The theme of EDEN2018 was on Exploring the micro, meso, and macro level. Navigation between dimensions in the digital learning landscape. 

The conference was hosted by Faculty of Political Science of the University of Genoa, Italy.

This year I had several presentations and it was  a busy week. The conference gathered some 300 participants from over 35 countries, with some 15 delegates from Sweden, which this year was the fourth largest country when it came to number of delegates. There were a lot of possibilities to network and to catch up with new and old friends and colleageus.

My schedule:

17 June
EDEN EC and EDEN AGM. At the AGM I was elected for my second period in EDEN EC for another 3 years.

18 June

Expert workshop on Pursuing a demand-led strategy for promoting online training among European SMEs. and the initiative Promoting Online Training Opportunities for the Workshop iEurope. Besides being an expert I am in the Steering Committe. During the workshop it was even pointed out that Sweden was in the forefront in promoting online training among European SMEs, so I had also to comment on that. 

Poster presentation with Peter Mazohl on the EU VTT-BOX project (Virtual Teachers Toolbox)

19 June

Synergy presentation on National Associations for Distance Education

Meeting in EDEN SIG TEL QE

Workshop on  Innovative Learning Spaces

20 June 

Paper presenation on hte EU project TIBL (Technology Innovation in Blended Learning)

Informal meeting with the Swedish Delegats

All presentations from me are available at my slideshare, and in the EDEN2018 Book of Abstacts

All presentations from EDEN2018 are availble here

The second consultation I have been asked as an expert, and also on behalf as reviewer of EADTU Excellence, to give my review on is the work by ENQA on the Considerations for quality assurance of e-learning provision (so I did two consultations).

The ENQA working group on quality assurance and e-learning has drafted their "Considerations for quality assurance of e-learning provision". It is still a work in progress, but the group would already like some feedback from representatives of stakeholders/organisations who are welinformed about quality assurance and e-learning.

The Considerations for quality assurance of e-learning provision is very promising and welcomed. The Considerations for quality assurance of e-learning provision are very much in line with the EADTU Excellence, The European quality benchmark for online, open and flexible education. I serve as a reviewer for EADTU on E-xcelelnc, and also OpenUpEd, and  I was in the  review team for the 3rd Editons updating of the Manual. It is also  very close to the work on SEQUENT, which I was a reviewer for.

This is the quality model I have build very much of my resarch on qualitu on and even my PhD Dissertation, Benchmarking e-learning in higher education : lessons learned from international projects

I have recently been involved as expert in two important international consultations. One was about the UNESCO open call and consultation on Open Educational Resources (OER) Recommendation. From the ICDE OER Advocacy Committee, which I Chair, and in collaboration wiht the ICDE Chairs in OER we replied to the Consultation. 

Although, the text is very promising and very good, the area of quality related issues are not especially addressed, which we emphasized and gave suggestions  for.

The Draft text for the OER Recommendations was in four parts
I. Definition and Scope

II. Aims and Objectives

III. Areas of Actions

IV. Monitoring

Of special interest can the  four areas of actions be mentioned

1. Build the capacity of stakeholders to find, re-use, create and share OER
2. Develop support policy
3. Ensure inclusive and equitable access to quality OER
4. Nurture the creation osf sustainabiliyt models for OER

The aim of the consultation was to 

In order to facilitate the online consultation process, we would like to informs you that the worldwide consultation on the drafting of the UNESCO Open Educational Resources (OER) Recommendation text is now OPEN.

The Draft Recommendation text has been prepared by a group of experts from UNESCO and experts, stakeholders, researchers and practicioners in the field of OER from all World Regions.

The OER Recommendation builds on the Ljubljana OER Action Plan (attachment) which was the product of a worldwide open consultation process - 6 Regional Consultations, open online consultation and debate during the 2nd World OER Congress held from 18 to 20 September 2017 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, with over 500 stakeholders from all regions, including 14 Ministers of Education or Higher Education.

We would like to kindly ask you to forward this open invitation to contribute to the draft of the OER Recommendation text to the responsible authorities as well as to all interested institutions in your countries.

Of course, we are looking forward also to your own active participation so that we could guarantee an inclusive approach and the development of a worldwide recognized draft recommendation text.

The text is available in English and French on:

https://www.oercongress.org/unesco-oer-recommendation/

https://www.oercongress.org/fr/recommandation-sur-les-rel/

The European project Technology Innnovation in Blended  Learning  (TIBL) held its first techer training event in Seville, Spain 9-13 May 2018. The project coordinator hosted the event. All parnters were represented and some had several participants as it was a teacher traing event.

 Partners in the project are:

• The applicant SAFA Coordinator ( Seville) is an important Spanish school foundation focusing on school and vocational education, Coordinator Carlos Guerrero Herrero Dirección Central SAFA Departamento de Formación Profesional 
• EFQBL is a VET and trainers education organisation Austria Wiener Neustadt
• DigiLab from the University La Sapienza Rome Italy
• University of Aveiro south of Porto Portugal are specialised in innovation in technology enhanced training and the related pedagogy.
• Swedish Association Distance Education SADE is a specialist in Distance Learning and quality enhancement frameworks.

The main intellectual outcomes (IO) for the projct were of course in focus 

• Trainer’s Toolbox & MOOC
• Transferability guide and Evaluation Guide
• Pilot courses (dock inte finansierade)
•  teacher training eventet diskuterades

Mobile Learning Week is UNESCO’s flagship ICT in education conference. Mobile Learning Week 2018 is organized in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for ICT. The event was held from 26 to 30 March 2018, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The 2018 event was organized under the theme “Skills for a connected world”. Participants will exchange knowledge about the ways governments and other stakeholders can define and achieve the skills-related targets specified by Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).

The conference, consisted of four related sub-events, whch aimed to facilitate actions to:

Defining and mainstreaming digital skills;
Innovating skills provision for jobs in the digital economy;
Closing inequalities and gender divides; and
Mapping and anticipating changing skill needs

The MLW 2018 gathered participants from all over the world, and approxiamtely over 100 countries. During the week Workshops, Symosium, Policy Forum, and Strategy Labs were held. Of special interest, in my opinin was the Policy Forum, which offered a platform to discuss the different pathways that governments are using to support the development of the digital skills required in the digital economy.  Moblie learning was of course emphasized as the only way forwar to reach the UNESCO SDG4. However, there are still huge gaps around the worls on the leading  highlighted SDG€ themes on  access, equity, equality, inclusiveness, lifelong and lifewide learning, and quality.  In addition, there are even huges gaps around the world when it comes to digital competences, for iife and for education.