EDEN Network of Academics and Professionals (NAP)

1. The Vienna paper submission was closed on 1 February, processing of the high number of papers received is in progress. We are most delighted to report that the interest for the conference is exceptionally high, over 220 papers have been submitted exceeding by 30 % the previous year figure. We have now the makings of a very successful conference. Registration for the event will open soon.

2. We are delighted to welcome the following new institutional members who joined EDEN recently:
- FIED - Federation Interuniversitaire de l’Enseignment a Distance, France
- Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research
- Insitute for Basic and Continuing Education of Health Workers, Hungary

3. We inform with pleasure that the short leaflet "EDEN in a nutshell" has now been printed and will be posted to members, together with the Second Announcement and Registration Information of the Annual Conference in Vienna. We trust you will like this short brochure, carrying the main messages about EDEN and the activities of the Association, and you could use it for disseminating information about us. Would you wish to receive further copies, please ask the Secretariat.

4. Staffing news for 2006 at the Secretariat:
- Following previous part-time contract, a full-time contract has been concluded with Eva Suba, as Administrative Officer
- based on previous traineeship a part-time contract has been concluded with Gabor Cser, as Office Assistant

Eva will support the communication and conference activities and the EU project work, Gabor takes over the membership administration and helps in general office management tasks.
The new colleagues look forward with pleasure to the collaboration with EDEN members. http://www.eden-online.org/eden.php?menuId=68

5. The Executive Committee at their recent meeting had a most interesting discussion about the EDEN Fourth Research Workshop, with the involvement of Tony Bates, who will be the Scientific Co-ordinator of the conference. The event will be hosted by UOC – Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, on 25-28 October 2006.

6. Carl Holmberg, member of EDEN Executive has been invited by the China National School of Administration (CNSA) to attend the seminar in Beijing and present the state-of-art on distance learning in Europe. The objective of the seminar was to raise awareness and understanding of the concept and possibilities of distance learning for teachers and to give comment and suggestions on the platform that had been developed by the institution. The target group of CNSA, is civil servants, with main focus on higher level officials. The estimated number of prospective students is 25.5 million.

7. Virtual Erasmus Week:
From 6 to 9 March 2006 the EUNITE "Virtual Erasmus Week" will be held in the framework of the REVE-project, that’s objective is to enhance the impact and efficiency of the Erasmus programme through the set-up of and support for a fully fledged virtual Erasmus action. EUNITE is a strategic alliance of European universities (Aalborg, Granada, Hagen, Helsinki, Leuven, Strathclyde) aiming at a more intense networking for the development, exchange and use of each other's courses and programmes. The aim of the Virtual Erasmus Week is to think within each REVE partner university and in the EUNITE network about the possibilities and limitations of virtual Erasmus, the expectations and wishes that live among professors and students, and the practical possibilities for the implementation. During the week an opening and closing videoconference will be organised as well as local activities and discussions in the different participating institutions. Detailed information on the programme is available at: http://reve.europace.org/wp/wp4/ve06t.php.

8. UNESCO is organizing an invitational international discussion forum for key players involved or interested in Open and Distance Learning (ODL). Participants will be informed of significant work at UNESCO in creating regional databases on ODL and a decision support tool for planners and managers.

The UNESCO Higher Education Open and Distance Learning Knowledge Base project responds to the need for better understanding on how open and distance learning functions, and addresses concerns regarding the quality of education provided through ODL. In 2006-2007 the project is being expanded in scope to address two 2 new regions - Arab States and Latin America and the Caribbean. Documentation on the forum and the projects can be consulted at: www.unesco.org/odl

The forum is planned for early March and will be organized in three weekly sessions and possibly four sessions. To join the forum, please send an email to: z.varoglu@unesco.org.

9. EDEN member, Open University UK, Institute of Educational Technology would like to call your attention to the following courses:

- eLearning Professional (H808) - Presented for the first time in September 2006, this new course is for professionals involved in post-school education and/or training. The varied influences upon eLearning practices are examined in the course and the nature of professional competencies in the field are explored. Students will analyse the educational issues involved in personal and professional development - both for themselves as eLearning professionals and the students with whom they work - using online tools, resources and eportfolios. For more information please visit http://www.open.ac.uk/courses or http://iet.open.ac.uk/courses

- The Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP) (H812) - will be of interest if you want to develop your expertise in teaching or otherwise supporting learning in higher education. It gives you opportunities to examine and appraise your educational practices in the light research - informed knowledge of learning, teaching, assessment and other aspects of the curriculum. In it you will investigate and apply technologies and practices to support student learning in distant, virtual, blended and face-to-face modes of teaching. For more information please visit http://www.open.ac.uk/courses or http://iet.open.ac.uk/courses

10. "Are Students Ready for a Technology-Rich World?: What PISA Studies Tell Us" - Drawing on data from the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), this book examines how extensive access to ICT is in schools, how it is used by students, and how it impacts student performance.
The publication is available in paperback and/or PDF E-Book from the Online Bookshop: http://www1.oecd.org/scripts/publications/bookshop/redirect.asp?pub=982006011p1

Members are kindly encouraged to send relevant brief news for the next issue of EDEN Newsflash.