ways.  At the same time, I was deeply inspired by constructivist learning theories and the open-source software movement. I wanted to create a platform that wasn’t just about delivering content, but about fostering collaboration and building knowledge together.

Moodle’s been my life’s work, really. As its founder and long-time CEO, I’ve had the privilege of helping it grow from an idea in my head to a tool that’s enabling so many learners across the globe. It’s also helped me see a lot of the world and get a better appreciation for it all.

The positive effects of Moodle have been incredible to witness. We’ve seen it adopted by schools, universities, and organisations in every corner of the globe, often in places where access to education was previously limited. It’s been used to support millions of learners, from primary school kids to adult professionals. Perhaps most rewarding is seeing how educators have used Moodle to innovate and create learning experiences that wouldn’t have been possible before. The open-source nature of Moodle has also sparked a global community of developers and educators who continually improve and adapt the platform. It’s gone far beyond what I initially imagined, and it’s humbling to see the impact it’s had on education worldwide.

crowd of people at a conference

Although I love this giant island I was born on, I think I’ve also always regarded myself primarily as a global citizen. All people are different, and we should accept and support those differences. In the end, each one of us is exactly one person, and we all want to grow and love and be loved. I think the similarities among us all are much greater than any regional or genetic differences.

Most recently, I helped to find a new CEO to run Moodle and I’ve created the Moodle Research Lab, along with a new organisation called Open EdTech, to help me focus on researching how learning could look in the upcoming age of AI, robots and AR.

The recent step change in Artificial Intelligence is the start of a huge transition for society.  What we are seeing now is just the very earliest part of an exponential curve.

So much of our current society has been driven by industrial thinking, an economy dominated by the core idea that people must work for a living – unemployment numbers are a KPI for how well a government is doing.

man speaking on stage at conference
Martin speaking to attendees of MoodleMoot Global 2023 in Barcelona

We’re now moving into a future where there is a very high probability for most of the work to be done by machines, whether AI on the internet or embodied as robots. Our problem-solving capabilities will sky-rocket.  There are possibilities now for a global golden age, an age of abundance – really science-fiction come true!

However, there is much to do.  In education, we need to think hard about what and how we should be teaching upcoming generations to thrive in a world where they have immense free time. And as a society, we need to make sure that no one is left behind in a world where unemployment figures might be 80% – or not even important anymore. Part of my work these days is advocating for Universal Basic Income, an idea that every single person receives welfare that’s enough to live comfortably without needing to work.  This is something I really would like to see discussed in federal budget planning.

I really do hope that Australia as a rich country can take some initiative and help lead the world in seizing the opportunities that AI presents to automate away a lot of the boring, difficult or dangerous work that makes a society run, and finds sustainable ways to support ever more and more of us to explore lifelong learning with more time for family and community.

For his impact on accessible education, Martin Dougiamas was a WA finalist in the 2024 Australian of the Year Awards. Nominate someone you know who is making a difference at australianoftheyear.org.au/nominate

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