Mission statement

The European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU) stands as the leading institutional network for online, open, and distance higher education in Europe. Positioned at the forefront of educational innovation, EADTU plays a leading role in the European Education Area and specifically within the European Higher Education Area.

European online, open, and distance higher education emphasizes openness to learners through three core principles:

  • Student-centred teaching: High-quality learning environments that prioritise student needs.
  • Flexible and inclusive access: Structures and methods that bring education to students, wherever and whenever they need it—primarily through online technologies.
  • Cross-border education: Enabling students to learn beyond national, sectoral, and institutional boundaries through networked education and mobility.

EADTU is committed to empowering and supporting its member institutions by:

  • Advancing online, open, and distance higher education: Fostering the growth and accessibility of high-quality education.
  • Leading at national, European, and international levels: Providing thought leadership in the sector.
  • Upholding excellence in quality assurance: Promoting an internationally recognised quality system for online, open, and distance higher education.
    Enhancing collaboration and mobility: Expanding learning opportunities and promoting cooperation among institutions across Europe.

Our members share a strong commitment to equal access, lifelong talent development, and serving the needs of Europe's economy, culture, and civil society at regional, national, and European levels.

Strategic Objectives

To fulfil our mission in the coming years, we propose the following strategic objectives:

Policy

  1. Policy Leadership
  • Develop a forward-looking vision for the integration of online, open, and distance education in European higher education.
  • Shape European policy in line with this vision, ensuring online, open and distance higher education becomes a cornerstone of the European learning space.
  1. Promote Quality and Accessibility
  • Advocate for high-quality online, open, and distance learning, targeting key student groups, including those underserved by traditional education models.
  1. Sector Leadership
  • Amplify EADTU’s leading voice in online, open and distance higher education, leveraging our expertise to empower universities across Europe to implement advanced digital education solutions.
  1. Enhance International Collaboration
  • Contribute to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) by integrating continuous education, and international collaboration models (e.g., joint degrees, networked curricula, online mobility, distributed classrooms).

Community of Expertise

  1. Knowledge Hub
  • Serve as a trusted source of information, best practices, and policy insights for members, enhancing their capacity to deliver world-class education.
  1. Tools and Services
  • Provide members with cutting-edge tools, services, and guidelines (on topics such as joint degrees, QA in online education, inclusion, AI in education, micro-credentials, green campus, personalisation of education, etc..).
  1. Foster Collaboration
  • Strengthen cooperation between members through initiatives like staff exchange programs, communities of practice, joint degrees and EMPOWER partnerships.
  1. Active Member Participation
  • Broaden member engagement by creating dynamic communities of experts to address key educational challenges (through task forces, peer meetings, and collaborative projects).
  1. Research collaboration
  • Strengthen cooperation between members research centres and research networks in technology enhanced education.

Brand and Reputation

  1. Strengthen EADTU's Brand
  • Boost EADTU's brand through high-impact publications, policy events, and flagship conferences (e.g., IHE-conference, Summit).
  1. Build Strategic Partnerships
  • Enhance EADTU's influence by extending and intensifying strategic partnerships with leading European and global organisations (EUA, ICDE, ENQA, ESU).

These objectives are designed to be mutually reinforcing, providing a comprehensive framework for advancing the mission of EADTU. Progress and performance will be continuously evaluated against these objectives.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
 


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