John Baker
From The Waterloo Way Wiki
John Baker (born 1978) is the founder, president and CEO of Desire2Learn Inc., a leader in providing innovative eLearning solutions to academic and other leading organizations around the world. At only 29 years of age (2007), Baker is one of Canada’s youngest and most successful entrepreneur. Desire2Learn’s offerings include the Enterprise eLearning Suite, which is comprised of the web-based Learning Environment, Learning Repository, and LiveRoom. Desire2Learn focuses on research and development and the service and support of their clients. Its service offerings lead the market in innovation and client satisfaction. 1
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Desire2Learn Overview
Desire2Learn is committed to being the global leader in the development and support of innovative eLearning environments for the education, government and corporate markets. It works collaboratively [with its clients in pursuit of their eLearning visions; their success is Desire2Learn’s measure of achievement. Its future focused platform along with its enterprise service spectrum offer unparalleled scalability, flexibility, expertise, and responsiveness. Ultimately, Desire2Learn enables institutions to customize teaching and education for millions on a one-to-one basis, to achieve boundless learning. 2
Vision and Leadership
Baker believes that an eLearning platform should not dictate your approach to teaching and learning. It should be tailored to your success, desired look and feel, philosophy, vision, brand, and pedagogical approach.
Desire2Learn recently won a 2006 Deloitte Fast 50 Award as one of Canada’s fastest growing technology companies, with 2,117% growth during the period spanning 2001 to 2005. 3 This annual program recognizes excellence, innovation, and fast growing technology companies in Canada. Rankings are based on percentage growth in fiscal year revenues over a five year period, up to and including 2005.
John is an active member of industry consortiums, peer-to-peer groups, contributes to standards and specifications bodies, and regularly speaks at conferences around the world. 4
Baker on Values
Baker has developed a foundation of values which include innovation, relentless improvement, passionate spirit, and collaboration – not only collaboration internally, but collaboration with partners, clients, and others within the industry to continuously improve. When listing his values for stakeholders, Baker also puts his clients first, employees second, community third, and shareholders follow [thereafter]. He has stated clearly that he places tremendous value on the output Desire2Learn create for its clients as well as its participation in the communities in which it conducts business. 5
One of the unique things about Baker and Desire2Learn is the concept of open communication. Baker believes in honesty and does not run away from any issue. He tackles issues head on, and with a lot of force. These are some of the qualities that have made Baker and Desire2Learn truly unique. 6
Baker believes that for any entrepreneur, a lesson to be had is that facing big challenges should not be perceived as challenges, but rather as opportunities to demonstrate what he or she is made of. In his case, Baker takes every opportunity to showcase what Desire2Learn is made of as an organization, what it believes in and values, and how it will continue to work with its clients. 7
Innovation and Achievement
Baker has steered the Desire2Learn learning platform through five years of intense R&D and close work with academic clients, including the University of Guelph (Ontario’s largest DE program), University of Wisconsin System, Minnesota States Colleges and Universities, Florida Distance Learning Consortium, ADLC, VSB, MSDE, GADOE, and many other clients worldwide. 8
Desire2Learn’s innovative products offer the most complete suite of highly customizable and user friendly software to power a businesses learning infrastructure. The key to success is that Desire2Learn’s service offerings are modularly based to allow for detailed customization at the clients request, while still maintaining a competitive price. Desire2Learn is also the only learning management system to have full support of SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) as part of the core platform. SCORM is a set of standards for e-learning systems that outlines communications between client side content and a host system.
Baker has established Desire2Learn as the only learning management system (LMS) provider that offers a standards based Learning Object Repository (LOR). The LOR allows customers to share, search, and store Learning Objects and other learning resources effortlessly.
In June 2007, Desire2Learn opened a satellite office located in the Universite de Moncton's Scientific Park, Moncton, New Brunswick in partnership with the Universite de Moncton through the Groupe des technologies de l'apprentissage (GTA) and with the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada to develop Synergi C3. Synergi C3 is a productivity enhancement software suite that will decrease the production time for developing eLearning content by accelerating workflow processes, facilitating collaborative authoring and enhancing quality control capabilities. 9
Path to Success
John graduated with an Honors B.A.Sc. in Systems Design Engineering, with First Class Honours and an option in Management Sciences from the University of Waterloo in the year 2000. 10 When Baker was still a student at the University of Waterloo, he started writing software used by millions of students around the world today.
"I would write code, study for an exam, write the exam, come back, finish some web portal designs and start studying for the next exam," he stated. 11
He got such a huge rush from using technology to help people, there was no way he could become another engineer working for a giant corporation. With this attitude in mind, Baker successfully stepped in where other fellow graduates feared to tread.
He started the educational software business with his brother and a few friends.
That summer, they wrote software for a department within the University of Waterloo. That fall, they were creating Internet portals to allow students to access courses at the University of Guelph. By the following spring, the company was a growing concern. It was tackling big projects such as putting the University of Guelph masters in business administration program online. Through his persistence, Baker was able to find a market that was under-serviced and he found a way to over-deliver.
As the company started, the technology stock market collapsed. But while other software firms struggled, Desire2Learn couldn't stop growing.
"We just worked closely with our clients. If we kept delivering what they were looking for, we kept growing," Baker stated.
After creating online courses and Internet portals for the University of Guelph, which Baker credits for having one of the best distance education programs in the world, the company won big contracts in the United States.
Below is a detailed timeline of Baker’s path to success with Desire2Learn.
1999 - University of Waterloo student John Baker creates web pages for professors - Desire2Learn is founded in Kitchener, Ontario by John Baker and Anil Sabharwal - Desire2Learn writes software for a University of Waterloo department - Desire2Learn creates internet portals to allow students at the University of Guelph to access courses
2000 - Desire2Learn wins contract to put the University of Guelph’s MBA program online - Desire2Learn receives funding from an unidentified Angel investor
2003 - Desire2Learn has 25 employees - Desire2Learn wins a $400,000-per-year deal with the University of Wisconsin - Later that year, Desire2Learn reaches deals with: Arizona State University, Oklahoma State University, Ohio State University, West Virginia Department of Education, New Brunswick Department of Education and school board in Milwaukee and Calgary - MiCTA and the ATAlliance organizations select Desire2Learn for eLearning Management Solutions (eLMS)
2004-2005- A number of Universities (ex. Rochester Institute of Technology), Businesses (ex. Adventis Distance Education Consortium) and Government Institutions (ex. Alabama Department of Education) sign on to use Desire2Learn learning management services - Desire2Learn is certified for full support of SCORM 2004
2006- Desire2Learn has 100 employees - Outgrew original loft facilities and had to move some employees into a separate building - Won contract to create an e-marketplace for objects that could be used on class websites and online courses in the California State University system - Blackboard is awarded a patent pertaining to learning management systems and sues Desire2Learn for being in breach of the patent
Chronology of Patent Lawsuit Events
In 2006, the largest learning management system provider in the world, Blackboard, was granted US patents for learning management systems. With these patents in its arsenal, Blackboard issued a patent lawsuit against Desire2Learn. 12
Below is a timeline of the events ensuing in the lawsuit:
July 26th, 2006 - Blackboard, the largest learning management system manufacturer/provider, was granted a broad US patent covering 44 different claims in learning management systems 13 - Blackboard sued Desire2Learn for infringing on Blackboard’s newly granted patents
August 22nd, 2006 - Desire2Learn’s founder John Baker announces that the Desire2Learn would: “defend ourselves vigorously against this action”
September 14th, 2006 - Desire2Learn’s answer and counterclaim to Blackboard’s lawsuit filed on July 26th September 19th-January 3rd - Blackboard and Desire2Learn release a series of claims, motions and responses
January 26th - Order granting the Software Freedom Law Centre Ex Parte Reexam Request
February 24th - Order granting Desire2Learn’s request for InterPartes Reexamination
May 29th - Blackboard files its Opening Claims Construction Briefs
June 15th - Desire2Learn files its Claims Construction Briefs
July 18th - Scheduled date for Blackboard and Desire2Learns Claim Construction hearing
For universities and colleges, learning management systems are an essential part of education as they provide tools that take the learning experience outside the classroom. For some schools, learning management systems are the only cost-effective way to deliver material. 14 The concern is that in awarding Blackboard wide-spanning patents, companies and institutions will shy away from purchasing software from competing companies, such as Desire2Learn, due to the legal uncertainties. Further, the patents may create a monopoly in an industry already dominated by Blackboard, which could stifle learning management systems innovation in the future.
The patent lawsuit between Blackboard and Desire2Learn is still in the very early stages. However, many third party organizations, such as NoEducationPatents! have taken the position that Blackboard’s patents are invalid.
References
1. Desire2Learn. About Us: Company Overview http://www.desire2learn.com/about/
2. Ibid.
3. Communitech – Board of Directors: John Baker http://www.communitech.ca/about_us/bod_johnbaker.shtml
4. Ibid.
5. Cool Companies Magazine. Walking the Talk on Corporate Social Responsibility http://www.coolcompaniesmag.com/magazine/new-2007-vol-2-issue-1/walking-the-csr-talk/
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Desire2Learn: ATAlliance Program and D2L Platform Overview http://www.micta.org/members/webinars/MiCTA_Session.ppt
9. Desire2Learn. About Us: News http://www.desire2learn.com/news/newsdetails_26.asp
10. Communitech – Board of Directors: John Baker http://www.communitech.ca/about_us/bod_johnbaker.shtml
11. The Record Newspaper. Online Learning Specialists Go the Distance http://www.communitech.ca/newsarticles/online%20learning%20specialists%20go%20the%20distance.htm
12. Desire2Learn: Patent-Information Blog http://www.desire2learn.com/patentinfo/
13. BBC News UK: Patent Battle Over Teaching Tools http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4790485.stm
14. Ibid. Link title
