ICDE World Conf. 2015 #1: UNIR amongst the top-level educational experts, worldwide
Once a year, the International Conference for Open and Distance Education organizes an international conference where educational experts, politics, rectors, consultants, researchers, professors and teachers gather up to discuss the current state of education across the world, and what are the required actions to take for a better, realistic and ambitious future.
UNIR contributes to the conference of this year thanks to the ICDE Chair on Open Educational Resources, approved in April of this year. This chair works along with the UNESCO Chair on eLearning (//research.unir.net/unesco) to design, analyse, execute and asses learning and teaching contexts and activities across the world.
Opportunities and challenges in leadership and governance
These chairs also discuss with international partners theoretical models and strategies, along with specific actions towards implementation. UNIR’s students and professors are benefited from these conferences since they receive support and feedback to daily challenges, and a live connection to experts and diverse cultures focused on education.
The university dialogues with other educational and research centres, contributes to the educational policy panorama and discuss our overall approach to online learning and teaching
This year, the XXVI ICDE World Conference 2015 (http://www.unisa.ac.za/icde2015/) is focused on Growing capacities for sustainable distance e-learning provision. During four days, over 200 participants will concentrate particularly on opportunities and challenges in leadership and governance in higher education. Indeed, provocative expertise and innovative scholarship in the disciplines will introduce themes ranging from leadership opportunities, to the development of a global ethical culture, the implementation of e-learning pedagogies, and diversity in the university setup.
Educational Games
On Thursday afternoon, Prof. Dr. Daniel Burgos will present the research “Digital Anthropology and eGames applied to eLearning”, partially supported by UNIR Research (//research.unir.net and the Research Support Strategy 2015-2017 to research groups at the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja -UNIR, http://www.unir.net-), which will be commented in a later post, in this very same blog, and which is focused on an interdisciplinary approach to formal and informal learning contexts, combined through educational games.
Furthermore, UNIR will contribute to the meeting for ICDE member Presidents, Rectors and Vice Chancellors, which will focus on student success and the foreseen study on models for online, open, flexible and technology enhanced higher education, amongst other topics to discuss.
High Level Policy Forum
Also, in October, the 17th, UNIR will take part in the High Level Policy Forum, titled Higher education for the sustainable future we want. The way ahead for Online, Open and Flexible learning: Opportunities and Actions, and Organised by ICDE in partnership with UNESCO, CoL, OEC and hosted by UNISA.
In this meeting, UNIR will contribute to the European round table will report back to the plenary about the main topic. Right after this forum, UNIR will participate in a joint meeting between the ICDE Executive Committee and the ICDE Chairs in Open Educational Resources, represented by Burgos. As he points out: “These meetings provide assessment, innovation, networking, reputation, research discussion and, above all, a healthy and encouraging context to improve UNIR’s strategy and overall design for a better learning and a better lecturing”.
For further information:
UNIR Research Science Dissemination Unit
Research.ucc@unir.net