Impression I-HE2024 conference
From 23 - 25 October 2024, the Innovating Higher Education conference took place in Limassol, Cyprus. More than 200 participants from the world of online, blended and distance education attended the annual conference of EADTU.
The conference explored innovations in hybrid, blended, and online education to pave the way for inclusive and personalized learning experiences. It addressed challenges and opportunities faced by universities on both student and societal levels, including generative AI, sustainability, microcredentials.
An impression in pictures is available (link below). The conference proceedings will be published in November 2024.
OpenEU launched, the first step to a European open university
The OpenEU alliance, coordinated by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), brings together 14 universities and 13 academic, business, rural, municipal and civil society associations from across Europe to create a pan-European open university
OpenEU will contribute to the digital transformation of higher education institutions and the integration of technology in teaching and learning
OpenEU is one of the 14 new alliances awarded funding as part of the European Commission's latest European Universities initiative call for proposals
EADTU Publishes report on Retention and Student Services
The report by EADTU's working group on Retention and Student Services addresses concerns over declining enrollments and high dropout rates in open and distance learning universities. It discusses historical and contemporary perspectives on student attrition, emphasising the need for universities to adapt to diverse learner needs. The report aims to identify factors contributing to early departure in online and distance learning and shares successful approaches adopted by EADTU members to enhance student support and retention. It is structured into three chapters covering reasons for retention issues, curriculum design, data usage, and lifecycle intervention points for student support.
New project funded! ADMIT - generative Ai anD large language Models In higher educaTion
The ADMIT cooperation partnership is navigating the transformative wave of Large Language Models like ChatGPT in education. The goal? To create an enriching and ethical educational environment utilizing AI. ADMIT will develop a comprehensive LLM-ed framework and guidelines, focusing on integrating AI responsibly in learning design, benefiting students, educators, and institutional leaders alike. They will stay updated with the latest in AI research and innovation, formulating ethical guidelines, and designing professional development modules for staff across Europe.
The consortium is led by EADTU and composed of: UNED; Universitat Oberta de Catalunya; FernUniversität in Hagen; Open Universiteit; Open University of Cyprus: Uninettuno; JYU Open; Hellenic Open University; Anadolu University; The Open University (UK); UniDistance Suisse. ADMIT is supported by the following Associated Partners: Stifterverband Fur Die Deutsche Wissenschaft; University of Pisa; Dublin City University; KU Leuven.
Elections for new rector at Universidade Aberta
EUA member Universidade Aberta (UAb) has launched a call for application for the position of Rector.
The Rector will be elected by the General Council of the UAb for a four-year mandate (2023-2027). Applications should be addressed in Portuguese language to the President of the General Council by e-mail.
Please refer to this document, also available at the university website, for guidelines and rules for the application process. The deadline for applications is the 20 September 2023.
Special Issue I-HE2022 conference published
This Special Issue is an outcome of a cooperation between the Online Learning Journal (OLJ), the Center for Open Education Research (COER) and the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU) at the Innovating Higher Education Conference 2022 (I-HE 2022), held in Athens 19-21, 2022. As part of this cooperation, COER Members organized a research track on open, distance, and digital education at the conference. The call for papers received more than 50 submissions, 16 were accepted for presentation in Athens, and four selected authors or author teams were encouraged to submit their papers to the OLJ. We are pleased that the pre-selection at the conference was confirmed by the journal's double-blind review process and that all four were accepted for publication in this COER-EADTU special issue of the OLJ.
Staff Support Event co-hosted by EADTU and the Open University of Cyprus
The Open University of Cyprus (OUC) and the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU), co-organized a Staff Support Event on 9-10 March 2023, with the aim of building the capacity of conventional and distance teaching universities in open and distance education, and exchanging ideas, know-how and best practices between the participating institutions. Sixteen participants from EADTU and four of its member Universities [Uninettuno, Open Universiteit Netherlands, Bifröst University, Open University of Catalonia (UOC)] participated with physical presence in the event that was hosted at the OUC premises in Nicosia/Cyprus, while colleagues from UNED, Jyväskylä University and Universidade Aberta and other participating universities contributed online.
The Staff Support Event included presentations delivered by staff members of the Open University of Cyprus (Academic Affairs and Student Welfare Services, Industry Liaison Office, Laboratory of Educational Material and Methodology, and the OUC Rectorate), as well as invited inputs from face-to-face and online participants. The training focused on topics such as: Online Assessment, Designing Learning Experiences, Instructional design, Collaborative virtual learning, Chat GPT, Applied Gamification Techniques for Distance Learning, Digital campuses and learning environments, Links with the Industry, Student support: from application to enrolment and to graduation, and Communication strategies.
Undoubtedly, open and distance education (ODE) is the new “hype” not only after covid-19, but also because of the ever growing need for flexible and lifelong learning. EADTU and its member universities are working closely to promote ODE, to exchange best practices and to overcome barriers that conventional and distance teaching universities are encountering, in order to provide a quality online education. The organization of the successful Staff Support Event co-hosted by the Open University of Cyprus and EADTU significantly contributes to the development of new approaches and broadens the horizons of cooperation and communication between European universities.
Call for papers | Experimenting with Online Pedagogical Resources for European Universities
The Universities of Rennes 1 and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne are delighted to invite you to the OpenU International Conference “Experimenting with Online Pedagogical Resources for European Universities”, that will take place in Paris, France, on October 13th and 14th, 2022. The conference is aimed at different stakeholders involved in European higher education, such as researchers, lectures, educational and support staff, practitioners, policy makers, university representatives and students.
The conference is now accepting abstracts. Click the button below to read more about the topics relevant to the conference, the submission process and an overview of the imporant dates.
Official start of the MCE project
Today, April 1st 2022, is the official start the MCE project - Modularisation of Continuing Education and professionalisation by Micro-credentials in higher education. During the next 36 months, EADTU will work on the project together with 10 partners and 3 associated partners.
We will build on results of existing collaborations, mainly E-SLP and EMC, to further contribute to the following objectives:
- development and operationalization of the concept of micro-credentials in European universities, taking into account the learners' perspective;
- supporting institutional development for organizing and creating the conditions for implementing transformative modular education and micro-credentials;
- delivering evidence for the dialogue with policy makers at national and EU level with the aim of producing policies for continuing education and professional development, as well as European frameworks for micro-credentials.
Are you in need of further info? Feel free to contact us: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Catching up on F2F meetings: visiting 3 different countries in a week
Last week, George Ubachs and Alessandra Antonaci have attended three fruitful international projects meetings.
The first in Kortrijk, Belgium, for the DIgiTel Pro consortium meeting and peer learning activity. The second meeting took place in Paris, France, hosted by Sorbonne Paris1, coordinating the OpenU project. The third visit was hosted by the ECCOE’s project partner UNED, in Madrid.
We discussed a variety of topics, including synchronous-hybrid education, blended learning, online education, digital credentials and pedagogical guidelines.
Would you like to to know more? Follow the dedicated project websites, our social media channels or contact us via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Statement on Ukraine by the EADTU Supervisory Board
The European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU), the leading institutional network for more than 200 open distance and traditional universities, offering online degree programs and continuing education, expresses its deepest solidarity with all those affected by the Russian invasion of the sovereign state of Ukraine.
EADTU Newsletter February published
The EADTU December newsletter, including news of our members, is now available online.
Work starts on the Digital Education Hub Community of Practice
On 14 February 2022, the development of a Digital Education Hub community of practice has begun. After the evaluation of an open call for tenders, a consortium of 7 partners - including EADTU - and 4 subcontractors led by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has been selected to support the development of the Digital Education Hub under the steering of the European Commission and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).
The Digital Education Hub is an overarching action of the Digital Education Action Plan. It seeks to improve cooperation on digital education at the European Union (EU), national and regional levels, between the different education and training sectors and stakeholders in the private and public sectors, in research, policy and practice.
EADTU Newsletter December 2021
The EADTU December newsletter, including news of our members, is now available online.
Council Recommendation on micro-credentials
Council Recommendation on micro-credentials
The Commission has recently published its proposal for a Council Recommendation on micro-credentials, as announced in the Skills Agenda and in the European Education Area Communication of 2020. The Commission proposal seeks to make micro-credentials work across institutions, businesses, sectors and borders. To that end, Member States should agree on:
- a common definition of micro-credentials;
- standard elements for their description; and
- key principles for their design and issuance.
The European approach to micro-credentials is a key flagship to achieve a European Education Area by 2025.
More can be read in the press release from 10 December 2021.
DigiTeL Pro: Launch of the courses
On Thursday 18th of November 2021, the official DigiTeL Pro Launch took place. During this launch the experts provided an opportunity for continuous professional development (CPD), primarily for course and curriculum developers and for all those who support teaching staff and learners, secondarily for leaders who direct these processes in higher education.
Pictures of the I-HE2021 conference
3 days, 125 presentations and 180 participants - an impression of the Innovating Higher Education Conference 2021 by photographer Ivana Pia Lorusso!
OECD publishes two reports on micro-credentials
UNESCO webinar on micro-credential definitions
Provisional programme I-HE2021 online
EMC welcomes new member iMooX
The European Mooc Consortium (EMC), the leading platform for MOOCs in Europe, is pleased to welcome iMooX as its latest member. iMooX is the nationwide MOOC-platform in Austria, founded by Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) and the University of Graz.
UOC celebrates 25 years of history
This academic year the UOC is celebrating its first 25 years of history. On the 25th anniversary website you can gain a fine appreciation of the diverse and committed community that comprises the UOC, through interviews, infographics and various other materials.
Abstract submission I·HE2021 open!
As of today, the 15th of March, the abstract submission for the I·HE2021 Conference in Bari is open! The International Higher Education (I·HE) conference focuses on trends and high impact factors in global and European higher education.
Registration EADTU-EU Summit 2021
You can now register for the 9th EADTU-EU Summit on the 17th of June 2021, 09:30 – 13:00 CET. This year’s title is “Higher Education in the New Normal” .
Topics addressed in this Summit are:
- Consolidation of post-Covid approaches to digital education; Synchronous hybrid, blended and online education models
- Digital education and university alliances
- Digital higher education and smart regions
- State of affairs Microcredentials, modularisation in continuing education
- Recognition of credited and non-credited microcredentials and short learning programmes
ENEL and UNINETTUNO launch 'Re-Generation'
Enel Italia, the largest suppliers for energy and electricity in Italy, and the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO launched the Re-Generation educational project to offer SLP’s for vocational and academic training to the employees on the themes of technological innovation and digitalization. The initiative is aimed at Enel employees over 50, who will be able to study online on the e-learning platform of the UNNINETTUNO university, choosing their program from a selection of 13 Short Learning Programs gathered in three scientific areas of high strategic value: Digital Economy, Law in the Digital Society, IT and New Technologies.
EADTU contributes to ICDE publication
EADTU contributed to a recent publication from the ICDE Quality Network. It deals with Global Quality Perspectives on Open, Online and Flexible Learning.
The report gives an overview of perceived issues of quality and assessment related to the immediate shift to online and distance learning modalities that educators had to undertake when the pandemic hit.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.