International Council for Open and Distance Education
Professional services
UnclaimedA global membership organization advancing open, distance, online, flexible and technology-enhanced education.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) is a global, membership-led organization focused on the development and recognition of open, distance, online and technology-enhanced education. It brings together higher education institutions, education networks, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, companies, associations, schools, students and individual professionals working across the education sector. The organization has members in approximately 84 countries and represents more than 200 institutions and organizations according to public reference material. ICDE began in 1938 in Canada as the International Council for Correspondence Education (ICCE). Its creation reflected the growing need for an international forum through which practitioners could exchange experience about correspondence-based instruction. The first World Conference took place in Victoria, British Columbia, after J. W. Gibson, a Canadian education official involved in high-school correspondence instruction, promoted the idea of an international gathering. Rex Haight, who had chaired an earlier conference on supervised correspondence study in New York, supported the initiative and became the first council president. Over subsequent decades, the organization broadened its scope as correspondence education evolved into distance learning, open education, online learning and digitally supported lifelong learning. The council became more formally established after its second conference in 1948, when delegates voted to create a permanent international council. At the 1953 conference in Christchurch, New Zealand, delegates adopted a constitution and rules that gave the organization a more durable institutional framework. Its relationship with UNESCO became an important part of its international profile: ICDE has maintained a partnership with UNESCO since 1960, and its 1969 World Conference was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris to mark the affiliation. In 1982, the organization adopted its present name, International Council for Open and Distance Education, at its World Conference in Vancouver. The change reflected a wider educational mission than correspondence study alone. In 1988, the World Conference in Oslo helped establish the permanent secretariat in the Norwegian capital. ICDE has since been hosted in Oslo, where it is registered as a Norwegian not-for-profit organization and operates under Norwegian law. Public reference material states that it is partly supported by a grant from the Government of Norway. ICDE's activities include convening international conferences, supporting professional exchange, contributing to research and policy discussions, and disseminating knowledge about quality, innovation and access in education. Its subject areas include online and flexible learning, e-learning, lifelong learning, open educational resources, higher and distance education, learning analytics, alternative digital credentials, education policy, and research and innovation. The organization also publishes or contributes to reports, surveys and articles and publishes Open Praxis, a peer-reviewed open-access journal concerned with research and innovation in open, distance and flexible education. The World Conference is one of ICDE's principal recurring activities. Since 2000, it has generally been held every two years on a different continent, traditionally at the invitation of an ICDE member. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ICDE adapted its conference model and held its first Global Virtual Conference Week in 2021. The organization remains an international convening and knowledge-sharing platform rather than a commercial education provider, with its value proposition centered on collaboration, professional networks, policy influence and the advancement of accessible, high-quality learning.
History
ICDE was established in 1938 in Canada under the name International Council for Correspondence Education. Its origins lay in the expansion of correspondence instruction and the desire among educators to create an international forum for sharing methods and experience. J. W. Gibson, who directed high-school correspondence instruction in British Columbia, proposed an international conference after participating in a 1936 meeting on supervised correspondence study in New York. Rex Haight, chair of that earlier meeting, supported the proposal and later served as the first president of the new council. The inaugural World Conference was held in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1938. A second conference followed in 1948, when participating delegates unanimously endorsed the creation of a more permanent international council. The third conference, held in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1953, further institutionalized the organization. A committee presented constitutional rules that delegates adopted, creating a clearer basis for governance and helping conferences become more regular. The council's international role expanded during the postwar period. Since 1960, it has maintained a partnership with UNESCO. The relationship was publicly highlighted in 1969, when the eighth World Conference was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The organization continued to adapt as educational practice moved from correspondence courses toward broader forms of distance, open and flexible learning. At the twelfth World Conference in Vancouver in 1982, the council changed its name to the International Council for Open and Distance Education. The new name reflected the inclusion of open education and newer distance-learning technologies alongside traditional correspondence methods. The fourteenth World Conference, held in Oslo in 1988, was attended by King Olav V of Norway and Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. The event contributed to the establishment of ICDE's permanent secretariat in Oslo. ICDE is now registered as a not-for-profit organization in Norway and operates under Norwegian law. Its membership structure includes individuals, students, associations, colleges and universities, companies, educational networks, governmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations and secondary schools. The organization connects members across the global education sector and provides a platform for discussion of quality assurance, digital learning, open educational resources, lifelong learning, education policy and innovation. Since 2000, the World Conference has generally taken place biennially and on a different continent each time, usually hosted at the invitation of an ICDE member. The organization also produces or supports reports, surveys and articles and publishes Open Praxis, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal devoted to research and innovation in open, distance and flexible education. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ICDE organized its first Global Virtual Conference Week in 2021, demonstrating a shift toward virtual international convening. Its contemporary identity is that of a global professional and institutional network rather than a commercial education company.
- 2021
First Global Virtual Conference Week
[1]ICDE organized its first Global Virtual Conference Week in response to the disruption caused by COVID-19.
- 2000
World Conference adopts a biennial international pattern
[1]From 2000, the World Conference was generally organized every two years on a different continent.
- 1988
Permanent secretariat established in Oslo
[1]The Oslo World Conference helped establish the permanent secretariat in Norway, where ICDE has remained hosted.
- 1982
Name changed to ICDE
[1]The organization adopted the name International Council for Open and Distance Education at its Vancouver World Conference.
- 1969
World Conference held at UNESCO headquarters
[1]The eighth World Conference took place in Paris to mark the organization's UNESCO affiliation.
- 1960
UNESCO partnership begins
[1]ICDE began its partnership with UNESCO, reinforcing its international education role.
- 1953
Constitution and rules adopted
[1]At the Christchurch conference, delegates adopted proposed constitutional rules that strengthened the council's institutional structure.
- 1948
Permanent council endorsed
[1]Delegates at the second conference unanimously voted to establish a more permanent international council.
- 1938
Foundation as the International Council for Correspondence Education
[1]The organization was founded in Canada, and its first World Conference was held in Victoria, British Columbia.
Products and positioning
An international, nonprofit membership network for organizations and professionals advancing accessible, flexible, open, distance and technology-enhanced education.
International education conference
ICDE World Conference
ICDE's principal recurring international conference brings together members and other stakeholders in open, distance, online and flexible education. Since 2000, it has generally been held every two years and on a different continent, usually with hosting arranged through an ICDE member. The conference provides a venue for professional exchange, policy discussion, research dissemination and institutional networking.
Virtual professional event · 2021
Global Virtual Conference Week
Introduced in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Global Virtual Conference Week extended ICDE's convening function into an online format. It represents the organization's adaptation of international professional exchange to circumstances in which conventional in-person conferences were difficult or impossible.
Scholarly journal
Open Praxis
Open Praxis is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published by ICDE. It focuses on research and innovation in open, distance and flexible education and supports the circulation of academic and practitioner knowledge in the field.
Professional and institutional membership
ICDE Membership
ICDE offers membership routes for individuals, students, associations, colleges and universities, companies, educational networks, governmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations and secondary schools. Membership connects participants to an international network concerned with open, distance, online and technology-enhanced education.
Brand decisions
2021
Moved a major conference activity to a virtual formatOtherBackground
The COVID-19 outbreak disrupted international travel and in-person events.
Action taken
ICDE organized its first Global Virtual Conference Week.
Aftermath
The event demonstrated the organization's use of online convening to maintain international exchange during the pandemic.
1982
Adopted the International Council for Open and Distance Education nameStrategyBackground
The earlier correspondence-education name no longer fully represented the organization's widening focus on open education and modern forms of distance learning.
Action taken
Delegates changed the organization's name to the International Council for Open and Distance Education at the Vancouver World Conference.
Aftermath
The new identity positioned ICDE around a broader range of open, distance and technology-supported educational models.
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