With regard to restrictions due to COVID-19, we have also taken into account the good experience with the EDEN 2020 Virtual Annual Conference, the EDEN 11th Research Workshop, including two PhD Symposia, and our spring "Education in time of a pandemic" webinar series, which we resumed in autumn under the title "Education in time of a new normal". Meanwhile, EDEN is prepared to realise the event partly in-person in safe and healthy circumstances.

The gradual transition from traditional classroom-based education to online teaching and learning has been accelerated by the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis has forced educators to reappraise their roles, professional practices, and beliefs.

EDEN has a long history of supporting educators in online and distance education, providing a forum for discussion, learning, and refinement of best practices in this area. This pandemic has been no exception.

This year's conference is intended as a continuation of EDEN’s efforts to support educators by providing a space to explore the issues and insights that have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Not only will this conference provide attendees with the perfect opportunity to explore this range of topics, but it also provides us with a space to reflect upon the role that online and distance education will have after the pandemic. As noted in our webinar series #covid19 #onlinetogether, Education in a time of a pandemic - fully online education on a global scale - is unprecedented in the history of education. Today we are talking about the "new normal" and "future normal".