The UOC will be at the 2017 EADTU Conference showing e-learning's possibilities for access and inclusion in higher education

As an active member of the EADTU network, the UOC will be attending the Online, Open and Flexible Higher Education Conference (OOFHEC2017) and giving two talks on opportunities and challenges presented by e-learning, in relation to making higher education more inclusive and accessible, and promoting the learning of skills with global and social values.

This event, organized by the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU) and hosted by The Open University (UK), is taking place on 25, 26 and 27 October in Milton Keynes (UK). Its title is "Higher education for the future; 'accelerating and strengthening innovation'".

Carme Anguera, a project manager in the Globalization and Cooperation department, will give a talk "Virtual mobility: training professionals and citizens with global and social skills", analysing the possibilities online mobility offers for increased coverage and access to university education and the learning of skills with global and social values.

Guida Fullana, likewise a project manager in the Globalization and Cooperation department, will talk about the "Opportunities and challenges of using e-learning to improve access to higher education for refugees", based on experience gained from the scholarship programme for refugees that the UOC ran this year.

The UOC's involvement in this conference relates to the global and social aspect of our Strategic Plan, which seeks to bring our model greater international renown and improve e-learning's standing in the wider higher education field.

The EADTU's OOFHEC2017 conference sets out to provide a platform for discussion between members and groups of e-learning experts. It is a forum for sharing, analysing and learning about project experiences, research work and innovations relating to the following topics: continuous professional development strategies, open education and widening participation, new modes of teaching and learning, access and inclusion, and policies for change and quality in higher education.

The EADTU is a leading European network that promotes online, open and flexible higher education. It includes over 200 universities – both open, online universities and conventional universities – and almost three million students. It counts among its membership national consortia of conventional universities and, although its coverage is principally European, it also has associate members from non-European countries.