16/06/2026
🏆 EDEN Best Research Paper Award 2026 announced!
At the 2026 Annual EDEN Conference in Porto, Portugal (14–16 June 2026), the EDEN Digital Learning Europe Best Research Paper Award was presented, recognising outstanding research contributions in open, distance and digital learning.
👏 Congratulations to the winners:
“Before the First Prompt: Understanding Students’ Pre-Use Perceptions of an AI Digital Assistant in Higher Education”
by Chris Edwards, Denise Whitelock, Felipe Tessarolo, Duygu Bektik, Emily Coughlan, Christothea Herodotou & Thomas Ullmann
Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University, UK
The Jury highlighted the paper’s timely contribution to understanding students’ perceptions of AI assistants in Higher Education, its robust mixed-methods approach, and its relevance to the EDEN 2026 theme “Beyond Technology: Human-AI Collaboration for Learning and Teaching.”
🙏 Our thanks to the EDEN BRPA Jury:
• Teresa Romeu — Associate Professor of Digital Education, UOC, Spain (Chair)
• Amélia Veiga — Associate Professor, University of Porto, Portugal
• Ilona Buchem — Professor for Media and Communication, Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin, Germany
Congratulations to all finalists for their excellent research contributions and commitment to advancing digital education! 🎓✨
Read more: https://eden-europe.eu/eden-best-research-paper-award-granted-at-the-2026-annual-eden-conference-porto-portugal-14-16-june-2026/