UOC showcased at MIT as leading light in online education

How can we improve education to make students real learners? The experience built up at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) has shown that technology is a key tool in achieving this aim. UOC President, Josep A. Planell, gave an explanatory talk on Monday 22 October in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as part of the meeting of experts organized by the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Planell's talk, From Distance Universities to Universities Without Distances, was given as part of the Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL) Week, which aims to promote excellence and transformation in education. Specifically, Planell gave one of the xTalks, which provide a forum to facilitate transference of educational innovations.

MIT is a cutting-edge institution that works to redesign teaching and learning systems, and empower students to solve problems. The UOC was invited to take part in this event as a world leader in both online education and research in the field through its eLearn Center.

During his talk, Planell also looked at the possibility for universities to become global agents and reach students around the world; and to do so while still focusing on the challenge of ensuring that students are, and feel that they are, at the centre of a deep and effective learning process.