Special Issues
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Best of EDEN 2013-2014 (Click here to see the articles)
Research in open, distance and e-learning is indispensable to provide information for development and decision-making, while it also enhances the quality of products and services.
One of the core missions of EDEN has been to support the exchange of academic and professional experience, to promote navigation and information reach on the rapidly evolving scene. Since 1992 we organise European conferences for open, distance and e-learning annually. These professional gatherings are major events in Europe, attracting considerable interest from other continents as well. They help to consolidate knowledge and build the international community of professionals.
The Best Research Paper Award, acknowledging the excellence of the EDEN conferences’ best contributions, was launched in 2008. The selection process is supported by the Ulrich Bernath Foundation for Research in Open and Distance Learning and controlled by a prestigious Jury.
The finalists of the Best Research Paper Competition at the EDEN 2013 Annual Conference in Oslo and 2014 in Zagreb have been invited to further elaborate their contributions for a special printed volume – the present EURODL selection contains these papers.
The Oslo Conference entitled “The Joy of Learning” targeted e-learning, open and distance education as important fields of intellectual excitement and innovative development, creative methods and smart solutions. In Europe, there has been a collective drive towards individual and collective motivation and overall improvement of learning quality. The smart use of ICT offers a wide range of tools, new methodologies for enhanced learning experience, content management systems and fascinating inter-disciplinary solutions supported by e.g. game based learning, immersive environments and multimedia.
The approach of the Zagreb Conference “From Education to Employment and Meaningful Work with ICTs” was based on the criticism of European education and training systems often not well responding to social needs. E-learning, as a system integrator, may help education providers and employers to actively step into one another’s worlds.
Among the goals of the European Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, Europe 2020, we find employment and innovation, featuring education as a major lever. E-learning has become an acknowledged delivery method in learning settings at work across various sectors and a wide range of company sizes. This is thanks to its acknowledged flexibility, cost and time efficiency, helping to develop new work habits and improved working climate, advanced organisational performance and staff commitment.
| Dr Ulrich Bernath Chair, Board of Trustees Ulrich Bernath Foundation for Research in Open and Distance Learning |
Dr András Szűcs Secretary General, EDEN |
Budapest – Oldenburg, November 2015
EDEN contributes to the EU's civil society cooperation in education and training