Permit me as the President of the Spanish Association of Distance Learning Schools (ANCED), founded in 1977 and therefore, celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this year, present our Association to you.

ANCED was founded in 1977 by several schools. Its first Board of Directors was by Mr. Jose Azcárate (CCC), Mr. Juan Martí (CEAC), Mr. Diego of Herrera (CTE) and Miss Rosa Mª. Marshal (CEVE). It was their intention to create a common space where, Centres dedicated to distance learning, and although in competition with each other, could be helped and united with each other working together on projects in both a private and a public level nationally and internationally.

I was preceded in this position by the initial board member Mr. Jose Azcárate, Mr. Juan Martí, Mr. Diego de Herrera and Mr. Jose Mª. Bosch. I want to highlight their contributions in creating what is today our association and what it represents in Span.

Today there are more than the 300 members of ANCED and their delegations, and we offer more than 4.600 different courses to hundreds and thousands of students worldwide.

Over the last 30 years, ANCED has developed itself at the same time as the education sector, at the beginning “Education by Post”, today has become what we can call the “Third Generation” of Distance Learning: e-learning.

In the last few yeas we have been living a continuous “revolution” from a didactical point of view and the progressive integration of audio-visual media in our didactic methodology as well as in the learning and teaching process.

The Internet and Information/Communication Technologies (ICT) have already become the real players of our educational activity representing a methodological change which has allowed us to improve the learning processes. At present, the entire world is opting for this kind of methodology because of its versatility.

In this book you will be able to find a faithful image of Distance Learning's present state and the degrees of integration of ICT in the learning-teaching processes.

It shows new tendencies associated with higher education and unofficial training respectively, displaying experiences related to education and technology with a big representation of national and international universities and our Associate Centres. To all them, I want to share my gratitude.

I want to especially thank Mrs. Ana Landeta for her effort and the effort that she has given to this book; I can assure you that her general coordination has been amazing.

I want to take advantage of this occasion to thank those who accompany me on the Board Management at present; Manuel Pereira (ADAMS), Pedro de Castro (INSTITUTO AMERICANO), Nuria Prat (CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS PRAT), Juan Fernando Robles (INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE PRACTICAS BANCARIAS), Arturo de las Heras (CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS FINANCIEROS) and, by all means, to Miss Lucia Acuña, our General Secretary, her dedication and her disinterested contribution to the aims of the Association.

ANCED and all its members, the future has already begun,
Mr. Jorge Azcarate,
President of ANCED.