The covid-19 emergency presented daunting challenges for all in higher education, in particular teachers and students who were forced to quickly pivot from the familiar setting of the campus to purely online education in a matter of days. Despite the enormity of this challenge the transition was negotiated successfully in terms of online teaching though issues such as social interaction, student isolation and digital divides remained largely unaddressed. In Sweden, the pandemic response has been a wake-up call to address the lack of national coordination of online and blended education as well as the need for more coordinated approaches to professional pedagogical development. This paper outlines the response of several national networks and stakeholder organisations, notably the Network for IT in Higher Education (ITHU), though the forming of a mutual support group on Facebook to coordinating workshops and sharing resources. A survey of ITHU members revealed a number of key focus areas for national coordination as well as the development of a culture of sharing between teaching staff and educational technicians that did not exist before the pandemic.

Open Networked Learning (ONL) is a learning-by-doing online course foreducators in higher education who wish to develop their skills in designingand teaching collaborative online courses. It was developed in responseto a growing need for courses dealing with online teaching and learning.Furthermore, it is a result of educational developers looking outside theirown universities to collaborate within their network of colleagues nationallyand internationally. Instead of each institution running its own internalcourse, the partner institutions collaborate on a common course that offersboth internal professional development and practical experience of virtualmobility. Educators gain the opportunity to engage in learning and collaborating with colleagues from universities around the world in multidisciplinary groups with problem-based learning as a foundation.

Syftet med den här rapporten är att presentera en nulägesbeskrivning av existerande nationellapedagogiska praktiker och distributionsformer för distansutbildning och e-lärande med fokuspå livslångt lärande. Som en del av detta tydliggörs begreppen distansstudier ochdistansstudent. Rapporten pekar även på de viktigaste utmaningarna för presumtiva ochnuvarande distansstudenter samt ger förslag till möjliga åtgärder för staten och lärosäten attmöta dessa utmaningar. Erfarenhets- och forskningsbaserade exempel på väl fungerandearbetssätt och åtgärder för kvalitativ distansutbildning presenteras. Denna del följs av eninternationell utblick i vilken författarna utifrån ett mer visionärt perspektiv diskuterar huralternativa sätt att organisera högre utbildning potentiellt skulle kunna erbjuda nya vägar tillhögre utbildning i hela landet. Slutligen presenteras ett antal slutsatser ochrekommendationer.

Författarna är verksamma inom högre utbildning med lång erfarenhet av distans- ochcampusbaserad teknikstödd undervisning och rapporten speglar följaktligen deras samladekunskaper och erfarenheter inom området. Det innebär att denna rapport har ett fokus på demöjligheter och utmaningar som möter studenter och högskolor när högre utbildning skagöras tillgänglig för hela landet.

The focus in this chapter is on teaching humanities using different digital tools and platforms and how this can both challenge existing practices and develop new ways of teaching subjects like languages and comparative literature.

This report presents a cost-benefit analysis of Linnaeus University’s MOOC: Fantastic Fiction and where to find it, using triple-bottom line reporting to understand the environmental, social and financial impacts of the programme.The report pilots a methodology forsuch analysis being developed and tested within the framework of the MOONLITE project.

www.moonliteproject.eu

Along with the development of information communication technology (ICT) came modern teaching practices (MTPs) which provide opportunities for effective transfer of knowledge from university teachers (UTs) to students. However, the use of ICT can only be effective when used didactically appropriate. The newly established Centre for Teaching Support at the University of Maribor (UM) provides didactical and technical support to UTs for the appropriate didactical use of ICT through MTPs. This paper presents results of the analysis of the didactical use of ICT and MTPs, conducted with an online survey, answered by 217 university teachers. The results indicate that problem and project based learning are most present. The majority of teachers plan the didactical use of ICT in written communication and written materials, presentations, and learning management systems. Results revealed gaps where ICT and MTPs should be encouraged, and fields in which UTs need support to improve their pedagogical process. 

Despite many innovative initiatives, virtual mobility is still a relatively unexploited aspect of internationalisation at European universities. An internal project at Linnaeus University, Global Classroom, aimed to create a framework and organisation to establish international networking and online collaboration as key elements of all degree programmes. The project aimed to promote the concept of virtual mobility and inspire faculty to adopt it in their degree programmes. A self-evaluation tool was developed for use in workshops, allowing faculty to highlight potential development areas. Each programme team could then implement an action plan in order to achieve these objectives, in consultation with the project team. The project also developed a toolbox for digital collaboration and worked with other institutions to offer an online collaborative course for teachers in the art of online collaboration. Another important issue was to create incentives for teachers to work with virtual mobility, including the use of digital badges. This paper describes these initiatives and discusses how virtual mobility can be mainstreamed, and what types of incentives are needed as a catalyst for development.

Hvordan får de som bor langt fra utdanningsinstitusjoner tilgang til utdanning? I denne rapporten fortelles det om femten ulike tiltak og prosjekter i Norden, hvor utdanningstilbudene er organisert slik at deltakerne kan utdanne og videreutdanne seg der de bor. For hvert av casene er det vurdert tre sider ved tiltaket: bærekraft - suksessfaktorer - utfordringer. På grunnlag av dette har prosjektgruppen som står bak rapporten trukket noen konklusjoner, som også er et godt grunnlag for videre diskusjon. Prosjektgruppen gir uttrykk for håp om at diskusjonen kan bidra til økt satsing på voksnes læring og desentraliserte utdanningstiltak.

En av konklusjonene sier at «engasjement og forpliktelse fra virksomheter, utdanningsinstitusjoner, næringsråd, regionråd, lokale og regionale myndigheter, borgere og andre aktører er en forutsetning for suksess». En neste konklusjon viser til at lokale møtesteder, så som læringssentre, studiesentre og konsulenter (læringsambassadører) er viktige og nødvendige aktører i arbeidet med utdanning.

The influx of refugees into Europe in the last five years has lead to a wide range of educational initiatives in order to help refugees gain a foothold in their adopted homelands and gain access to formal education and employment. Online education in the form of mobile apps, open educational resources and open online courses such as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) offer flexible learning opportunities for many people This is especially true dur31  ing the asylum-seeking process that can sometimes take up to 2 years and during which access to formal education is usually denied. This article examines the use of online education with refugees and asylum seekers, mostly in Europe, discusses the barriers and opportunities of this approach and suggests some future developments.

Приток беженцев в Европу за последние пять лет привел к появлению широкого круга образовательных инициатив, призванных помочь беженцам закрепиться на родине и получить доступ к формальному образованию и занятости. Онлайнобразование в виде мобильных приложений, открытых образовательных ресурсов и открытых онлайн-курсов, таких как MOOK (Массовые Открытые Онлайн-Курсы), предлагает гибкие возможности обучения для многих людей. Это особенно актуально во время предоставления убежища, что иногда может занимать до 2 лет и в течение которого доступ к формальному образованию обычно запрещен. В этой статье рассматривается использование онлайн-образования для беженцев и просителей убежища, в основном в Европе, обсуждаются барьеры и возможности этого подхода и предлагаются некоторые будущие разработки.