From 4 to 7 December 2024, a coordination meeting of the partners of the international Erasmus+ KA2 DEFEP project “Distance Education for Future: Best EU Practices in Response to the Requests of Modern Higher Education Seekers and Labour Market”. The event was attended by representatives of universities from Ukraine, Moldova, Spain, Italy and other partner organisations. The purpose of the meeting was to summarise the results of two years of DEFEP project implementation, analyse the results achieved, identify the main challenges and prospects for the development of distance education, and develop strategies to ensure the project’s sustainability.

The first day of the meeting started with visits to the partner universities in Moldova – Moldova State University and Technical University of Moldova. The participants discussed key aspects of the DEFEP project implementation, including the challenges faced and ways to overcome them

The next day, the official opening of the meeting took place, during which the results of the first half of the DEFEP project implementation were presented, including progress, risks, and recommendations from the partners. The meeting of the Coordination Council included discussions on the regulatory support for distance education, the effectiveness of teaching materials and trainings for teachers, as well as an analysis of the functioning of experimental laboratories and an electronic platform for managing the learning process.

On the third day, the meeting focused on analysing the pilot launch of distance education programmes at partner universities. The issues of improving the educational content, technical capabilities, promotion of educational programmes and establishing cooperation between universities, businesses, local authorities and other stakeholders were discussed. A meeting was also held on monitoring and quality assurance of distance learning, including internal and external evaluation mechanisms (moderated by Doctor of Economics, Professor Nataliia Ivanova). The prospects for scaling up the project results and developing proposals for adapting higher education standards to the peculiarities of the distance format were discussed.

The final day of the meeting was dedicated to summing up the results and strategic planning. The participants brainstormed ways to improve the effectiveness of the DEFEP project, reduce risks, and ensure its sustainability. The coordination meeting was an important step in the implementation of best practices in distance education, contributed to the exchange of experience and the identification of further actions for the development of the DEFEP project in Ukraine and Moldova.

The project is co-funded by the European Union, but the views and opinions expressed are those of the authors of this project and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Executive Agency for Education and Culture. Neither the European Union nor the grantor can be held responsible for them.