IT Fundamentals: Programming Basics

Ignacio (Nacho) Despujol is a distinguished educator and technology leader at Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), where he serves as the MOOC initiative coordinator. His diverse academic background includes a PhD in Educational Technology from Universidad de Murcia, Master's degrees in Telecommunication and Aeronautical Engineering from UPV, an Executive MBA from Catholic University of Valencia, and certification as a commercial pilot. Under his leadership, UPV has developed over 150 MOOCs with more than 4.6 million enrollments through their platform upvx.es and edx.org. His work has been particularly impactful in expanding Open edX's presence in Spanish universities, securing 500,000 euros in European Union funding. As an IEEE senior member and board member of the Valencia Telecommunication Engineering Guild, he combines his technical expertise with educational innovation, teaching Airport Engineering to aerospace students using a flipped classroom approach. His research and implementation of MOOCs has achieved an 8.69% completion rate with high student satisfaction levels.

Carlos Turró serves as Head of Media Services at the Universitat Politècnica de València, where he combines his roles as multimedia services director and data network administrator. With both an MD and PhD, he has published more than 50 articles on information systems and educational technologies in international conferences and journals. His groundbreaking work includes the development of Polimedia for video e-learning, which earned the Spanish FICOD award and was a finalist for the EUNIS ETLF award. As a key innovator in educational technology, he leads the transLectures project for automatic transcription and translation of educational videos. Under his leadership, UPV has become a leader in educational technology, producing thousands of video learning objects and virtual labs that have transformed digital education. His expertise spans across multimedia systems, network administration, and educational technology innovation, making him a pivotal figure in advancing digital learning solutions.

Dr. Vicent Botti Navarro serves as Full Professor of Computer Sciences at Universitat Politècnica de València, where he has been teaching since 1984. As Head of the Valencian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence (VRAIN) and the Grupo de Tecnología Informática-Inteligencia Artificial, he leads groundbreaking research in artificial intelligence, multiagent systems, and digital twins. His research impact spans multiple areas including holonic manufacturing systems, agreement technologies, and social dispersed computing, with over 2,000 academic citations. Currently serving as Vice-Rector for the Development of ITC Technologies, he spearheads the UPValenciaX and UPV[X] MOOC initiatives, demonstrating his commitment to expanding digital education access. His excellence in research was recognized with the 2005 Prize of Research from the Spanish Association on Artificial Intelligence (AEPIA). His recent work focuses on developing intelligent conversational agents, affective computing, and innovative solutions for smart cities, while maintaining active collaboration with international research teams and industry partners through the VRAIN institute.

Ignacio Despujol is a distinguished educator and technology leader at Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), where he serves as the MOOC initiative coordinator managing both UPV's own MOOC platform (upvx.es) and their presence on edx.org, overseeing more than 600 course editions with over 4 million enrollments. He holds a PhD in Educational Technology from Universidad de Murcia, Master's degrees in both Telecommunication Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering from UPV, and an Executive MBA from Catholic University of Valencia, along with a commercial pilot license. As a Senior IT Analyst and Professor, he teaches Airport Engineering to 130 students using a flipped classroom format in the Aerospace Engineering Bachelor's program. His expertise extends beyond academia as he previously served as the technical director of the University's radiotelevision and telecommunications infrastructure manager. Despujol is an IEEE senior member, serves on the board of Valencia Telecommunication Engineering Guild, and has made significant contributions to educational technology research, particularly in MOOC development and implementation. He leads several European Union-funded projects to expand Open edX usage among Spanish universities and actively participates in the Open edX Technical Oversight Committee, dedicating substantial time to advancing online education platforms and methodologies.