2026 Open Education Conference: Full Schedule

12:15pm EDT

Another Kind of Open: What a Community Pow Wow Can Teach Us About Openness

Tuesday October 27, 2026 12:15pm - 12:55pm EDT

Open education often emphasizes digital access and sharing, but I’ve been thinking more about the relationships that actually make openness possible. In this session, I reflect on a community Pow Wow hosted at Cambrian College as an example of “another kind of open.”

As someone working in reconciliation education, I’ve come to see the Pow Wow as more than an event. It’s a space where learning happens through connection, respect, and reciprocity, a space where social justice and intercultural exchange are lived and felt. I see Indigenous pride and allyship in action. Helpers each play a unique role in creating an inclusive space rooted in Anishinaabe culture.

The Pow Wow encourages me to question the idea that openness is primarily digital, and to think about how the ethos of open education lives in relationships and community practices. I’ll invite attendees to reflect on how these observations might influence their own work and understanding of openness beyond the screen.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Describe how a community Pow Wow can function as a site of relational learning and “another kind of open”.
Reflect on how relationships, roles, and responsibilities shape meaningful open practices.
Identify ways that openness can extend beyond digital spaces into community-based contexts.
Consider how reconciliation education, allyship, and Indigenous-led spaces can inform their understanding of open education.
Apply insights from this session to re-think their own approaches to openness in their teaching or work.

Speakers

Jessica O'Reilly

Professor, Cambrian College

From humble beginnings scooping ice cream at her grandparents' Supply Post, Jess now spends her time serving up scoops of decolonial truths (tastes awful, but it works)! In the Truth and Reconciliation course she facilitates, Jess endeavours to disrupt colonial narratives in a gentle... Read More →

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Presentation (40 min)

Concurrent sessions take place virtually on Zoom. At the time of the event, a button will appear in the session description you can click to join. All sessions are recorded and posted by the next day.

... Read More →

Tuesday October 27, 2026 12:15pm - 12:55pm EDT
V5

Concurrent Session (40 min)

Program Topic Between Us: Exploring how open values and practices can improve the educational experience for all learners.
Region Canada
Level Intermediate
Education Level Primary & Secondary (K-12) Education, Community & Technical Colleges, Higher Education, Informal Learning/Other, Trades and Vocational Training

1:00pm EDT

A Metatheoretical Investigation of Expanding Open Education to Union Education Environments

Tuesday October 27, 2026 1:00pm - 1:25pm EDT

While open educational practices (OEP) have shaped countless classrooms in higher education, K-12, and beyond, these ideas are largely unheard of in the world of organized labour. This session presents a metatheoretical model suggesting that the scholarly processes that proliferate OEP in formal academic settings are predominantly disconnected from organized labour, yet there are existing channels to bridge the connections. The model employs a systems thinking framework with two main subsystems. First, is the prospect for OEP in union education settings. For example, in Joint Health and Safety Committee certification training programs, there are numerous OEPs that have the potential to enhance engagement and inclusion. The second subsystem comprises open labour practices (OLP), which are practices with concepts similar to OEP such as renewable content. Renewable union reports will be discussed as a manifestation of OLP with a case study of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Understand the metatheoretical model explaining why OEP practitioners are primarily present in higher education settings and absent from union education settings.
Understand the ways that OEP can be applied to union education settings such as the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
Understand the way that open labour practices (OLP) can facilitate advocacy for wider adoption of OEP in union settings.
Understand the channels by which unions in higher education settings can catalyse exchange of such ideas to the broader movement of organized labour beyond academia.

Speakers

Ben Johnson

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Presentation (25 min)

Tuesday October 27, 2026 1:00pm - 1:25pm EDT
V5

Concurrent Session (25 min)

Program Topic Connecting the Dots: Expanding the reach of open education to wider audiences.
Region Canada
Level Intermediate
Education Level Informal Learning/Other

1:30pm EDT

Indicating Affordability and Openness: Course Marking at Post-Secondary Institutions in Canada

Tuesday October 27, 2026 1:30pm - 1:55pm EDT

Course marking refers to a practice in which institutions provide information to students during course registration about which courses use free, low cost, and/or open course materials. Course marking has become an important topic in higher education as institutions seek to improve the affordability of course materials for their students, as a means of supporting student success. I conducted a national survey examining course marking practices at post-secondary institutions in Canada. In this presentation, I will share the survey results, including an analysis of how frequent course marking is at universities and colleges in Canada. I will use responses from institutions already engaged in course marking to determine the units, processes, and systems involved. I will also describe trends at Canadian institutions that are not yet engaged in course marking, and whether this is a program that is being considered to foster transparency and affordability in course materials costs.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Identify motivations for marking courses that use free, low-cost, or open course materials.
Recognize trends in course marking at Canadian institutions.
Describe the units, processes, and systems involved in course marking at Canadian post-secondary institutions.

Speakers

Katie Harding

Teaching & Learning Librarian, OER & STEM, McMaster University

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Presentation (25 min)

Tuesday October 27, 2026 1:30pm - 1:55pm EDT
V2

Concurrent Session (25 min)

Program Topic Between Here and There: Examining how strategic open education work can get us from where we are to where we aspire to be.
Region Canada
Level Intermediate
Education Level Higher Education

3:00pm EDT

Connecting the Dots: Reframing OER as Tools for Knowledge Mobilization

Tuesday October 27, 2026 3:00pm - 3:25pm EDT

The space between open education (OE) and knowledge mobilization (KMb) is rich with possibilities. It has been overlooked despite shared values and complementary practices. Both OE and KMb seek to extend the use of knowledge and cultivate meaningful engagement beyond traditional scholarly audiences, particularly through co-creation. As we continue to look for ways to integrate OE in institutional practices and policies, KMb offers a meaningful opportunity to think about “educational” as a broader function that includes the dissemination and application of research findings.

While OER advocates may already be aware of overlaps between OE and KMb, this presentation is an invitation to combine the vocabulary of both fields to frame OER creation in ways that resonate with researchers, administrators, and leaders, positioning open educational practices as directly connected to institutional priorities such as research impact, community engagement, and innovation.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Identify the shared values and practices of open education and knowledge mobilization.
Explain how OER creation can be framed as a knowledge mobilization activity that aligns with institutional priorities.
Reflect on strategies to position OER production as a recognized, valued scholarly activity within research-intensive universities.

Speakers

Mélanie Brunet

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Presentation (25 min)

Tuesday October 27, 2026 3:00pm - 3:25pm EDT
V2

Concurrent Session (25 min)

Program Topic Connecting the Dots: Expanding the reach of open education to wider audiences.
Region Canada
Level Advanced
Education Level Higher Education

4:00pm EDT

Regional Breakout (Americas)

Tuesday October 27, 2026 4:00pm - 4:55pm EDT

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Social Sessions

Tuesday October 27, 2026 4:00pm - 4:55pm EDT
V1

Breakouts & Social

Region Latin America & the Caribbean, United States, Canada

5:00pm EDT

From Values to Practice: Folio Thinking for Open Education

Tuesday October 27, 2026 5:00pm - 5:25pm EDT

Educators new to open education are often already stretched. Approaching them with new practices to adopt risks positioning open education as one more demand rather than a useful strategy.

This session introduces a different approach to open education professional development: folio thinking, a reflective practice framework that centres personal meaning-making. Rather than beginning with skills, the Open Education Workbook (KPU) invites educators to connect open education principles to their own values and teaching context throughout. The result: open education becomes a practical strategy for acting on values educators already hold, rather than a new set of demands.

The workbook is available on PebblePad (with optional ATLAS facilitator support) and as an openly licensed Pressbooks resource for adaptation.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Describe how a values-first, folio thinking approach to open education development works — and how anchoring learning in the principles of accessible, effective, and equitable teaching can lower barriers for educators new to open education.
Determine whether and how a values-first approach to open education development might apply in their own institutional context.
Focus on topics that align with their own open education journey, applying open educational concepts directly to their teaching context.

Speakers

Amanda Grey

Open Education Strategist, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Amanda Grey, MLIS, is the Open Education Strategist at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) in British Columbia, Canada. Over the past several years, she has worked across the full spectrum of open education practice, supporting educators in textbook affordability, OER adoption and... Read More →

Nishan Perera

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Presentation (25 min)

Tuesday October 27, 2026 5:00pm - 5:25pm EDT
V4

Concurrent Session (25 min)

Program Topic Between Us: Exploring how open values and practices can improve the educational experience for all learners.
Region Canada
Level Intermediate
Education Level Higher Education, Community & Technical Colleges, Trades and Vocational Training

5:00pm EDT

Open as a Strategic Imperative for Sustaining Public Systems

Tuesday October 27, 2026 5:00pm - 5:25pm EDT

When public institutions work together and pool resources to address common curriculum and educational technology needs, there are many benefits. These collaborative projects can leverage collective expertise, generate efficiencies, and distribute workload and costs. This session looks at the findings from a two-year initiative in British Columbia, Canada, that investigated models and mechanisms for enabling this kind of institutional collaboration. We will explore key things that foster and sustain collaborative ventures as well as the structural barriers, and make a case for investing in open approaches on a system level, including open communities, technologies, content, and infrastructure.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Describe the benefits of institutions working together on shared curriculum and technology projects.
Define sustainment and describe considerations that play into sustaining collaborative projects, including open projects.
Explain the benefits of open from a system point of view.
Draw upon the lessons learned by existing collaborative initiatives.

Speakers

Josie Gray

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Presentation (25 min)

Tuesday October 27, 2026 5:00pm - 5:25pm EDT
V3

Concurrent Session (25 min)

Program Topic Between Here and There: Examining how strategic open education work can get us from where we are to where we aspire to be.
Region Canada
Level Advanced
Education Level Higher Education, Community & Technical Colleges

5:30pm EDT

Connecting OER Publishing Spaces: Aligning Collective, Local, and Institutional Priorities

Tuesday October 27, 2026 5:30pm - 5:55pm EDT

As post-secondary institutions increasingly emphasize impact and open scholarship/science initiatives, OER publishing programs can consider strategic alignment across collective, local, and institutional spaces. This presentation examines the evolution of an OER publishing program’s support resources developed to support a grassroots consortium of representatives with their own local institutional programs, while also coordinating shared provincial practices and workflows. With organizational changes and new opportunities for creators, we explore how OER workflows and resources have aligned with research and institutional priorities through an Open Education Alberta Institutional Representative Toolkit for launching or reframing OER publishing aligned with centralized workflows while enabling flexible local implementation. It offers practical insights for OER publishing services navigating evolving priorities, and connections to research and education for OER creators.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Consider, adopt, or adapt components of the Open Education Alberta Institutional Representative Toolkit to support or evolve their own local OER publishing services.
Understand the service model and shared workflows of Open Education Alberta’s Pressbooks-hosted OER publishing program, including how centralized infrastructure supports locally implemented services.
Reflect on navigating these interconnected spaces between and within education, research, and institutional priorities for OER publishing as service support staff and as creators.

Speakers

Sarah Adams

Open Education Librarian, University of Calgary

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Presentation (25 min)

Tuesday October 27, 2026 5:30pm - 5:55pm EDT
V4

Concurrent Session (25 min)

Program Topic Between Here and There: Examining how strategic open education work can get us from where we are to where we aspire to be.
Region Canada
Level Intermediate
Education Level Higher Education, Community & Technical Colleges

5:30pm EDT

Opterna AI Study Companion: Open Principles When Working With GenAI

Tuesday October 27, 2026 5:30pm - 5:55pm EDT

This session will provide an overview of the BCcampus Open GenAI project. This 3-year project is funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The goal of this project is to create an open GenAI study companion prototype (Opterna) and to build the capacity of post-secondary educators in B.C. with respect to open.

The creation of Opterna was guided by the design principles of collaboration, open pedagogy, inclusivity and equity, learner empowerment, and ethical criticality. It was informed by several open frameworks including the traditional 5R permissions of OER (Wiley, (2014), Sinkinson’s (2018) , Jhangiani’s (2019), Clarke-Gray’s (2025), and Hegarty’s (2015)) . Opterna utilizes Amazon Web Services (AWS) and uses the B.C. Open Collection corpus. It was designed for use by instructors and students in support of student learning.

This presentation will speak to the design considerations and introduce the draft framework for ethical AI, and an overview of Opterna.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Describe the goals for the BCcampus Open GenAI project.
Examine the functional Opterna prototype.
Identify opportunities and challenges of working with open GenAI in teaching and learning.
Describe ethical considerations for using open GenAI tools.
Explore how to use open GenAI with open educational resources.

Speakers

Harper Friedman

Coordinator, Open Textbook Publishing, BCcampus

At BCcampus, I am a Coordinator in Open Textbook Publishing. Through my work in Open Education, I have developed an interest in accessibility and love doing the behind-the-scenes work of creating accessible resources. As a newly disabled person myself, I am always interested in learning... Read More →

Robynne Devine

Elizabeth Childs

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Presentation (25 min)

Tuesday October 27, 2026 5:30pm - 5:55pm EDT
V2

Concurrent Session (25 min)

Program Topic Between the Lines: Examining the intersections and implications of emerging technologies in open education.
Region Canada
Level Intermediate
Education Level Higher Education, Community & Technical Colleges, Trades and Vocational Training

9:30am EDT

Collaboratively Developing Open Resources Across Cultural Boundaries

Wednesday October 28, 2026 9:30am - 9:55am EDT

This session will describe the development of an OER by collaborators in India and Canada. The original idea for this project arose out of a thought that, like common journalists, teachers and students are not capable of reporting, writing and analyzing the news information they want to share with the academic community.

The team engaged in a joint collaboration on an Open Education for a Better World (OE4BW) project in 2021-22. The OE4BW project involved the creation and delivery of a MOOC in Educational Journalism. This then led to a collaboration by the three participants in the development of an open resource through the Pressbooks platform.

One of the goals of the project was to create a more accessible and interactive resource for educationists/academicians in educational journalism.

An additional goal of this presentation is to describe the best practices for selection of cross-cultural teams, digital tools, interactive multimedia and strategies for maintaining openness.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Describe the challenges involved in cross-cultural open education collaborations.
Identify strategies for addressing challenges to maintaining downstream openness.
Explore processes for identifying appropriate digital tools for open content development.
Identify the skills needed to pursue cross-cultural open content creation projects.
Gain insights into how to create effective cross-cultural teams for open educational projects.

Speakers

Isaac Mulolani

Kavita Rani

Kiran Lata

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Presentation (25 min)

Wednesday October 28, 2026 9:30am - 9:55am EDT
V5

Concurrent Session (25 min)

Program Topic Beyond Borders: Exploring open education projects and perspectives from outside the US and Canada.
Region Canada, Asia, Global Focus
Level Intermediate
Education Level Higher Education, Community & Technical Colleges, Trades and Vocational Training, Informal Learning/Other

11:15am EDT

Federating Openness: The Global Open Graduate Network Pilot Hub Initiative

Wednesday October 28, 2026 11:15am - 11:55am EDT

Since 2013, the Global Open Graduate Network (GO-GN) has supported doctoral and postdoctoral research in open education and practices worldwide. In 2023, we conducted a 10 year anniversary strategic review (Farrow et al., 2024) with our membership and the wider GO-GN and open education communities. This review captured the network’s achievements to date and future aspirations, including exploration of a more federated approach for the network.

This presentation reports on the outcome of this work, which focused on a pilot programme to establish and evaluate four regional hubs (Asia-Pacific, Canada, Ibero-America and Kenya). We will report on the development of these regional hubs across six continents, relating insights from the evaluation and reflecting on how other open education networks might approach questions of scale, diversity and sustainability.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Critically evaluate the design and implementation of a federated network model (as exemplified by GO-GN pilot regional hubs) in relation to challenges of scale, diversity, and sustainability in open education.
Analyse the role of regionalisation and distributed leadership in building research capacity, particularly in relation to equity, autonomy, and responsiveness to Global South contexts.
Apply insights from the GO-GN hub pilots and evaluation to inform the development or adaptation of networked initiatives in open education or related fields.

Speakers

Beck Pitt

Robert Farrow

Carina Bossu

Saraswati Dawadi

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Presentation (40 min)

Wednesday October 28, 2026 11:15am - 11:55am EDT
V2

Concurrent Session (40 min)

Program Topic Beyond Borders: Exploring open education projects and perspectives from outside the US and Canada.
Region Global Focus, Canada, Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America & the Caribbean
Level Intermediate
Education Level Higher Education

1:15pm EDT

Demystifying the Space Between Submitting Your Paper and Getting It Published

Wednesday October 28, 2026 1:15pm - 1:55pm EDT

Have you ever wondered what happens to your paper after you submit it to a journal? This session demystifies the editorial process at the Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education (JOERHE) by tracing the journey from submission to publication. Grounded in our mission to expand OER research and grow scholarship through open access and transparent research practices, we walk attendees through each stage of our editorial workflow. Participants will explore our multilayered review process (desk, editorial, and open peer review) followed by the revision process and final production stages (layout and galley approval). The journal's commitment to open research principles and expanding research on OER shapes every stage of this process, ensuring scholarship remains accessible, reproducible, and community-driven. Whether you are a first-time submitter or a seasoned researcher, this session offers valuable insight into the path your manuscript travels on its way to publication.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Describe the step-by-step editorial process used by the Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education, from initial submission through final publication.
Explain how the journal's review and publication process aligns with its mission to expand research and grow scholarship in the field of open educational resources.
Identify key milestones or decision points in the manuscript journey that authors should understand when submitting to OER-focused academic journals.
Understand how to prepare a manuscript for submission to the JOERHE.

Speakers

Amanda Larson

AERI Program Manager, The Ohio State University

Chelsee Dickson

Assistant Director for Scholarly Publishing and Research, Kennesaw State University

Kristina Clement

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Presentation (40 min)

Wednesday October 28, 2026 1:15pm - 1:55pm EDT
V3

Concurrent Session (40 min)

Program Topic Blank Space: Open space for any other open education related topics.
Region United States, Canada
Level Beginner
Education Level Higher Education

1:15pm EDT

Sustaining Yourself as a Leader in These Times: Voices From the Rebus Luminary Fellowship

Wednesday October 28, 2026 1:15pm - 1:55pm EDT

Open education asks a lot of its people – to advocate, build, facilitate, and sustain – often without recognition, compensation, or a space to ask how they are actually doing. The result for many of these leaders is quiet exhaustion and a growing sense that they are carrying this work alone.

The Rebus Luminary Fellowship for Education Leaders brought together fifteen postsecondary leaders across Canada and the United States for a three-month program designed around one core belief: that the people doing this work deserve to be taken care of, too. In this panel, Luminary Fellows speak honestly about what it means to lead in these times – the burnout, the isolation, the moments of doubt – and what has helped them keep going.

This session offers both solidarity and strategy. Attendees will leave with concrete practices for sustaining themselves and their communities, as well as the reassurance that they are not alone in this work.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Identify shared experiences of burnout, isolation, and doubt that open education leaders commonly face.
Describe concrete strategies for sustaining themselves and their communities in times of uncertainty and change.
Reflect on their own leadership practice in light of insights shared by Luminary Fellows.
Apply at least one strategy or insight from Luminary Fellows to their own professional context.

Speakers

Kim Grewe

Instructional Designer, Northern Virginia Community College Online Learning

Kim Grewe, PhD is an instructional designer and OER lead at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA Online), where she advances open education, inclusive course design, and innovative online teaching. Her work focuses on helping faculty create asynchronous online learning experiences... Read More →

Megan Zara

The University of Texas at Arlington

I’m the Open Educational Resources Librarian at the University of Texas at Arlington, where I help faculty and students explore how openness can transform teaching, learning, and access. I’m passionate about building systems and cultures that center care, curiosity, and collaboration.You... Read More →

Christine Rickabaugh

Open Education Librarian, University of Arkansas Libraries

Christine Rickabaugh is a former early childhood educator who traded crayons and glitter for Pressbooks and Creative Commons licenses — and hasn't looked back. Now the Open Education Librarian at the University of Arkansas Libraries, she leads the university's OER program, chairs... Read More →

Amber Hoye

Apurva Ashok

Veronica Vold

Joan Giovannini

Greg Wilson

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Presentation (40 min)

Wednesday October 28, 2026 1:15pm - 1:55pm EDT
V2

Concurrent Session (40 min)

Program Topic Between Here and There: Examining how strategic open education work can get us from where we are to where we aspire to be.
Region United States, Canada
Level Intermediate
Education Level Community & Technical Colleges, Higher Education

3:15pm EDT

Bridging the Gap: The Workforce OER Playbook for Higher Education and Industry

Wednesday October 28, 2026 3:15pm - 3:55pm EDT

In the fall of 2025, Rebus and the Driving OER Sustainability for Student Success (DOERS) collaborative united to turn a shared conviction into action: open educational resources (OER) have the power to fundamentally transform workforce preparation. This session introduces the Workforce OER Playbook—a practical guide born from cross-sector dialogue. We’ll unpack the collaborative process behind its creation, highlighting both successes and challenges. Attendees will learn concrete examples of how the playbook supports educators and industry partners in building mutually beneficial partnerships. Learn how to map shared goals, co-create relevant OER, and sustain collaborations beyond short-term grant cycles. Whether you’re new to OER or leading workforce initiatives, this session offers actionable strategies to bridge classroom learning and labor market needs.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Describe key workforce skills gaps, including soft skills, digital literacy, and AI literacy, drawn from focus groups with educators and industry leaders.
Apply strategies from the Workforce OER Playbook to build cross-sector partnerships between higher education and industry.
Use open licensing and open pedagogy to develop sustainable, accessible curriculum that stays relevant beyond the classroom.
Leverage industry advisory boards, micro-credentials, and service learning to align academic programs with workforce needs.

Speakers

Amber Hoye

Kaitlin Schilling

Programs and Community Manager, Rebus Foundation

Kaitlin Schilling is the Programs and Community Manager at The Rebus Foundation, a role that aligns with her passion for open education and fondness for working with people. She is the author of Making Ripples: A Guidebook to Challenge Status Quo in OER Creation and one of the... Read More →

Jaimie Henthorn

Mindy Newfarmer

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Presentation (40 min)

Wednesday October 28, 2026 3:15pm - 3:55pm EDT
V3

Concurrent Session (40 min)

Program Topic Connecting the Dots: Expanding the reach of open education to wider audiences.
Region United States, Canada
Level Beginner
Education Level Higher Education, Trades and Vocational Training, Community & Technical Colleges

5:15pm EDT

OER That Don’t Look Like OER: Designing Learning That Meets Students Where They Are

Wednesday October 28, 2026 5:15pm - 5:55pm EDT

Students today engage with learning in spaces like short-form video, podcasts, interactive apps, and social media, yet many open educational resources still rely on traditional formats like textbooks and PDFs. This workshop challenges that assumption by exploring how OER can be reimagined in formats students already use and enjoy.

Participants will explore strategies for creating non-traditional OER, including social-media-style content, audio, interactive media, comics, and microlearning modules, while emphasizing practical ways to maintain openness, accessibility, and impact.

A hands-on activity invites participants to take a concept and reimagine it as a short video, microlearning chunk, podcast segment, or visual/comic resource, collaborate to share ideas, and reflect on engagement and accessibility. Designed for instructors, designers, librarians, and open education advocates, this session provides actionable ideas to create resources that truly meet learners where they are.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Identify non-traditional OER formats, such as social-media-style content, audio resources, interactive media, comics, and microlearning modules, and explain how these formats can increase learner engagement and accessibility.
Take a concept or learning objective and reimagine it in a format that aligns with learners’ habits and preferred platforms.
Evaluate how different formats support diverse learners, promote accessibility, and enhance meaningful engagement with content.
Outline practical steps for adapting or creating OER in non-traditional formats, including starting small, layering formats, and co-creating with learners.

Speakers

Pranjal Saloni

Open Education Lab Supervisor, Ontario Tech University

I manage the Open Education Lab at Ontario Tech University, where I oversee student-driven projects that advance open educational practices and the creation of open resources. With a Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering and Management, I bring an interdisciplinary perspective... Read More →

More Info

Presentation (40 min)

Wednesday October 28, 2026 5:15pm - 5:55pm EDT
V5

Concurrent Session (40 min)

Program Topic Connecting the Dots: Expanding the reach of open education to wider audiences.
Region Canada
Level Intermediate
Education Level Primary & Secondary (K-12) Education, Community & Technical Colleges, Higher Education, Informal Learning/Other

9:30am EDT

Beyond Borders: OER and Academic Performance Among LIS Undergraduates in Nigerian Universities

Thursday October 29, 2026 9:30am - 9:55am EDT

This study presents a Global South perspective on open education by examining how Open Educational Resources (OER) are perceived, accessed, and used by undergraduates in Nigerian federal universities, an underrepresented context in dominant discourse. The population comprised 3,574 200-, 300-, and 400-level Library and Information Science (LIS) students across accredited federal universities, using a descriptive correlational survey design. A stratified proportionate random sampling technique (60%) yielded 2,145 participants from 12 universities. Data were collected באמצעות a structured questionnaire (sections A–E) with strong reliability (α = 0.86). Descriptive statistics were used for analysis; Pearson correlation tested hypotheses 1–6, while multiple regression tested hypothesis 7. Findings challenge Global North–centric assumptions and highlight contextual factors such as ICT self-efficacy, infrastructure constraints, and awareness gaps shaping OER use.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:.
Explain the role of OER in promoting equitable access, cost reduction, and improved academic outcomes in higher education contexts beyond North America.
Analyze the relationships among ICT self-efficacy, student perceptions of OER, patterns of OER use, and academic performance using evidence from Nigerian federal universities.
Identify the most commonly used types of OER among Library and Information Science undergraduates and the academic purposes they serve.
Evaluate how contextual factors such as infrastructure limitations, awareness levels, and internet access shape OER adoption and effectiveness in low-resource environments.
Discuss the implications of student-centered evidence from Nigeria for advancing global, inclusive, and context-responsive open education strategies.
Understand policy development for sustaining OER initiatives beyond the Global North.

Speakers

Olawale IYINOLAKAN

More Info

Presentation (25 min)

Thursday October 29, 2026 9:30am - 9:55am EDT
V4

Concurrent Session (25 min)

Program Topic Beyond Borders: Exploring open education projects and perspectives from outside the US and Canada.
Region Canada
Level Intermediate
Education Level Higher Education

1:15pm EDT

From Inception to Practice: Developing Open and Inclusive Education Resources

Thursday October 29, 2026 1:15pm - 1:55pm EDT

This session will tell the story of how a series of accessible open education resources were developed and how the project helped inform ways educators practice inclusion and accessibility. In 2024-2025, the English Language Arts Network of Ontario (ELAN) developed a series of over 30 resources to support teachers in implementing the Grades 1 to 9 English Language Arts curriculum in Ontario, Canada. This story will be told by classroom teachers, curriculum leaders, resource developers, designers, and accessibility specialists. The session will trace the project from its inception to the use of the resources in the classroom. Presenters will share critical points in the process as well as the “spaces” in between that helped reshape and reposition previously held ideas about learning resources.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Describe the accessibility features built into a set of resources (Accessible authoring practices).
Understand how to make OERs more inclusive and accessible for both educators and learners.
Access to a website containing a library of downloadable ELAN Ontario OERs that support the provincial curriculum. OERs include lesson plans and monographs authored to be accessible for a diversity of educators and learners.
Gain insights into how decisions at each stage may impact accessibility and inclusion downstream.
Understand how teachers are using the resources to support student learning and professional learning.

Speakers

Brian Weishar

Lisa Liskovoi

Caren Watkins

More Info

Presentation (40 min)

Thursday October 29, 2026 1:15pm - 1:55pm EDT
V5

Concurrent Session (40 min)

Program Topic Between Us: Exploring how open values and practices can improve the educational experience for all learners.
Region Canada
Level Beginner
Education Level Primary & Secondary (K-12) Education

1:15pm EDT

Publish and Publicize: How to Help Your Open Textbook Find Its Audience

Thursday October 29, 2026 1:15pm - 1:55pm EDT

Many authors spend months or years laboring over their open textbooks and find themselves faced with a similar challenge: how to get their book in front of the audience it was written for.

In this session, we’ll help first-time and experienced authors and publishers understand simple but effective things that they can do to ensure their publications find the audiences they were designed for. We'll cover how to add and improve your book's metadata, and how to add publications to institutional repositories, search engines, indexes, and popular open directories. We’ll discuss how to generate metadata exports that can be ingested in library catalogues and other discovery platforms. Finally, we'll share practical advice about promoting your published books, including tips for reaching a wider audience through email, online communities, social media and more. No matter what publishing platform you use, you'll leave with actionable next steps for increasing your books' visibility and impact.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

(1) evaluate and improve the quality of their book's metadata to improve its discoverability.
(2) identify key indexes and directories for OER submission.
(3) apply a practical promotion strategy to help their publications reach wider audiences and more potential adopters.

Speakers

Cheryl Casey

Open Education Librarian, University of Arizona

Cheryl Casey has led OER initiatives at the University of Arizona since 2014. She’s active in the OER community as a trainer for the Open Education Network (OEN) and one of the instructors for the OEN's Certificate in Open Education Librarianship. She holds a a Master’s in Library... Read More →

Steel Wagstaff

Jenn Martin

Helen Moore

Fran Abbs

More Info

Presentation (40 min)

Thursday October 29, 2026 1:15pm - 1:55pm EDT
V2

Concurrent Session (40 min)

Program Topic Connecting the Dots: Expanding the reach of open education to wider audiences.
Region United States, Canada, Europe
Level Intermediate
Education Level Community & Technical Colleges, Higher Education, Trades and Vocational Training, Informal Learning/Other

2:00pm EDT

Launching Skills: Open Education’s Role in the Future of Work

Thursday October 29, 2026 2:00pm - 2:55pm EDT

As education shifts toward skills-based learning and credentials, a critical question emerges: what lies in the space between open education and workforce-aligned recognition? This panel explores that space where values of openness intersect with the growing demand for verifiable, skills-based credentials. Panelists from community colleges, universities, and international open education leadership will share perspectives on how open practices can support more transparent, equitable pathways to employment.

Through a high-level demonstration of a microcredential authoring platform and a real-world use case, the Open Financial Services Essentials project, attendees will see how open, skills-based content can be designed, validated, and recognized. Grounded in practice and policy, this session invites participants to consider how we can bridge the gaps between learning and work, and reimagine what is possible when openness meets skills.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Articulate the relationship between open education and skills-based credentials within evolving workforce ecosystems.
Describe how open practices can support more equitable and transparent pathways from learning to employment.
Connect policy, practice, and technology to advance open, skills-based credentialing initiatives.

Speakers

Kevin Corcoran

Assistant Vice Provost, University of Central Florida

Kevin Corcoran is the Assistant Vice Provost of the Center for Distributed Learning. Kevin has over 25 years of experience in the development and support of strategies for the effective use of digital learning tools and content that focuses on quality standards and practices, student... Read More →

Amanda Coolidge

VP, Strategic Engagement and Growth, Pressbooks

Amanda Coolidge is VP of Strategic Engagement and Growth at Pressbooks, where she leads marketing, sales, and customer success and serves as product manager for the company's microcredential platform. She is the founder of Coolidge Collaborative and former Executive Director of BCcampus... Read More →

Lisa Young

Tannis Morgan

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Panel (55 min)

Thursday October 29, 2026 2:00pm - 2:55pm EDT
V1

Concurrent Session (55 min)

Program Topic Between Here and There: Examining how strategic open education work can get us from where we are to where we aspire to be.
Region United States, Canada
Level Beginner
Education Level Community & Technical Colleges, Higher Education, Trades and Vocational Training, Informal Learning/Other

3:00pm EDT

An Open Competency Framework to Recognize the Skills and Knowledge of Open Education Professionals

Thursday October 29, 2026 3:00pm - 3:25pm EDT

People working in open education develop their knowledge and skills in open education in a range of ways. While some may take formal courses or training, often it is built through hands-on projects, the day-to-day work, and peer relationships. As such, BCcampus is working to develop a Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) framework for open education, a process to evaluate and provide formal recognition for the skills, knowledge, and experience gained through work, volunteer, and life experiences. This session discusses why BCcampus is pursuing a PLAR approach to recognition and badging, and shares the openly licensed competency and assessment frameworks being developed.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Explain the purpose of PLAR and its value for open education practitioners;.
Describe competencies that enable open education work in a post-secondary context;.
Identify flexible methods and options for demonstrating competencies; and.
Understand the assessment framework for evaluating mastery of competencies.

Speakers

Josie Gray

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Presentation (25 min)

Thursday October 29, 2026 3:00pm - 3:25pm EDT
V1

Concurrent Session (25 min)

Program Topic Between Us: Exploring how open values and practices can improve the educational experience for all learners.
Region Canada
Level Intermediate
Education Level Community & Technical Colleges, Higher Education

3:00pm EDT

From AI Disclosure to Human Declaration: Centring Human Authorship in OER Creation

Thursday October 29, 2026 3:00pm - 3:25pm EDT

As AI tools become increasingly common in OER creation, the question is no longer whether authors use them — it's how to disclose that use honestly and transparently.

The KPU AI Declaration Framework for OER Creation takes a human-centred approach, asking not "what did AI do?" but "what was the relationship between the author and AI?" The framework adapts Kari D. Weaver's AID Framework for OER contexts, identifying ten categories of activity relevant to publishing projects. It incorporates the Me & My Machine labels — adapted for a North American context — to capture the spectrum from fully independent human creation to AI-generated content, making human effort and creative direction visible even where AI plays a significant role.

A self-assessment rubric, interactive rubric tool, and Pressbooks front matter template support authors in building their own declaration statement. While developed for OER, the framework applies to any resource creation project.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Describe the KPU AI Declaration Framework for OER Creation — including its categories, label system, and self-assessment rubric —and identify how it differs from existing approaches to AI disclosure.
Determine whether and how a human-centred approach to AI disclosure might be implemented in their own institutional or publishing context.

Speakers

Amanda Grey

Open Education Strategist, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Karen Meijer

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Presentation (25 min)

Thursday October 29, 2026 3:00pm - 3:25pm EDT
V2

Concurrent Session (25 min)

Program Topic Between the Lines: Examining the intersections and implications of emerging technologies in open education.
Region Canada
Level Intermediate
Education Level Community & Technical Colleges, Higher Education

4:00pm EDT

Expanding Education: Narrative Role-Playing Games and Open Education Resources

Thursday October 29, 2026 4:00pm - 4:10pm EDT

View Anytime

Despite growing interest in game‑based learning and the rising cultural popularity of role‑playing games (RPGs), most narrative RPG materials remain commercially produced and sold, making them difficult to license and adapt for educational use. As a result, educators and education researchers interested in narrative roleplay often rely on purchased systems, create their own materials from scratch, or attempt to adapt the limited number of existing RPG‑focused OERs, many of which may not suit their specific teaching contexts or learner needs. This lightning talk briefly highlights the unique capacity of narrative roleplay to foster intrinsic motivation, agency, and engagement across age groups. The session then explores existing RPG OERs and research‑informed entry points that educators can use to navigate this emerging area of open, narrative‑driven pedagogy, and, if inspired, contribute to the development of new, openly shared narrative RPG tools.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Define key components of game-based learning, including distinctions between gamification, game-based learning, and gameful learning, and describe how these approaches differ in goals and implementation.
Articulate the pedagogical promise of narrative role-playing games, particularly their capacity to support learner motivation, agency, collective meaning-making, and engagement with complex ideas through storytelling and play.
Identify existing open educational resources related to narrative RPGs, as well as gaps in current literature and resource availability, in order to imagine how their own teaching, research, or open education work might contribute to this emerging area.

Speakers

Alexandria Poppendorf

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Lightning Talks (View Anytime)

Lightning talks are short, pre-recorded videos that can be viewed anytime during the conference. Most lightning talks are released a week early and will remain available after the conference. Don't miss this incredible collection of quick takes!

Thursday October 29, 2026 4:00pm - 4:10pm EDT
View Anytime

Lightning Talk

Program Topic Between Us: Exploring how open values and practices can improve the educational experience for all learners.
Region Canada
Level Beginner
Education Level Informal Learning/Other, Primary & Secondary (K-12) Education, Community & Technical Colleges, Higher Education, Trades and Vocational Training

4:00pm EDT

How Students Perceive Open Education: A Pre- and Post-Course Analysis

Thursday October 29, 2026 4:00pm - 4:10pm EDT

View Anytime

How do students perceive Open Education before and after completing a course dedicated to open education? This session presents findings from a mixed-methods study involving undergraduate students enrolled in an open education-focused course at a Canadian university. Using pre- and post-course surveys, student reflection assignments, and follow-up interviews, the study examines changes in student attitudes, awareness, and willingness to engage with Open Educational Practices (OEP). The session highlights key patterns in student experiences and evolving perspectives on open education. Attendees will gain practical strategies to support student engagement and consider how open practices can enhance the student learning experience.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Describe how student perceptions of open education can shift through participation in a course dedicated to open education.
Identify key factors that shape student engagement with Open Educational Practices (OEP).
Recognize how surveys, reflection assignments, and interviews can be used to examine changes in student attitudes and experiences.
Apply practical strategies to support student engagement in open educational practices and open sharing.
Reflect on how student perspectives can inform open course design and teaching practice.

Speakers

Brandon Carson

Sessional Instructor and Research Associate, Ontario Tech University

Brandon Carson is an open education scholar-practitioner whose work sits at the intersection of teaching and learning, educational technology, and higher education change. With more than 17 years of experience in the post-secondary sector, Brandon has supported initiatives related... Read More →

More Info

Lightning Talks (View Anytime)

Thursday October 29, 2026 4:00pm - 4:10pm EDT
View Anytime

Lightning Talk

Program Topic Between Us: Exploring how open values and practices can improve the educational experience for all learners.
Region Canada
Level Intermediate
Education Level Higher Education

4:00pm EDT

Individuals & Institutions: The Structure of Change and the Open Education Network

Thursday October 29, 2026 4:00pm - 4:10pm EDT

View Anytime

In this presentation, Robin DeRosa, Executive Director of the Open Education Network, will explore the theory of change that undergirds the OEN. In a community that focuses its activities on the grassroots work of educators (including faculty, librarians, instructional designers, technologists, and other support staff), the OEN’s membership structure centers around institutions and consortia. What is the relationship between individuals who engage with open practices and the systems that contain, support, and sometimes thwart them? How can organizations that leverage open education to make change respond to the needs of learners and teachers while building support from the surrounding educational systems that don’t always center those needs? Hear about the rationales, hopes, and tensions that animate the OEN’s model, and the current ways we are envisioning our role in advancing open education and building a more equitable future for higher education.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Reflect on the tensions and synergies between individual practice and systemic support in the open education movement.
Articulate reasons why both grassroots practice and institutional commitment are key sustainable and impactful open education progress.
Understand the approach of the Open Education Network, and how it leverages institutional commitment to make structural change in higher education.

Speakers

Robin DeRosa

Executive Director, Open Education Network

Dr. Robin DeRosa is an educator and community leader who has served in many roles over the span of her career. She has been a middle school theater teacher, a high school literature and writing teacher, and a college professor of both English and Interdisciplinary Studies. She has... Read More →

More Info

Lightning Talks (View Anytime)

Thursday October 29, 2026 4:00pm - 4:10pm EDT
View Anytime

Lightning Talk

Program Topic Between Here and There: Examining how strategic open education work can get us from where we are to where we aspire to be.
Region United States, Canada, Europe, Oceania
Level Intermediate
Education Level Community & Technical Colleges, Higher Education, Trades and Vocational Training

4:00pm EDT

Teachers as Changemakers: Adopting OER for Environmental and Sustainability Education

Thursday October 29, 2026 4:00pm - 4:10pm EDT

View Anytime

This session explores the availability of Open Educational Resources (OER) for environmental and sustainability education in Grades 5 to 7. As global environmental challenges escalate, OER provide accessible, adaptable materials that align with curriculum standards and UNESCO's Sustainable Development Goals.

Highlights:

* Comprehensive analysis: the study identifies existing resources, gaps, and opportunities for integration.

* Scalable methodology: it introduces a systematic process for analyzing educational materials, including the use of AI, that can be applied to other subjects and curriculum standards.

* Immediate impact: attendees will receive a curated list of OER ready for immediate classroom use.

This research servers educators, policymakers, and environmental organizations by promoting OER adoption in K-12. By bridging the gap between available resources and curriculum needs, this study offers a sustainable educational solution for an ever-changing world.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

Describe why OER is a solution to delivering environmental and sustainability education in K-12.
Identify the pivotal age for introducing environmental literacy and social action.
Identify where to find openly available environmental and climate education resources that meet specific educational standards.

Speakers

Emily Grady

Master's student, Athabasca University

Emily Grady is in her final year of Athabasca University's Master of Education in Open, Digital and Distance Education, specializing in instructional design. As an avid outdoorsperson, a parent, and an environmental advocate, her personal, academic and professional interests center... Read More →

More Info

Lightning Talks (View Anytime)

Thursday October 29, 2026 4:00pm - 4:10pm EDT
View Anytime

Lightning Talk

Program Topic Between Here and There: Examining how strategic open education work can get us from where we are to where we aspire to be.
Region Canada
Level Beginner
Education Level Primary & Secondary (K-12) Education

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