The 2011 annual conference of the European Distance and E-learning Network (EDEN) and celebration of the 20th anniversary of its establishment was held June 19-22 in Dublin, the capital of Ireland. A delegation from the OUC attended as the sole representative from China.

EDEN is the most influential and comprehensive distance education and e-learning organization in Europe. Though it is a regional organization, its annual conference has been developed into an international conference. This year's theme was "Learning and Sustainability:

The New Ecosystem of Innovation and Knowledge". 425 representatives from 40 countries all over the world attended the conference, and 163 of them made academic contributions by delivering keynote speeches, participating in parallel sessions and workshops, presenting papers and putting up posters. Mary McAleese, President of Ireland, attended the opening ceremony and made a special address.

OUC Vice President Zhang Shaogang Speaking with Sir John Daniel

Zhang Shaogang, head of the OUC delegation, met with EDEN President Morten F. Paulsen; Sir John Daniel, President of the Commonwealth of Learning; Professor Alan Tait, former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Open University UK; Dr. Desmond Keegan, a world-famous distance education expert; Dr. Michael Moore, editor of the American Journal of Distance Education; and Ms. Judith Murray, Vice President of Thompson Rivers University. He presented the progress in developing the Open University of China and answered questions from the audience. Zhang Shaogang also spoke with Judith Murray to discuss further collaboration between the OUC and Thompson Rivers University on Prior Learning Assessment Recognition (PLAR) research and training.

Dr. Wei Shunping of the OUC Research Institute of Open and Distance Education made a presentation entitled "Predicting the Graduation Time of Online Higher Education Students" at the parallel session, which attracted great interest from the audience on its data analysis methods. Mr. Han Yanhui, member of the OUC Faculty of Foreign Languages, showcased his research findings in "Integrating Edublogs with SNS Elements in Educational Settings: Reflections Based on Social Constructivism Theory" at the paper presentation, attracting the attention of conference participants.

The 2012 EDEN Annual Conference is expected to be held in Portugal.