Biography.guide
Home › People › Computer scientist › Stephen Downes
Portrait of Stephen Downes

Stephen Downes

b. 1959

Canadian philosopher

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Stephen Downes

Born 1959. Stephen Downes is a Canadian computer scientist, philosopher and pundit (expert).

Stephen Downes (born April 6, 1959) is a Canadian philosopher and commentator in the fields of online learning and new media. He has explored and promoted the educational use of computer and online technologies since 1995. He gave the 2004 Buntine Oration and was a presenter at the February 2007 Online Connectivism Conference. In 2008, Downes and George Siemens designed and taught an online, open course reported as a "landmark in the small but growing push toward 'open teaching - widely considered the first massive open online course (MOOC).

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Downes lived and worked across Canada before joining the National Research Council of Canada as a senior researcher in November 2001. Currently, he is a researcher at the NRC's Digital Technologies Research Centre in Ottawa.

Downes was the winner of the Edublog Award for Best Individual Blog in 2005 for his blog OLDaily. He is Editor at Large of the International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning.

Downes ran for Mayor of Brandon in 1995, when he was working at the Assiniboine Community College. A member of the New Democratic Party, he ran on a platform to the left of incumbent mayor Rick Borotsik.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Calgary, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, University of Alberta
Employers
National Research Council Canada

People in Stephen Downes's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Stephen Downes's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Stephen Downes?

Canadian philosopher

When was Stephen Downes born?

Stephen Downes was born on 6 April 1959 in Montreal.

What is Stephen Downes's occupation?

Stephen Downes is a computer scientist, philosopher and pundit (expert).

What nationality is Stephen Downes?

Stephen Downes is Canadian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Stephen Downes

· Wikidata: Q3498542

· DBpedia: Stephen Downes

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Stephen Downes. https://biography.guide/stephen-downes/

MLA: "Stephen Downes." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/stephen-downes/.

Chicago: "Stephen Downes." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/stephen-downes/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:17 UTC