[Air-l] eLearn Accredit

[Andrew Brown]

Dear Colleague

We thought you might be interested in our project looking at quality
standards for online learning.  Standards will allow small, new players to
compete alongside established off line players, such as universities, whilst
providing a minimum assurance of quality for the users - students.

eLearn Accredit is an international project, exploring the steps ahead in
the development of internationally agreed quality standards in the provision
of on-line learning.  It encompasses all education sectors and all
countries.

You are invited to register your interest on the eLearn Accredit website
www.elearnaccredit.org, to ensure that you are kept up to date with
developments in the discussions, the plans for the various stages of the
conference cycle, and to contribute your perspective to the discussion.

We can't rely on old reputations or luck.  Even if your local University or
College is top of the table in traditional face-to-face learning, that it
will be top of the table in delivering education online.  The way forward is
to agree on international standards for the delivery of online learning.  To
help us to make our study choices, we need to have a clear marque which
indicates that each course we consider meets minimum criteria.  We need a
clear standard which is easy to understand, internationally, across all
education sectors.

This is not a simple thing.  We need much more discussion about what is
possible, and what would add this sort of value for the consumer.  To be
simple enough to be useful, it must rule out some learning opportunities as
being unsatisfactory.  But it must not be so complicated or restrictive that
it becomes a strait jacket on good providers.

The eLearn Accredit project involves an online conference in the autumn,
followed by a physical conference in the spring of 2003.  Participation in
the online conference will be free of charge - you can register to listen
in, or contribute your ideas, by visiting the eLearn Accredit website.  We
will not be charging for participation in the online debate, because we want
to ensure that participation is as full and as free as possible.  Our
objective is to include as many people, as many organizations, and as many
of the best ideas, as we possibly can, and so we have removed all the
barriers.  No national barriers.  No geographical barriers.  No sectoral
barriers.  No financial barriers.  All the best ideas can be shared, so that
we produce the best outcomes for users - future online students.

The physical conference will draw on the best contributions, the best ideas
from the online conference.  It will probably take place in association with
the World Education Market, in Lisbon on 19 & 20 May 2003.  We will also be
arranging an associated exhibition.

For further details, please feel free to contact us, or just register on the
site for regular updates.

Andrew Brown
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Andrew Brown
eLearn Accredit
164 Old Road
Oxford OX3 8SY
07779 021464
andrew.brown at elearnaccredit.org
www.elearnaccredit.org