The Role of International Online Courses in the Worldwide Provision of Education

Abstract

EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF DISTANCE TEACHING UNIVERSITIES (EADTU), 20th Anniversary Conference 2007, 8-9 November, Lisbon, Portugal, International courses and services online Virtual Erasmus and a new generation of Open Educational Resources for a European and global outreach, The role of international online courses in the worldwide provision of education by Ms. Stamenka Uvalić-Trumbić (UNESCO), Sir John Daniel and Mr Paul West (Commonwealth of Learning) // If international online courses are to play a significant role in the expansion of education they must be placed within a global framework of quality assurance and qualifications recognition that inspires confidence. We describe this evolving framework before giving the example of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth, a collaborative venture in the production and use of online courses involving 30 countries. We end by urging EADTU members to sign up to the Cape Town Declaration on open education and to contribute to the creation of an open web of course content.