After completing his BSc (Hons) with a first class degree, Peter Hopkins recently attended the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU) annual conference. Peter (who currently works as a paramedic) did most of his studies through the methods of distance and blended learning.

Peter was put forward by Anglia Ruskin University to obtain a bursary to attend after completing his degree. The Open learning foundation (OLF) recognised his achievements and awarded Peter with the bursary so he could attend the conference which was hosted by the Open University of Netherlands in Maastricht.

The theme for the conference was 'Flexible Education for All: Open - Global - Innovative' with a range of ideas for discussion. These included concepts that are opening up education for all, such as the labour markets demand for more flexibility for learners, the expansion of ICT as a contributor to innovations in education and globalisation as a driver for competition and collaboration.

During the conference Peter attended sessions on a range of topics including; Higher education for a digital age, Open and distance learning in the developing world and Continuous learning in open innovation.

The closing keynote session discussed 'Why 21st century education systems still need to be challenged and how open learning needs to meet the challenges of the global financial situation'.

Peter comments on his experience;

"Each day was full with opportunities to attend parallel sessions on a variety of subjects so I chose to take advantage of the diversity of speakers and enjoyed presentations from across the world but still relevant to my interests.

My interest in education is from the point of view of a recent graduate who benefited from Open Learning and from that of a postgraduate student teacher so I decided to attend a range of parallel presentations relevant to my specialty, Healthcare, as well as those concerned with teacher training and learner support.

The conference was a rewarding experience for me in many ways and I would recommend it to any OL student or tutor involved in Distance Learning. I met interesting and inspirational people from various cultures and hope very much to attend future conferences."

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