IEEE DEMOcon 2026 Conference and Summer School concludes in Timișoara
Timișoara, 2026 June
Politehnica University Timișoara, through the Digital and Distance Education Department, hosted for the first time, between 24–26 June 2026, the IEEE DEMOcon 2026 Digital Education and MOOCs International Conference — organised by IEEE Education Society and merged this year with eMOOCs, the European MOOCs Stakeholders Summit. The conference brought together over 90 researchers, educators, and experts from 23 countries at the UPT Conference Centre in Timișoara.
The opening plenary session was chaired by Prof. Em. Dr. Eng. Radu Vasiu — General Chair of the conference — with addresses by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eng. Florin Drăgan (Rector, UPT), Prof. Dr. Arnold Pears (President, IEEE Education Society), Dr. Eng. Diana Andone (Vice-President, IEEE Education Society and Director of the Digital and Distance Education Department, UPT), and Prof. Dr. Carlos Delgado Kloos (Steering Committee Co-Chair, IEEE DEMOcon). They were joined by over 45 IEEE Education society members to discuss the latest trends on the theme "Experiences and Developments in Digital Education Ecosystems: Harnessing MOOCs, AI, and Microcredentials."
The international gathering highlighted a strong collaborative spirit, seeing active engagement from prominent leadership figures and members of the IEEE Education Society. Key contributions were made throughout the event by Prof. Dr. Arnold Pears (President, IEEE Education Society), Prof. Dr. Carlos Delgado Kloos (Co-Chair Steering Committee, Technical Program), and Dr. Eng. Diana Andone (VP Conferences IEEE Education Society and Technical Program Chair), alongside numerous other dedicated members of the IEEE Education Society. During the opening session, the IEEE DEMOcon Meritous Service Award was presented to Prof. James Sluss and Prof. Dr. Thomas Staubitz, and the IEEE Education Society Student Travel Award to Rohini Trimurthy (India).
The DEMOcon Summer School 2026 was held at the Digital and Distance Education Department (DEL) of UPT and welcomed over 10 PhD candidates, Master students, and researchers for three days of intensive sessions during 22-24 June in Timisoara. The programme featured lectures by international experts, all members of the IEEE Education Society: Prof. Em. Dr. Eng. Radu Vasiu (UPT) on Open Science and Open Access; Dr. Eng. Diana Andone (UPT) on integrating Generative AI in research; Prof. Dr. Eng. Carmen Holotescu (Ioan Slavici University Timișoara) on verifiable credentials and blockchain in education; Senior Lecturer Mark Frydenberg (Bentley University) on AI-driven tutoring; Prof. Dr. Arnold Pears (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) on engineering education research; Prof. Dr. Thomas Staubitz (German University of Digital Science) on project-based learning and teamwork in the age of AI; Prof. Dr. Carlos Delgado Kloos (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid) on education in an AI-shaped landscape; and Ella Hamonic (UNESCO-IIEP) on AI-driven role-play and simulations in adult learning.
Future IEEE Education Society Events
Building on the immense success of this year's edition, the global community is already preparing for the next major milestones in engineering and digital education.
The upcoming IEEE EDUCON 2027 will take place from 6–9 April 2027 and will be officially hosted and organised by Politehnica University of Timișoara, Romania. Researchers and academics wishing to submit their work should note that the deadline for the call for abstract papers is 30 September 2026.
Later in the year, the community will gather for IEEE DEMOcon 2027, which is scheduled to take place in June 2027 in Montevideo, Uruguay. The event will be by Universidad Tecnológica (UTEC), with the specific dates to be officially announced soon.
Looking forward, the location for IEEE DEMOcon 2028 has also been established. The conference will return to Europe in June 2028 and will be held in Valencia, Spain, organised by Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Spain. The specific dates will also be announced soon.
For latest information, schedule announcements, and detailed guidelines regarding both upcoming DEMOcon editions, we encouraged you to regularly visit the official conference website and follow IEEE DEMOcon and IEEE Education Society on LinkedIn.