Dear Colleague We thought you might be interested in our project looking at quality standards for online learning. Standards will allow small, new players to compete alongside established off line players, such as universities, whilst providing a minimum assurance of quality for the users - students. eLearn Accredit is an international project, exploring the steps ahead in the development of internationally agreed quality standards in the provision of on-line learning. It encompasses all education sectors and all countries. You are invited to register your interest on the eLearn Accredit website www.elearnaccredit.org, to ensure that you are kept up to date with developments in the discussions, the plans for the various stages of the conference cycle, and to contribute your perspective to the discussion. We can't rely on old reputations or luck. Even if your local University or College is top of the table in traditional face-to-face learning, that it will be top of the table in delivering education online. The way forward is to agree on international standards for the delivery of online learning. To help us to make our study choices, we need to have a clear marque which indicates that each course we consider meets minimum criteria. We need a clear standard which is easy to understand, internationally, across all education sectors. This is not a simple thing. We need much more discussion about what is possible, and what would add this sort of value for the consumer. To be simple enough to be useful, it must rule out some learning opportunities as being unsatisfactory. But it must not be so complicated or restrictive that it becomes a strait jacket on good providers. The eLearn Accredit project involves an online conference in the autumn, followed by a physical conference in the spring of 2003. Participation in the online conference will be free of charge - you can register to listen in, or contribute your ideas, by visiting the eLearn Accredit website. We will not be charging for participation in the online debate, because we want to ensure that participation is as full and as free as possible. Our objective is to include as many people, as many organizations, and as many of the best ideas, as we possibly can, and so we have removed all the barriers. No national barriers. No geographical barriers. No sectoral barriers. No financial barriers. All the best ideas can be shared, so that we produce the best outcomes for users - future online students. The physical conference will draw on the best contributions, the best ideas from the online conference. It will probably take place in association with the World Education Market, in Lisbon on 19 & 20 May 2003. We will also be arranging an associated exhibition. For further details, please feel free to contact us, or just register on the site for regular updates. Andrew Brown -- Andrew Brown eLearn Accredit 164 Old Road Oxford OX3 8SY 07779 021464 andrew.brown@elearnaccredit.org www.elearnaccredit.org