Dear Colleague This message is just to give you a brief update on preparations for the eLearn Accredit OnLine Conference November 2002. As you probably know, eLearn Accredit is hosting a worldwide conference during the month of November, exploring whether a worldwide quality marque for online learning will be possible, and what the next steps might be in realising it. The discussion will be taking place in specialised discussion strands, phased over 4 weeks. Each strand will be following the same general rhythm, first pooling ideas and papers based on where we are now, then exploring where we might like to get to, and then how we might get there. The final week will put together some ideas on the next steps. The conference will be guided by some excellent moderators, and each week they will produce summary papers of the discussions which have taken place in each strand, to be shared across all the registered participants. One of the most important short term benefits of participation in the eLearn Accredit discussions will be the opportunity to learn from best practice not only in your own sector, but across all sectors worldwide. Participation in the conference will be free, so we hope that there will be no reason why anyone interested in the area of quality standards for online learning will not want to join in the discussions, and to contribute their own ideas. The online format allows us to open the discussions to all sorts of people and organisations who might not be able to travel to a physical conference, and we will ensure that all the best ideas are reported back to everyone. We are also ensuring that presenters and moderators will pick up any comments posted after scheduled presentation times, so that no one will be excluded by time zone or by technical barriers from making their point. Please see the attachment for a brief overview of the format of the discussions, and of the different discussion strands. To get involved, just register free at www.elearnaccredit.org. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. If there are contacts of yours who have not yet heard about the eLearn Accredit discussions, we hope that you will pass this message on to them, to ensure that they are able to get involved. eLearn Accredit is not attempting to be an accreditation body, but we know that many will be involved in the discussion, so we hope that everyone interested will take this opportunity to make their points heard on an international stage. I look forward to hearing from you during the discussions. I will also be giving an introduction to the conference on Friday 1st November, and will be available online at two points during that day to answer any questions. Best regards Andrew -- Andrew Brown eLearn Accredit 164 Old Road Oxford OX3 8SY 07779 021464 andrew.brown@elearnaccredit.org www.elearnaccredit.org