Welcome to the Swedish Association for Distance Education (SVERD)
The Swedish Association for Distance Education (SVERD) is an interest organization in Sweden for everyone who is engaged in open, online learning, flexible, and distance learning. SVERD members come from across the education sector, from K-12 to higher education, and public education, business, and the private sector are also represented. As a member of SVERD, you will meet people from all over Sweden, Europe, and the world. SADE strives for members to be able to build personal networks and establish important professional contacts within the network.
SVERD was founded in 1984 with the aim of expanding knowledge and participating in the development of open, online, and flexible distance education, including technology-enhanced learning (OOFAT). SADE/SVERDhas no permanent staff and all work is carried out on a voluntary basis. SADE organizes two annual conferences, an autumn, and a spring conference. The conferences deal with current and interesting topics of interest to the members.
SVERD works with a number of international organizations, such as ICDE, the International Council for Open Education and Distance Education, and EDEN, the European Distance Education Network. SADE is represented in ICDE’s executive committee and leads and participates in several committees within ICDE.
SVERD initiates the exchange of experience, cooperation, and networking among its members and creates open meeting places by organizing conferences, webinars, and physical seminars as well as other formal and informal meetings. SVERD also promotes international exchange, cooperation, and networking. SVERD aims to stimulate and promote the development of knowledge in the field of open, online, and flexible distance education, including technology-enhanced learning, but also the changes brought about by increasing digitization, education 4.0, and the education of the future. SVERD is also a recommendation body for the governing bodies and actively engages in the current debate in the field.
In ongoing projects, SVERD’s most important role is to be responsible for the evaluation and dissemination of knowledge. SVERD has both
National and international, a network and a reputation that enables the dissemination, work in, and exchange of the projects.
To summarize SVERD
– initiate an exchange of experience and cooperation between our members
– create open communities by organizing, among other things, conferences, webinars, and seminars
– promote international exchange and cooperation
– promote the development of knowledge in the fields of open, online, and flexible distance learning, including technology-enhanced learning (OOFAT)
– contribute to the development of the area overseen by the management committee.
Conferences
SVERD organizes or collaborates with other organizations every year in an autumn conference (or a seminar) where we address current and interesting themes that we know involve members, e.g.
• Techniques and distance methods
• Knowledge of distance-bridging technology
• Interaction in flexible education
As a member of Sverd, you get a discount on our conferences, and also for the international conferences arranged by our partners.
SVERD has participated and coordinated several years in projects financed and coordinated by the Nordic Council of Ministers. SVERD has also participated in projects financed by the EU in 2017.
Work in progress :
SVERDs most important role in projects is expert contributions, evaluation, and dissemination of knowledge. SVERD is part of several networks and has a good reputation both nationally and internationally, which enables the exchange of and participation in referral bodies and projects. Through its members, SVERD has knowledge and experience built up from relevant organizations and institutions in various private and public sectors.
Sverd New newsletter and website
SVERDnytt is published twice a year as a newsletter (in Swedish),
It contains current articles on open, online, and flexible distance education, including technology-enhanced learning (OOFAT), and other current information from Swedish and
international conferences. SVERDnytt also invites members to raise questions about learning,
teaching and educational project activities in the field open, online, and flexible
distance education, including technology-enhanced learning (OOFAT), as well as research, etc.
As a member of SVERD, you receive SverdNytt’s newsletter four times a year. here you can
read articles about distance and flexible learning. You will receive reports from Swedish and international conferences.
Please visit our website www.sverd.se. There you will find interesting links, an open forum, current news, and much more.
You can also register as a member on the website.
International cooperation
SADE interacts with a number of international organizations such as:
Nordic Network for Adults Learning (Nordic Network for Adults Learning, NVL)
SADE is collaborating with NVL – Digital Inclusion
Nordic Network for Adult Learning, (NVL) supports Nordic cooperation in a lifelong learning perspective, facilitates the exchange of experiences and innovations, and supports the development of policy and practice Digitization is a priority area in Nordic cooperation, as expressed in the presidency programs in recent years. NVL decided in 2018 to make a new investment in this area in line with Nordic strategies and within a lifelong learning perspective. A working group was appointed to develop concrete proposals for NVL’s future efforts in the area of digitization and lifelong learning.
Nordic network for flexible, open education and online education.
SVERD was one of the initiators and founders of NordFlexOn
The main purpose of the NordFlexOn network is to be a facilitator and promoter of inclusive, flexible, quality learning and teaching in the digital age in the Nordic countries, with a global reach. The network aims to spread practice-based and research-based knowledge about flexible online learning and teaching nationally and internationally.
Professionals from online schools, universities, colleges and other educational institutions decided at a meeting in Lillehammer on 13 April 2019 to establish a Nordic network for flexible, open and online education. The network currently has around 70 members. The abbreviation for the network is NordFlexOn and the focus areas are:
– Exchange of knowledge and experiences
– Exchange of contacts
-Face-to-face and online meeting points
– Project collaboration
ICDE International Council for Open and Distance Education
SVERD member Ebba Ossiannilsson is also a member of ICDE EC since 2019 (ongoing)
With ICDE, SVERD is a partner in the ICDE regional (Europe) Focal Quality points (FPQ) in collaboration with UNESCO
SVERD’s member Ebba Ossiannilsson has since 2017 (ongoing) coordinated and chaired the ICDE OER Advocacy Committee
SVERD organized a pre-conference 13 June 2017, jointly with EDEN2017 at Jönköping University 13-16 June 2017. The theme of the pre-conference is Digital Transformation and Diversity in a Swedish Context. For more information about the program see SADE’s website.
Summary:
International projects:
Networks ICDE and EDEN and NVL
Current project
Nordplus project 2021-2023 Digital support.
Earlier projects
SADE has coordinated the BOLDIC project for more than 10 years, a project funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers on best practices for OER in the Baltic countries.
SADE previously participated in another project that was also funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers Learning Content for Mobiles (LIST)
Erasmus + projects VTT and TIBL 2018-2020
We welcome you as a member!
Membership fees
Organization members: SEK 2,500
Single member: SEK 250
Contact details:
SVERD org no 802011-5872
Bank giro 5130-6702
Sverd’s office, PO Box 3033, 871 03 Härnösand
kansliet@sverd.se
www.sverd.se
