The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and The Open University (OU), United Kingdom will co-host COL’s ninth Pan-Commonwealth Forum (PCF9) at BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Scotland during 09 to 12 September 2019. This timing marks both the end of the OU’s 50th anniversary celebration and COL’s 30th anniversary year.
“I am delighted that PCF9 will be held jointly with The Open University UK, which has been an inspiration to the open and distance learning community around the Commonwealth. The OU has been a pioneer in quality, research excellence and accessible learning. This Forum will promote innovations to strengthen access to quality education and lifelong learning for all. We look forward to welcoming stakeholders from around the world for a rich and productive confluence of professional, intellectual and forward-looking ideas,” said COL President and CEO, Professor Asha Kanwar.
OU’s Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mary Kellett noted that “The Open University is delighted to co-host this event, bringing together our partner institutions across the Commonwealth. It promises to be an excellent forum for debate, with opportunities to consider issues of great importance to the OU, such as the global and inclusive reach of education. We look forward to welcoming friends and colleagues.”
Held every three years, the PCF is one of the world’s leading international conferences on open, distance and technology-enabled learning. It attracts over 600 delegates from across the 53 nation members of the Commonwealth and beyond. COL will present its Excellence in Distance Education Awards to individuals and institutions that have demonstrated remarkable achievements in the promotion of open learning.
The OU is the UK’s largest academic institution and a world pioneer in distance learning committed to making education open to all.
About the Commonwealth of Learning
COL is an intergovernmental organisation created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to promote the development and sharing of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources and technologies. Hosted by the Government of Canada and headquartered in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, COL is the world’s only intergovernmental organisation solely concerned with the promotion and development of distance education and open learning. COL empowers people through learning that leads to economic empowerment, social inclusion and environmental conservation.
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