In the University Teacher on December 15, 2025, the Minister of Upper Secondary Education, Higher Education and Research Lotta Edholm (L) expresses her great skepticism about online studies in the article “Concerned Minister Attacks AI Cheating and Distance Learning” .
We do not recognize what the minister describes, write three representatives of Dalarna University.
They highlight the reality of Dalarna University and in this way want to respond to some of Lotta Edholm’s claims.
At the Department of Language, Literature and Learning at Dalarna University, there is a vibrant digital language environment with a consistently strong search pressure. Our twelve language subjects are taught almost exclusively online based on a digital didactics developed more than 20 years ago that was developed long before the corona-related forced change where many university teachers lacked experience of online didactics. We call our education programs online or digital instead of “distance learning”, to highlight the form of study; The education requires real-time attendance and activity in the seminars with well-functioning audio and video contact without interruptions.
Online studies enable and make higher education accessible for parents of young children, people with functional variations, professionals or for those living in sparsely populated areas.
Higher education should be characterized by education, critical thinking and openness. The forms of teaching should therefore be developed and adapted to a changing society. Online studies are an extremely conscious and active choice for our students because they suit their life situation. A large part of lifelong learning takes place precisely through online studies because it is often this form of study that is best suited for students who are in the middle of life. The minister admits that she does not yet know much about this field. We therefore invite you to a (preferably digital) meeting to discuss online studies further.
Boglárka Straszer
Dean, Dalarna University
Anneli Fjordevik
Dean, Dalarna University
Maren Eckart
Associate Professor, Dalarna University
Read the full article in Universitetsläraren:
