quality
Open call for papers for GUIDE - Can online education contribute to overcome the crisis?
This is one of the main questions that the VI International GUIDE Conference 2013, to be held in Athens (Greece) on October 3-4, 2013, will tackle, while providing a comparative analysis of the effects of governmental policies on new training and research strategies.
“The Global Economic Crisis and its consequences on the national educational systems: Can online education contribute to overcome the crisis?”. This is the main question that the VI International GUIDE Conference 2013, to be held in Athens (Greece) on October 3-4, 2013, will try to answer.
Abstract submission through the Call for Papers form by May 31.
Organized under the patronage of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of Greece, the event will provide a comparative analysis of the effects of governmental policies on new training and research strategies in response to the economic crisis. In particular, the Conference will highlight the role of digital technologies in providing cost-effective equal learning opportunities, while maintaining a high quality university education.
In order to do so, the Conference will be opened by several high-profile keynote speakers, who will give a extremely valuable insight on these questions:
- Welcome address, by Prof. Alessandra Briganti (Marconi University, Italy)
- The Impact of the Crisis on the Structure of Higher Education Systems, by Prof. Andrea Gentile (Marconi University, Italy)
- Surviving Economic Crises through Education, by David R. Cole (University of Western Sydney, Australia)
- Distance Learning and Labor Market Flexibilty, by Christodoulos Stefanidis (University of Pireus, Greece)
- Global knowledge, information technology and the humanities: can intellect exist? A historian's view, by Dr. William Mallinson (Ionian University, Greece)
- OER and MOOCs in a Time of Economic Crisis, by Sir John Daniel and Stamenka Uvalic-Trumbic (Academic Partnerships, USA)
- Economic crisis and online education, by Panagiotis E. Petrakis (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece)
- MOOCS: Disruptive Force or Disorienting Distraction?, by Dr. Arthur F. Kirk Jr. (St. Leo University, USA)
Besides, many experts coming from across the world will discuss new trends and developments in technology-enhanced learning, such as:
- Distance learning as a Strategy for National Development: Blended Education that serves the Mission, Muhammed el Sadanni (MISR University for Science & Technology, Egypt)
- On the Effectiveness of Virtual Labs in Universities - Case studies from an Indian National Mission Project, by Shyam Diwakar (Amrita University, India)
- Distance learning impact on the public agenda setting, by Krzysztof Gurba (Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow)
- The elearning as a response to social challenges: Portrait of a situation, by Maria de Fátima Goulão (Universidade Aberta, Portugal)
- MOOCs and Global Distance Learning: Compatibility or Conflict?, by Paul Edelson (Stony Brook University/SUNY, USA)
- The civil society and the complexity of crisis: cooperation for educational change towards an open system of learning, by Antonis Lionarakis (Hellenic Open University)
- Improving the efficiency of educational process by immersion in virtual reality, by Mikhail Lavrentyev (Novosibirsk State University, Russia)
- Online Learning for All. Accessiblity in Distance Education, by Pilar Orero (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain)
- Building Better Online Education Programs Using a Formal Quality Model, by Robert W. Robertson (Argosy University, USA)
You can check the working list of confirmed speakers here.
Please visit the official website of the conference for more information and updates.
VI International GUIDE Conference
The VI International GUIDE Conference 2013, "The Global Economic Crisis and its consequences on the national educational systems: Can online education contribute to overcome the crisis?", organized under the patronage of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of Greece, will provide a comparative analysis of the effects of governmental policies on new training and research strategies in response to the economic crisis. In particular, the Conference will highlight the role of digital technologies in providing cost-effective equal learning opportunities, while maintaining a high quality university education.
Main themes
• Reforming national higher educational agenda
• Pedagogical Innovation in course design and delivery
• Higher Education in a time of economic crisis
• Social Implications of Distance Learning
For further information, please contact us at info@guideassociation.org
EduSenior offers a free course on Senior Education
The EduSenior project aims to improve the quality of educational institutions that currently are offering courses and activities or wish to implement a learning activity aimed to senior learners (65+ or retired).
Supported by the European Commission’s the Lifelong Learning Programme, EduSenior is offering from June to September 2013 the free online course “Senior education: A Quality of Life approach to assessing educational institutions”, targeted to professionals, decision makers, students and, in general, anybody interested in the topic of adult and senior education.
The virtual classroom will open on May 27th, and the course will start on June 3rd. The course is 100% virtual and will be offered in English and Spanish (different groups). Participants will also have the option to choose the intensity which best suits their needs:
- A 4 months course: June - September 2013.Average time required: 8 h. per week
- Or a 2 months course: June - July 2013. Average time required: 16 h. per week.
The course is organised by the Senior Citizens’ University (Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain) and the Akademia im. Jana Długosza (Jan Długosz University, Częstochowa, Poland) and is part of the EduSenior project “Evaluation toolkit on seniors’ education to improve their quality of life" (QEduSen).
The topics to be addressed during the online training sessions are:
- Introduction to the needs and requirements of the elderly and potentialities of education
- Analysis of educational factors that help increase seniors’ competences and increase their quality of life, with real examples and other case studies.
- Introduction to the evaluation process to increase quality in an institution.
- Application of the EduSenior evaluation toolkit
The online registration to participate in this course will remain open until 26 May.
International Council for Open Research and Education (ICORE) to be launched in Rome
The International Council for Open Research and Education (ICORE) is a new association bringing together interested experts and stakeholders from the fields of open education and open research. The association will be officially launched on May 16 in Rome (Italy) during the Learning Innovations and Technology (LINQ 2013) conference.
ICORE is a non-profit and requires no membership fees to join. Open to both representatives of organisations as well as individuals, it aims to promote open research and open education as a fundamental social objective. This promotion of these goals will be accomplished through the fostering of collaboration between relevant stakeholders in open research and education, such as national, European and international policy makers, researchers, educators of all levels, students, non-profit educational providers as well as commercial educational providers, among others.
The association's activities will include the administration of an online community portal for information exchange, the organisation of scientific and educational events (conferences, summer schools, etc.) and the establishment of creative partnerships between ICORE members to advance open research and open education internationally.
Interested applicants can register easily at the ICORE website, where the complete first public draft of the association’s statutes can also be found. Joining before the first official meeting of ICORE on May 15 allows new members to be recognized as co-founders.
Conference Programme for Learning Innovations and Quality: The Future of Digital Resources Available
LINQ event hosts from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany have published the final conference programme for LINQ 2013. The conference in Rome will be supported by a variety of prominent figures vital to the fields of technology-enhanced learning, open educational resources, and vocational education in Europe and worldwide. Furthermore, their presence will further the highlight of LINQ 2013: the launch of ICORE, the International Council for Open Research and Education (www.icore-online.org). Registration for LINQ 2013 is still open for all interested parties until May 8th, but seats are limited and should be reserved as quick as possible.
On May 16th, Learning experts and pioneers such as Dr. Tony Bates of Tony Bates Associates, Dr. Ignasi Labastida, director of the OCW Consortium and Creative Commons, and António Silva Mendes, Director of Education and Vocational Training at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture will take part as keynote speakers at LINQ 2013. They will join the already confirmed Prof. Dr. Rory McGreal and Prof. Dr. Fred Mulder, both UNESCO chairs for Open Educational Resources (OER), as well as Christian-Friedrich Lettmayr, Director of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP). Together these esteemed speakers will establish the greater context of international learning innovations for LINQ 2013.
Complementing the established experts, selected researchers from over 150 submissions will also present new and innovative research papers and projects. Four parallel sessions, divided into three parts each, will provide the structure for presentations. The 1st Parallel Session will consist of invited European speakers as well as two workshops respectively on the co-hosting VOA3R project and the innovative ODS project. The 2nd Parallel Session will consist of the selected papers from the LINQ 2013 call. These papers in turn fit into three thematic sections: “Digital Resources & Online Repositories”, “TEL for Schools, Universities, & Lifelong Learning”, and “Innovations & Future Trends in LET”. In addition, the 3rd and 4th Parallel Sessions will be dedicated to the presentations of selected European and international projects, thematically divided into “Quality Management: Evaluation, Standards & Certification”, “Open Access & Open Educational Resources: Policies, Tools and Content”, and “New Knowledge Networks – Ideas & Innovation for LLL” on the one hand, and “VET, New Skills & Quality”, “Teachers in Focus: Competence & Skill Development”, and “Innovation in TEL” on the other. The final conference programme is available on the LINQ 2013 conference website at www.learning-innovations.eu/2013/programme.
Registration for LINQ 2013 is still available for all interested groups until May 8th – only a few seats remain, so please register as soon as possible to ensure your chance to participate. Further information on registration is available at the conference website at www.learning-innovations.eu/registration. For the latest updates on LINQ and related initiatives, follow @LINQ_Conference on Twitter and like www.facebook.com/LINQConference on Facebook.
AGRICOM Pilot-testing in Germany and Italy
AGRICOM (AGRIcultural COMpetences) is about to launch the pilot-testing phase of its Competence Model in Germany and Italy.
AGRICOM (AGRIcultural COMpetences) is a project funded by the European Commission, and seeks to improve transparency and comparability of Vocational Educational Training (VET) by establishing a Competence Model for the agricultural sector.
AGRICOM's inspiration has been the Water Competence Model, which they have transferred and adapted to the world of agriculture. Initial pilot programs will test the validity of the model in different national contexts, starting soon in Germany and Italy.
The Leibniz-Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ) in Germany and then University of Tuscia in Italy (UNITUS) will implement the model in their own organizations, and investigate its practical implications for skills and competence management in the agricultural sector.
If you are interested in contributing to the first competence model for the European agricultural sector, you can join the open discussion run through the VOA3R project. Click here to share your views on important agricultural competences, job profiles, training opportunities, and certificates that lay the foundation for the ACM.
To learn about the newest updates regarding the AGRICOM project, to contact the project consortium, or to learn how the AGRICOM Competence Model could help your human resource management and vocational education and training situation, visit the project website.
Paris OER Declaration: Launch of Project
The project to implement the Paris Open Educational Resources (OER) Declaration brought together OER experts, UNESCO specialists, and representatives from Bahrain, Indonesia, Kenya, and Oman at the end of March.
The Paris OER Declaration was initially adopted at the 2012 World OER Congress, and included 10 points to work toward developing national-level OER policies, and implementing the UNESCO ICT Competency Frameowrk for Teachers. The meeting held a few weeks ago at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris was intended to review the project objectives, share ideas and practices about OER policies and determine the best way to implement the project in each country.
Representatives from Bahrain, Indonesia, Oman, and Kenya shared their particular national educational context, highlighting the status of ICT in Education and OER, before working with UNESCO specialists to come up with a road map that accomodates their country's specific needs. Indonesia, for example, decided to focus on teacher training using OER.
OER experts and potential partner organizations also contributed, including Creative Commons, Intel, Commonwealth of Learning, Organisation International de la Francophonie (OIF), and UNESCO Category 2 Regional Center for ICT, Bahrain.
The end result of this meeting was workplans and outlines for each country. The next step will be organizing national workshops in June 2013.