2026 Open Education Conference

This short presentation examines the instructional decisions involved in the creation of an OER for Spanish for Business Professionals at the University of Kentucky. Authenticity serves as a core principle in these decisions, as it lies at the intersection of OER practice, instructional design, and second language acquisition. Using this Business Spanish resource as a case study, the presentation will discuss its planning, development, and classroom implementation, showing how these choices are informed by instructional design and learning theories. It will also explore how authentic materials, meaningful tasks, and real-world professional contexts are integrated into the resource to support relevant and transferable learning, and it will reflect on possible next steps for further improvement.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Explain how OER, instructional design, and second language acquisition inform one another.
• Evaluate the role of authenticity in the design of second language learning materials.
• Analyze how learner needs and instructional context influence OER development.
• Apply practical principles for planning and developing OER in higher education.
• Identify transferable strategies for revising and improving openly licensed teaching materials.

As AI tools become foundational to education practices, we must examine how they interact with information, specifically distinguishing between misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation. This session explores the role of open education fundamentals in fostering cognitive sovereignty within the "infocracy," a regime where automated data and algorithmic narratives define the information landscape and where we propose cognitive resilience. We present the proposal of a matrix of ethical AI literacy that utilizes open principles (transparency, collaboration, and reuse) as a compass for navigating this landscape. This proposed framework aims to enable learners to move from passive information consumption to actively engaging in contemplative-reflexive narratives, ensuring that "open" serves as a framework for epistemic justice and ontological openness by introducing intentionality in human-in-the-loop supervision.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Distinguish between misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation within an AI-mediated informal learning context;.
• Identify how "cognitive offloading" (the outsourcing of thinking to AI) impacts learner agency and the ability to construct personal narratives;.
• Apply open education principles (specifically transparency of provenance and collaborative review) as ethical defenses against algorithmic bias, data opacity, and the lack of interpretability in automated systems;.
• Evaluate the role of "human-in-the-loop" intentionality as a mechanism for maintaining narrative agency and resisting algorithmic narratives in the infocracy.

This session explores innovative approaches to medical education through the integration of art-based methodologies, open educational resources (OER), and virtual learning communities. Grounded in the critical pedagogy of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal, it challenges traditional technicist models by promoting dialogical, participatory, and human-centred practices. The presentation highlights how the Theatre of the Oppressed can foster empathy, active listening, and nonviolent communication among future health professionals. Additionally, it examines the role of collaborative digital environments and OER in expanding access to knowledge and enabling co-creation. Participants will engage with the concept of virtual communities as spaces for experimentation, shared learning, and the development of more inclusive and ethical healthcare practices.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Explain Theatre of the Oppressed can be applied in medical education.
• Identify strategies to foster empathy, active listening, and nonviolent communication in healthcare training.
• Analyze the role of Open Educational Resources (OER) in promoting inclusive and collaborative learning environments.
• Critically reflect on the limitations of traditional technicist models in health education and propose human-centred alternatives.