EADTU Staff Training Event - Support Services in Open & Distance Education

EADTU organises a two-day Staff Training Event on support services in Open and Distance Teaching Universities. The event will take place at UniDistance Suisse in Brig. It is a unique opportunity for support staff to meet, share expertise, and learn from their peers about different ways to organise support structures for open, online and distance education.

09:30 – 10:30 | Welcome & Introductions

• Introduction of individuals present (interests, expectations of the event)
• General introduction of UniDistance Suisse
• Welcome by the ad interim rector

10:30 – 10:45 | Coffee break

10:45 – 12:00 | The Role of AI in Open & Distance Learning

• Finding the right balance between policy, technologies, and guidelines
• Practical approaches for administration, research, and teaching

12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch

13:00 – 14:30 | Engaging & Retaining Staff and Students in Digital Education

• Getting staff and students to embrace new technologies
• Maintaining student communities and alumni networks
• Integrating student voices in co-creation of digital competencies
• Personalized learning pathways & study success
• Marketing & communication strategies for distance education

17:00 – Walk and Networking Dinner (Outside Brig, 25-minute train ride)

09:30 – 10:30 | Welcome back, short tour of UniDistance Suisse Facilities

10:30 – 12:00 | Exchange on Learning Platforms & Interoperability

• Internationalisation 2.0: the case of interoperability
• Open discussion on platforms used across institutions
• Cybersecurity concerns in online learning
• Insights into data related to the student journey

12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch

13:00 – 14:30 Parallel sessions

Session 1: HR Best Practices in Distance Learning Institutions

• Talent management & recruitment
• Supporting remote faculty & global mobility
• Payroll & HR administration for digital education institutions

Session 2: Strategies for Remote Assessment

• Online assessment best practices
• Authentic forms of assessment
• AI-driven approaches

14:30 – 15:00 Plenary closing and farewell

Please note that the programme is subject to change, and additional details will be provided in due course. Stay updated via the Eventbrite page.

We recommend arriving at either Zurich Airport (ZRH) or Geneva Airport (GVA). Both airports offer efficient train connections to Brig, ensuring a smooth and comfortable journey.

From Zurich Airport: Trains to Brig take approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, with a mix of direct routes and connections requiring 1–2 changes.

From Geneva Airport: Trains to Brig are mostly direct and take just over 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Brig has a central train station, conveniently located just a 5-minute walk from UniDistance.