Dear Colleagues, 

How fortunate we were to have chosen mid November 2021 to bring the GDN community together in Ottawa, Canada! In hindsight, that decision turned out to provide the only brief window of opportunity to assemble before the Covid Omicron wave impacted global movement again. 

The meeting was a great success and was delivered as a hybrid event, bringing together a record high number of attendees, over 220 people, with 60 people attending  in person and over 160 virtual attendees. 

As is the tradition of Groningen Declaration Network, we publish an “Executive Summary” of each Annual Meeting as a record of the proceedings of that Meeting. This important resource is now publicly available here 

Francisco José Maldonado, President

Kathleen Massey, Immediate Past President

Herman de Leeuw, Executive Director

Save the date in your diaries and plan to join us in the beautiful city of Groningen, The Netherlands.

This year, after ten previous annual meetings took place at ever changing locations spread out over the globe, the GDN Annual Meeting returns to Groningen where the GDN started, way back in April 2012. 

The Annual Meeting has grown to be acknowledged as a ‘must attend’ event for those with an interest in digital learner mobility. 

To entice you, and show you what awaits in October, watch our invitation promotional video for the 2022 meeting here.

Call for Proposals now open

The GDN Board of Directors invites you to submit a proposal to present at the 11th GDN Annual Meeting. The theme of the 2022 meeting is “Learner Centricity - Interoperability - Lifelong Learning” which highlights the interdependence of three key issues that have to be met to make digital learner data portability a global reality: A focus on the pivotal role of learner centricity as starting point, requiring interoperability so as to ensure seamless learner access to their data, thus enabling the build-up and sharing of learner portfolios throughout their lives we encourage you to start thinking about how you can share your success, challenges, projects and collaborations under these three overarching themes. 

The submission portal is now open with submissions due by 30 April 2022. The annual meeting organizing committee will then review all submissions, select those that will be included in the program and will inform all submitters about the outcome by the end of June 2022. 

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorship opportunities are now available for the 11th GDN Annual Meeting. Review the prospectus here and contact our sponsorship coordinator Janie Barnett to discuss aligning your organisation with this important event. 

The Groningen Declaration Network (GDN) strongly condemns the shocking and violent assault on Ukraine, and the violation of the human rights of innocent civilians. As an organization that is built on the values of international trust, cooperation, and inclusion, the GDN emphatically believes that the autonomy of Ukraine must be respected.

There are hundreds of higher education institutions in Ukraine, educating over 1.5 million students, including 76,000 international students from 155 countries. The GDN calls on its international network to extend meaningful help to Ukrainian refugees, including international students who were pursuing their education in Ukraine, by supporting the preservation, transfer, and recognition of their educational credentials so they may rebuild their lives and continue to flourish, in spite of the current atrocities.

The devastation is heartbreaking, but Ukrainians are demonstrating great strength in the face of such adversity. Only through peace, respect for human rights, and international cooperation will the world’s people flourish.

Announced at last year’s annual meeting at the final plenary panel discussion of the same title, the project is now heading to its next stage and will provide a showcase of the knowledge resource on creating sustainable technology networks in support of access and mobility with selected case studies at the upcoming 3rd UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education (WHEC2022). The conference will be held as a hybrid conference in Barcelona in the period 18 to 20 May 2022.

Right from the start, the GDN has always relied on the local buy-in of its signatory organizations and others to host the network’s annual meetings, coupled to the tradition of rotating venues so as to include all continents in its global outreach. In its ten years of existence, that pattern has proven successful, with all continents having seen an organization host a GDN annual meeting at least once. Now in its second decade of existence, the GDN Board of Directors is determined to continue this pattern of local host buy-in and balanced geographical spread of venues. And there really is no shortage of partner organizations that are willing to host a future GDN annual meeting, but ensuring equal geographical spread proves to be challenging, particularly for the Global South, Africa and Latin America. So while the Board of Directors is committed to honoring bids that have already been submitted, these have to fit in the pattern of rotating venues. Therefore, we would love to hear from you - if your organisation is interested in submitting a bid for a future GDN Annual Meeting, please get in touch with Herman de Leeuw and Karen Hanna and please review this Brief Bid as a first orientation of what hosting a GDN AM entails.

Gentle reminder to those signatory organisations that have not yet settled their annual signatory fee: With annual signatory fees unpaid, your organisation risks to be removed from the GDN signatory web pages; it will no longer be issued the GDN Confirmation of Signatory Status; your organisation’s staff will no longer be eligible to submit nominations for the GDN Board of Directors elections; and your organisations staff will no longer enjoy the benefits associated with signatory status:

• Networking opportunities in an established international network that brings together the most exhaustive cross-section of sectors and stakeholders
• Access to the GDN Contacts Database via MyGDN login
• Discounted registration fees for the GDN Annual Meeting
• Participation in the Annual Business Meeting during the GDN Annual Meeting
• Eligibility for leadership positions within the network
• Future additional benefits

The AACRAO 107th Annual Meeting is coming to Portland, OR.
Featuring  More Than 300 Sessions Including:

• Federal Relations Session with Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal
• Recognition of International Post-Secondary Technical and Vocational Education
• Electronic Data Exchange 101: Understanding the Basics
• Electronic Transcripts: Where Are They Now? -- A Look at the Impact on Institutions and Students
• Getting the Ball Rolling on Electronic Data Exchange. Learn From Two Active Statewide Initiatives

The DAAD embarks on a new project to generate exchange and collaboration in the field of digital education: To support the development of a Community of Practice for the European Commission’s Digital Education Hub, the DAAD coordinates a strong consortium of 11 European partners and an international network of supporters. The GDN is among the official supporters of the ambitious initiative.

The aims of the open Community of Practice are:

• Collaborating on solutions for practice across all sectors of education and training
• Sharing experience, knowledge, and best practices
• Accelerating innovation in digital education

To learn more about the European Commission’s initiative, please visit: Work starts on the Digital Education Hub Community of Practice | European Education Area (europa.eu)

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, sub-Sahara Africa hosts more than 26% of the world’s refugees. This number has soared over the years.

In November 2021, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the World Education Services (WES) signed a partnership agreement during the GDN Annual Dinner  to initiate a pilot project ensuring a special dispensation for the recognition of qualifications of eligible refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa.

Soon after, a press release was published on various platforms.

A significant number of individuals seeking SAQA’s foreign evaluation services are refugees and those who have been forcibly displaced. They often face challenges in meeting SAQA’s application criteria to have their qualifications assessed for recognition. WES serves as a collaborative partner to SAQA in developing an initiative in line with its model for the recognition of qualifications of refugees and asylum seekers and especially those with incomplete or partial documentation.

“There are millions of people across the globe who are being forcibly displaced. It is imperative there are appropriate systems in place to ensure education and skills are recognised,” said WES’ CEO and Executive Director, Esther T. Benjamin. In her statement, SAQA CEO, Dr Julie Reddy added, “SAQA is committed to providing lifelong learning opportunities, and enabling access to meaningful and sustainable livelihood opportunities to all people who live in South Africa.”

SAQA will work with a local NGO, Scalabrini, in 3 provinces of the country for a period of 1 year, testing the methodology and process for this special dispensation. Scalabrini fosters the cultural, social, and economic integration of migrants, refugees, and South Africans into local society. A documentary on the plight of refugees and asylum seekers was recently made by this NGO, highlighting the need for initiatives such as the pilot project. 

As of February 16, 2022, GDN Signatory, Founder and Patron CHESICC - the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center - has been renamed CSSD - short for Center for Student Services and Development, Ministry of Education, P. R. China. Degree verification will be integrated into the CSSD services shortly, which means that CSSD will provide verification reports for graduation certificates, degree certificates and transcripts and high school diplomas, Huikao (APT) results and Gaokao Scores for secondary students starting in the near future, adding convenience for Chinese applicants to universities/evaluation agencies abroad.

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