The BRAZILIAN ASSOCIATION FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION - ABED, a non-profit learned society, which, since 1995 has promoted the dissemination of open, flexible and distance education was funded by a group of scholars interested in distance education and new learning technologies.

ABED's  major goals are:

1. Stimulate in every aspect the practice and the development of projects involved with distance education,
   

1. Incentive the practice of the highest quality services for students, educators and companies that utilize distance education;
   

1. Support the country’s "knowledge industry" seeking to reduce the inequalities caused by seclusion and the difficult access to education caused by isolation and distance from large urban centers;
   

1. Promote the use of different Medias in distance education practice;
   

1. Upraise the spirit of open, creative, innovating, credible experimentation of distance education and distance education practice.
   

ABED’s main scope includes institutions, corporations, universities and individuals interested on discussing and deepen knowledge in distance education.

For this purpose, ABED organizes conferences, seminars, scientific meetings and courses for the systematization and dissemination of knowledge in ODL.

ABED is a member of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science - SBPC, and is affiliated to international organizations including the International Council for Open and Distance Education - ICDE and OCW OpenCourseWare Consortium.

ABED’s webpage brings the "Brazilian Journal of Open and Distance Learning", trilingual, dedicated to ODL scholars, texts and papers on ODL, events calendar, news clippings of major newspapers, links to ODL, and addresses of distance education courses. It is constantly updated, always focusing on associates and people seeking to contribute with the area of pedagogical knowledge (www.abed.org.br).

ABED consists of the following categories of members: Individual Members: individuals interested on promoting distance education as an instrument of development of democratic societies; Institutional Associates: corporations interested on ABED’s major goals; Honorary Members: remarkable individuals or entities of knowledge and, therefore, distinguished by ABED and by the associates classified as Maintainers Associates: legal entities that join forces in order to significantly enhance ABED’s efforts.

The major goal of the Association is therefore an increment of shared knowledge in distance education and the belief that such educational modality is already a reality and an educational paradigm suited to big changes of this millennium.

ABED’s administrative headquarters is in Sao Paulo, the NRABED ABED’s Regional Nucleus installed in various states of the Union to ensure national representation of the association, allowing a broad coverage for its activities.

 

Board of Directors - Administration 2011-2014

Chairman: Fredric Michael Litto

Deputy Chairman: Stavros Panagiotis Xanthopoylos – FGV Online

Finance and Administration: Rita Maria de Lino Tarcia - UNIFESP

Director of Scientific Development: Marcio Luiz Bunte de Carvalho - UFMG

International Relations Director: Guy Gerlach – Grupo Pearson

Director of Ethics and Quality: Carlos Roberto Juliano Longo – IBMEC

Director of National Relations: Patrícia Lupion Torres – PUC PR

Director Public Relations Sector: Mauro Cavalcante Pequeno - UFC

Director of Corporate Relations Sector: Luciano Sathler Rosa Guimarães – Grupo Anhanguera

Director Productive System Relations: Edimilson Picler – Grupo UNITER
 

Scientific Board

Presidency: Waldomiro Pelágio Diniz de Carvalho Loyolla [UNIVESP/FMU]; Alessandro Marco Rosini [Faculdade Flamingo - Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas - FMU - Universidade de São Paulo - FEA - USP ]; Angela Maria Pizzo [Universidade Paulista – UNIP]; Carlos Eduardo Bielschowsky [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - CEDERJ/RJ]; Dilermando Piva Jr. [Centro Estadual de Educação Tecnológica Paula Souza – FATEC SP]; Eliane Schlemmer [Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos – UNISINOS]; Fernando José Spanhol [ Universidade do Tocantins – UNITINS]; Francisco Botelho [Universidade Católica de Brasília – UCB]; Gilda Helena Bernardino de Campos [Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro - PUC Rio]; Herbert Gomes Martins [Universidade do Grande Rio]; Janae Gonçalves Martins [Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia - UFRA]; José Dutra de Oliveira Neto [ Universidade de São Paulo - USP]; José Manuel Moran Costas [Universidade Anhanguera - UNIDERP]; Júlio Wilson Ribeiro [Universidade Federal do Ceará – UFC]; Melita Hickel [ UNIBIZ]; Rita de Cassia Borges de Magalhães Amaral [Faculdade São José]; Ymiracy Nascimento de Souza Polak [Universidade Federal do Paraná]]

 

Ethics Board

João Vianney Valle Santos; Léa Depresbiteris [Associação Brasileira de Educação a Distância – ABED]; Luci Ferraz de Mello [Hughes]; Maria Beatriz Ribeiro de Oliveira Gonçalves [Consultora Autônoma]; Marta de Campos Maia [Fundação Getúlio Vargas - FGV]; Paulo Ricardo Torres Diniz [UNOPAR - Universidade Norte do Paraná]; Paulo Roberto Melo de Castro Nogueira [Faculdade Integrada da Grande Fortaleza – FGF]; Renato Bulcão de Moraes [ Universidade Paulista – UNIP]; Roberto De Fino Bentes [Sciere Tecnologia Educacional]; Zélia Ribas Varajão Teixeira Soares [Centro de Integração Empresa Escola – CIEE]

Supervisory Board

Ari Antonio Rocha [Consultor Autônomo]; Arlette Azevedo de Paula Guibert [Associação Brasileira de Educação a Distância – ABED]; Consuelo Teresa Fernandez [Associação Brasileira de Educação a Distância – ABED]; Ivete Palange [Associação Brasileira de Educação a Distância – ABED]; Luciano Gamez [Abril Educação]; Rosa Maria Simone [Centro de Integração Empresa Escola – CIEE]

Quality Board

Andre Gomes Genesini [Educamos Online]; Cassio Cabral Santos [UNEPI]; Demerval Guilarducci Bruzzi [Instituto de Educação Superior de Brasília - IESB]; Elaine Cristina Palhares Guarisi [Instituto Monitor]; Giancarlo Colombo [Associação Brasileira de Educação a Distância – ABED]; Gley Fabiano Cardoso Xavier [ Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Comercial – SENACSP]; Izilda Maria Nardocci [Escola Superior do Ministério Público de São Paulo - ESMP]; Jucimara Roesler [Universidade Veiga de Almeida – UVA]; Mara Yáskara Nogueira Paiva Cardoso [Universidade Metodista de Piracicaba – UNIMEP]; Ricardo Santos Lima [Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial-SENAI BA]