OEGlobal 2026: Full Schedule

All sessions are available online except round tables, special activities, and workshops.

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11:05am EDT

Identify, Connect, and Refresh: A Practical Framework for Multi-Institutional Collaboration to Democratize Educational Resources

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:05am - 11:35am EDT

5 DR3

ID: 32112

This abstract documents the author and his team’s application of a three-step framework to facilitate collaboration among the six technical institutes of higher education in Singapore. These national institutes are namely Singapore Polytechnic (SP, the author’s affiliation), Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, and Institute of Technical Education. The collaboration enabled the democratization of shared educational resources on their jointly-developed one-stop online portal known as POLITEMall, by applying the practical framework of identify, connect, and refresh. The first step of the framework is to strategically identify which institute is to be in charge of creating and maintaining which subject modules (also known as courses in the United States) on POLITEMall. For instance, SP is renowned for engineering among the six institutes and is hence responsible for the online modules related to built environment, engineering, and maritime. This strategy maximizes the academic quality and rigor of the online modules on POLITEMall, as the most qualified lecturers will be responsible for the modules in their relevant fields. The massive workload to create and maintain all the 297 diverse online modules is also equitably shared among the respective institutes in charge. Subsequently, the second step of the framework is to intentionally connect learners to the online modules that are directly relevant to them. For instance, students in the mechanical engineering diploma courses (also known as programs in the United States) will be pre-enrolled in online modules such as Mechanics and Thermofluids (the author’s module in SP). This strategy ensures learners are intentionally aligned to their educational needs and interests, hence also enhancing knowledge retention of the online modules. Nonetheless, all of the approximately 120,000 full-time and part-time students and staff across the six institutes can virtually self-enroll for free to access any of the 297 diverse online modules on POLITEMall. Lastly, the third step of the framework is to periodically refresh the online modules for sustained quality, relevance, and currency of the shared educational resources on POLITEMall. For instance, at the end of every semester after student feedback surveys, lecturers will bridge any content gaps within their online modules during the breaks. Moreover, subject-matter expert lecturers from the six institutes have mutually agreed to convene every two to three years to review the POLITEMall online modules, ensuring their content remains relevant and current. Today’s world is increasingly fragmented and more nations are working in silos. The future of our global and local educational landscapes should instead be based on open knowledge, communication, and collaboration. By applying this practical three-step framework of identify, connect, and refresh, institutes can move beyond initial silos and toward a more sustainable future of shared educational resources and democratized knowledge on a national level.

Speakers

Ying-Wei Leong

Senior Lecturer (Distinguished Educator) and Teaching & Learning Mentor, Singapore Polytechnic

Mr. Ying-Wei Leong is currently a Senior Lecturer (Distinguished Educator) and Teaching & Learning Mentor in the School of Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering, Singapore Polytechnic. He teaches engineering core modules and also supervises final year projects, including an industry... Read More →

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:05am - 11:35am EDT
5 DR3 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA

Presentation

Speaker Modality Online
Track Innovating Open Content to Democratize Knowledge

11:05am EDT

Innovating Practices Around Open Education Through BarCamps and Unconferences. Learnings from 14 Years of OERcamps

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:05am - 11:35am EDT

8 DR6

ID: 33851

Open education is widely understood in terms of access and sharing: making resources available, reusable, and visible across contexts.These practices have been central to the development of the field and remain essential for broadening participation in education. At the same time, less explicit attention is often given to how knowledge is collaboratively constructed in participatory settings and to the intentional design of such processes.This presentation explores collaborative knowledge construction as a complementary dimension of openness, using OERcamps as long-standing, practice-based examples.For 14 years now, OERcamps have brought together educators, practitioners, and community members in formats that intentionally balance minimal (but strong) structure with high levels of participant agency.Instead of relying on predefined agendas, participants collectively identify topics, propose sessions, and iteratively shape discussions throughout each event.Across multiple iterations, recurring patterns can be observed: participants move fluidly between roles as learners, contributors, and facilitators; knowledge is not simply shared, but continuously refined through dialogue; and responsibility for outcomes is distributed across the community.These dynamics create environments in which knowledge is treated as evolving and situated, rather than fixed and final, and in which learning emerges through interaction rather than transmission.By examining these patterns, the presentation situates OERcamps within broader conversations about participation, collaboration, and community-building in open education.It argues that participatory formats can extend existing open practices by complementing access and sharing with processes that enable ongoing knowledge construction and collective sense-making.In this way, OERcamps can be understood as examples of how open education can move beyond resource-centered approaches without replacing them, and how communities can take an active role in shaping knowledge practices.Rather than positioning this approach as an alternative to established practices, the session offers a differentiated perspective: openness can be understood as a spectrum that includes access, sharing, and participatory knowledge practices.Recognizing this spectrum allows for more intentional design of open education initiatives that respond to diverse goals, contexts, and institutional settings.Participants will be introduced to concrete design principles derived from the OERcamp experience, including strategies for enabling participant-driven agendas, supporting fluid role transitions, and fostering shared ownership of learning processes.The session will also address practical considerations for adapting such approaches to different institutional and cultural environments, including constraints related to time, resources, facilitation, and organizational structures.By connecting long-term practice with broader conceptual reflection, this presentation contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how open education can evolve—both by expanding access to resources and by creating spaces where knowledge is collaboratively constructed and continuously developed.

Speakers

Jöran Muuß-Merholz

Founder of Agentur J&K, Team OERcamp at Agentur J&K

Jöran Muuß-Merholz, expert on open and progressive learning and working.In 2009 Jöran started his agency “J&K - Jöran und Konsorten” (“Jöran and fellows”) to strengthen the connections between the educational and the digital world. Jöran is consulting educational organizations... Read More →

Nicole Hagen

Co Editorial Director, Team OERcamp at Agentur J&K

Dr. Nicole Hagen is a member of the OERcamp team for the J&K agency in Hamburg, Germany. Her key responsibilities include researching content, preparing editorials and publishing on subjects related to openness and education. In addition to her primary interests, Nicole has a keen... Read More →

Frank Homp

Co Editorial Director, Team OERcamp at Agentur J&K

Frank is a second-generation NOERd — he joined the game when it was already in full swing. On the one hand, he regrets that a bit, since he’s only now getting to know so many great people and past projects. On the other hand, he feels that this sometimes allows him to look at... Read More →

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:05am - 11:35am EDT
8 DR6 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA

Presentation

Speaker Modality Online
Track Catalyzing Human Connection Creativity and Curiosity to Thrive

11:05am EDT

TESSFEG: An Open Source Gamified Simulations System for Democratizing Technical Knowledge for Global Learners

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:05am - 11:35am EDT

6 DR4

ID: 32456

The rapid advancement of frontier technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing indirectly threatens to widen the global knowledge gap. While these fields define the future of industry, high quality engineering education even in open access remains largely gatekept by high-bandwidth requirements or complex proprietary software. This session introduces TESSFEG - an open source, mission-driven digital platform designed to reinvent how young learners engage with the emerging technological fields. By transforming abstract STEM concepts into tactile, interactive and engaging engineering challenges, TESSFEG serves as a functional prototype for fulfilling crucial goals such as the UNESCO Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education). TESSFEG utilises a rigorous yet user friendly 2D simulation environment bult to ensure high-performance learning that remains accessible even on low bandwidth network and low spec-hardware. The platform replaces shallow metaphors with real mathematical and physical laws, such as Ohm's law and strict Boolean logic. Learners engage in an authentic engineering design loop : moving from passive learning to active investigation and iterative testing under realistic simulated environments.Moreover, TESSFEG demonstrates a strong connection to real-world engineering challenges as the mission modules will directly mirro contemporary global research initiatives such as processing telemetry data from deep space probes or designing systems for ecological conservation and sustainable development. This approach shifts motivation from simple progression to understanding how technology impacts the world. To ensure global inclusivity, TESSFEG employs universal design principles and adaptive learning interactions. The interface minimizes text in favor of standard scientific symbols and interactive tutorials, facilitating participation across linguistic barriers. Designed as a lightweight 2D browser tool, it is optimized for environments with fluctuating internet connections, making it a scalable resource for remote connectivity. As an open source tool, TESSFEG is a collaborative invitation to the open education community. Finally, TESSFEG demonstrates that while at present, we cannot solve global educational inequality effortlessly, we can invent tools that make the vision of open knowledge a reality.

Speakers

Pariton Langpoklakpam

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)

Pariton Langpoklakpam is a citizen scientist and educator currently pursuing M.Sc Physics at IGNOU. With a foundational degree in Physics Honours from Manipur University, his work focuses on the intersection of frontier technology and open education. Pariton is the lead architect... Read More →

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:05am - 11:35am EDT
6 DR4 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA

Presentation

Speaker Modality Online
Track Innovating Open Content to Democratize Knowledge

12:25pm EDT

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

Thursday October 8, 2026 12:25pm - 12:55pm EDT

5 DR3

ID: 32892

As AI tools become increasingly common in the creation of Open Educational Resources, the open education community faces a pressing question: how do we talk honestly about AI use in a way that is transparent, nuanced, and fair to the humans doing the work?Rather than debating whether AI should be used in OER creation, this session starts from a different premise: that authors are already using these tools, and that the more productive question is how to support transparent, human-centred disclosure of that use. Most approaches to AI disclosure focus narrowly on what the AI produced — treating it as a binary of used or not used. The KPU AI Declaration Framework for OER Creation takes a different approach, asking not "what did AI do?" but "what was the relationship between the author and AI?" — recognising that human involvement, judgment, and creative direction are essential to the process.The framework is an adaptation of the Artificial Intelligence Disclosure (AID) Framework developed by Kari D. Weaver at the University of Waterloo, reworked for the specific context of OER creation. Where the original framework was oriented toward research processes, the KPU adaptation identifies ten categories of activity relevant to OER development — from conceptualisation and instructional design to media creation and accessibility features — giving authors a structured way to describe their AI use throughout a publishing project. To capture the nuance of the human-AI relationship at each stage, the framework incorporates the Me & My Machine (MMM) labels developed by Fontys University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands — with adaptations to better suit a Canadian and North American context. The five labels (Craftsperson, Handyperson, Cyborg, Curator, and Generator) describe a spectrum from fully independent human creation to AI-generated content, without judgment. Even where AI generates most of the content, human effort is present in the crafting of prompts, the shaping of outputs, and the decisions made throughout — and the incorporation of the label system into the AI declaration framework makes that contribution visible. To support authors in applying the framework, the presenters developed a self-assessment rubric that guides them in selecting the appropriate label for each category — moving beyond definitions to practical descriptions of what each level of human-AI collaboration looks like. An interactive version of the rubric is also available to guide authors through the process of building their own declaration statement. A Pressbooks front matter template brings everything together into a format authors can import directly into their OER projects. The framework has been well received at KPU, with authors appreciating the structure and guidance it provides. Interest has extended beyond OER creation to staff evaluating their AI use across a range of resource types. While developed in an OER context, the framework is applicable to any resource creation project — a deliberate design choice that reflects that the questions it addresses are not unique to open education. This session walks participants through the categories, labels, rubric, and template, and discusses how human-centred AI disclosure might be implemented in other contexts.

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 →

Karen Meijer

Scholarly Communications & Copyright Librarian, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Karen Meijer, MLIS, MA, is the Scholarly Communications and Copyright Librarian at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) in British Columbia, Canada. She has worked in publishing since 2003 and has been active in the field of Open Education in its many forms since 2015. Throughout... Read More →

Thursday October 8, 2026 12:25pm - 12:55pm EDT
5 DR3 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA

Presentation

Speaker Modality Online
Track Exploring Emergent Technologies and the Future of Openness

12:25pm EDT

Teachers as Changemakers: Adopting OER for Environmental and Sustainability Education in Middle School

Thursday October 8, 2026 12:25pm - 12:55pm EDT

8 DR6

ID: 32351

This session presents findings from recent research focused on the availability and efficacy of Open Educational Resources (OER) for environmental and sustainability education, specifically tailored for learners in Grades 5 through 7. In a time of escalating environmental challenges, ranging from climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource conservation, education is essential in promoting change. The middle years are a critical time for this education; children are forming their values, critical thinking, and a sense of responsibility. When environmental education reaches this age group, it can shape not only what they understand, but what they do about it and who they become. This is captured in a saying by Baba Dioum, “In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will only understand what we are taught.”However, there are barriers to teaching this. Although several countries, including Canada, have committed to integrating environmental and climate education, progress has been slow, teachers lack access to resources and don’t have the time or expertise to create their own, and teachers are intimidated by topics like climate change which are highly controversial and political. Teachers want to empower their students, but they need the right tools.OER offer an opportunity to provide equitable, scalable, and adaptable materials. These digital resources allow educators to customize content to reflect local environmental contexts and specific learner needs. Furthermore, OER for environmental education align with UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 4 (Quality Education), Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and Goal 13 (Climate Action).Despite their potential, the extent to which existing OER meet the needs of kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) educators is not well understood. This study identifies existing resources that align with Grade 5 to 7 curriculum standards, as well as gaps and areas for improvement to ensure OER can be effectively integrated into K-12 curriculum. The research also provides a systematic process for analyzing OER that can be applied to other K-12 subjects and educational standards, including the use of AI technologies to analyze resources.The outcome of this study is a curated collection of resources within the OER Commons Climate Hub which teachers can integrate immediately into their curriculum. This supports educators in accessing high-quality materials that promote environmental awareness and sustainable practices among youth. Ultimately, these findings are intended for educators, policymakers, GLAM institutions (galleries, libraries, archives, museums), and environmental organizations to encourage OER use for environmental education and to contribute to the broader discussion on OER adoption in K-12. This research contributes to the development of environmentally conscious and empowered citizens and supports UNESCOs Sustainable Development Goals, including promoting ongoing dialogue on the role of OER in K-12 and the importance of environmental education across all subjects

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 →

Thursday October 8, 2026 12:25pm - 12:55pm EDT
8 DR6 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA

Presentation

Speaker Modality Online
Track (Re)Inventing our Shared Global Vision Together

2:15pm EDT

Building Bridges Between Higher Education and K-12 Through Open Lifelong Learning

Thursday October 8, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT

5 DR3

ID: 30484

This session presents a transformative multi-sectoral partnership model between Erciyes University and the Murat Kantarcı Science and Art Center (BİLSEM), a collaboration recently distinguished in the European-wide SAMUELE Compendium: “University Lifelong Learning Applied Cases that Inspire.” As one of the premier cases selected from 17 European countries, this initiative serves as a strategic roadmap for integrating University Lifelong Learning (ULLL) into institutional governance, research, and societal impact through open and inclusive ecosystems.The core of this session addresses a persistent challenge in global education: the structural and pedagogical "space between" academic research in higher education and its practical enactment in K-12 classrooms. Led by Prof. Dr. Fatma Bozkurt and Çelebi Kalkan, this partnership redefines lifelong learning not merely as an isolated continuing education activity, but as a holistic, integrated domain for institutional transformation. We demonstrate how Erciyes University’s strategic vision for sustainability and social responsibility is actualized through a formal partnership with BİLSEM, a specialized institution for gifted and talented students.The session will explore three primary dimensions of "Connecting the Dots":Institutional Synergy and Governance: We will detail how the governance structures of a major university can be aligned with K-12 centers to create a seamless, open learning pathway. This includes the integration of lifelong learning into the university’s broader mission of "social contribution."Pedagogical Innovation (The Think-Feel-Act Model): Participants will be introduced to the UNESCO-recognized "Think-Feel-Act" pedagogical framework. We will showcase how this model is utilized to train prospective teachers, allowing them to engage in real-world sustainability workshops and "green entrepreneurship" activities as part of their lifelong learning journey.European Alignment and Scaling: Drawing from the SAMUELE Compendium findings, we will discuss how this case contributes to the "European Higher Education Area" by fostering resilience, inclusivity, and responsiveness to societal crises like climate change.Key Takeaways for Attendees: Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to build and sustain "Open Learning Ecosystems" that leverage cross-institutional resources. We will share specific strategies for bridging the gap between higher education faculty and K-12 practitioners, ensuring that open education resources and methodologies are not just developed, but effectively implemented and scaled. By the end of the session, participants will be equipped with a proven framework for institutionalizing multi-sectoral partnerships that empower both educators and learners as active agents of change in their communities.This session is particularly relevant for policymakers, university administrators, and K-12 educators seeking to "reinvent our shared global vision" by breaking down institutional silos and fostering a truly open, lifelong learning culture.

Speakers

Fatma Bozkurt

Professor Doctor, Erciyes University

Prof. Dr. Fatma Bozkurt, Erciyes Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Uygulamalı Matematik Bölümü'nde seçkin bir profesördür ve Almanya, BAE, Kuveyt ve Türkiye'de 18 yılı aşkın uluslararası öğretim ve araştırma deneyimine sahiptir. Akademik liderliği, özellikle Z kuşa... Read More →

Çelebi Kalkan

Expert Teacher, Murat Kantarcı Science and Arts Center

Çelebi Kalkan, Türkiye'deki Murat Kantarcı Bilim ve Sanat Merkezi'nde (BİLSEM) STEM+A eğitimi, sürdürülebilir kalkınma ve iklim değişikliği pedagojisi alanlarında uzmanlaşmış bir öğretmendir. UNESCO Yeşil Eğitim Ortaklığı üyesi ve Scientix STEM Elçisi olarak... Read More →

Thursday October 8, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
5 DR3 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA

Presentation

Speaker Modality Online
Track (Re)Inventing our Shared Global Vision Together

2:15pm EDT

Learning in the Wild: A Large-Scale Analysis of GenAI as a Dialogic Open Educational Resource

Thursday October 8, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT

8 DR6

ID: 33533

The rapid adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has transformed how self-directed learners interact with knowledge. While GenAI tools like ChatGPT are used globally as de facto Open Educational Resources (OER), empirical evidence regarding authentic learning through these human-AI dialogues - outside of formal institutional settings - remains limited. This presentation shares the results of a large-scale, mixed-methods study that analyzes learning as it happens "in the wild."Grounded in the Dialogic OER Framework (Author, 2026), this research extends traditional OER models (like Wiley’s 5Rs) by introducing three process-oriented dimensions: Responsiveness, Reciprocity, and Reflexivity. We operationalize this framework through a computational and statistical analysis of 50,000 naturalistic conversations from the WildChat dataset - a corpus of over one million real-world ChatGPT interactions.Our methodology utilized keyword-based filtering and rule-based classification to identify 6,693 learning-oriented conversations (13.4% of the sample). These were then analyzed using natural language processing (NLP), lexical complexity metrics, and metacognitive marker detection.Key findings include:Distinct Discourse Patterns: Learning conversations exhibit significantly higher reciprocity compared to non-learning tasks, characterized by longer interaction chains (M=3.19 vs 2.41 turns) and a higher density of follow-up questions (d = 0.36, p < .001).Knowledge Co-Construction: Over 28% of learning interactions showed explicit markers of knowledge co-construction, such as critical evaluation of AI responses and iterative refinement of queries. This suggests that GenAI is not merely a static content source but a partner in emerging Open Educational Practices (OEP).The Evolution of Scaffolding: Within multi-turn learning episodes, we observed a significant increase in lexical diversity (Type-Token Ratio) alongside a decrease in verbosity (d = -0.23, p < .001). This indicates that as learners engage with the AI, their prompts become more precise and sophisticated - a sign of self-directed scaffolding and internalization.Global Equity and Access: Cross-cultural analysis revealed that regions with limited access to formal higher education, such as the Middle East and North Africa, showed the highest proportions of learning-oriented AI use (29.4%). This highlights GenAI's potential to serve as a truly open and accessible resource in underserved contexts.By presenting these findings, we aim to bridge the gap between "Openness as Content" and "Openness as Interaction." We will discuss the practical and ethical implications of these emergent technologies for the future of the open education movement, specifically how we can support learners in developing the "Reflexivity" needed to navigate AI-driven learning landscapes.

Speakers

Eyal Rabin

Lecturer, Holon Institute of Technology

Dr. Eyal Rabin is a leading researcher in artificial intelligence and education at the Institute for Applied AI Research in Education, Israel’s Ministry of Education, and a lecturer at the Holon Institute of Technology (HIT). His work focuses on the integration of artificial... Read More →

Thursday October 8, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
8 DR6 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA

Presentation

Speaker Modality Online
Track Exploring Emergent Technologies and the Future of Openness

3:35pm EDT

Creating Community Through Curiosity: Student Authored Open Texts at the Queensland University of Technology

Thursday October 8, 2026 3:35pm - 4:05pm EDT

8 DR6

ID: 33465

In this session, we explore how library‑led open publishing can foster connection, creativity, and curiosity by transforming student research into openly shared, community‑building resources.Undergraduate and postgraduate research projects showcase independent inquiry, yet these outputs can all too often remain invisible, read only by supervisors or assessment panels before disappearing into institutional archives. By reimagining these works as contributions within open publications, we can strengthen student belonging within scholarly and professional communities while championing more collaborative publishing practices.Drawing on a series of recent publications made available through QUT Open Texts, we demonstrate how library expertise, open publishing workflows, and collaboration can elevate individual projects into collective assets with broader impact. Each initiative began through conversations with professional and academic staff who recognised the value of surfacing student work. In response, the QUT Open Texts team partnered with Liaison Librarians and academics to create publications that highlight student achievements and model open, supportive scholarly communication practices.Vacation Research Experience Scheme (VRES)In 2024, QUT’s Faculty of Science Liaison Librarians identified an opportunity to present undergraduate VRES projects using the university’s Pressbooks platform. By transforming student outputs into individual chapters within an open publication this, now ongoing, initiative helps students see themselves as contributors to the research community. It introduces students to more advanced concepts including intellectual property (IP), copyright and open licensing while supporting their journey as emerging researchers.From Campus to CollaborationFrom Campus to Collaboration captures the experiences of postgraduate students completing real‑world, partnered research in data science and artificial intelligence. The resulting open publication provides an exemplar for future students, supervisors, and partners while modelling how open publishing pathways can strengthen connections and shape more responsive postgraduate research opportunities.AusiSTAR: The NextGen PlaybookAcademics involved in the AusiSTAR program expressed a strong interest in highlighting student achievements and capturing the unique industry focused, collaborative learning experiences fostered through the Next Generation Graduates Program. By openly publishing student reflections and insights, the publication demonstrates networks across universities, industry, and the public, and shows how open dissemination can sustain communities of innovation and practice.Each of these projects required close partnership with the QUT Open Texts team to navigate the complexities of publishing student‑authored work. Working with different editorial teams meant the Open Text team had to develop flexible workflows, balancing varied timelines, and creating new processes to support student‑owned IP and open licensing. Collectively, these initiatives provide a template for transforming individual student projects into shared open resources with broad appeal. Through accessible platforms like Pressbooks, we can champion creativity and empower students to see their work, and themselves, as active contributors within a more open scholarly community.

Speakers

Sal Kleine

Scholarly Impact Librarian (Acting), Queensland University of Technology

Sal Kleine is a Scholarly Impact Librarian (acting) and Liaison Librarian at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Her work spans information literacy, scholarly communication, and open educational resources, with a particular focus on open scholarship through her management... Read More →

Michael Hawks

Faculty of Business and Law Liaison Librarian, Queensland University of Technology

Michael Hawks supports the Graduate School of Business, School of Management and the School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations in QUT’s Faculty of Business and Law. As an academic librarian, he has a keen interest in digital engagement and has contributed to innovative... Read More →

Gabrielle Hayes

Faculty of Science Liaison Librarian, Queensland University of Technology

Gabrielle Hayes is a Liaison Librarian at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia. With a practical background in developing Open Educational Resources (OER), her work includes co-authoring Research Right and editing the QUT Faculty of Science VRES 2024... Read More →

Thursday October 8, 2026 3:35pm - 4:05pm EDT
8 DR6 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA

Presentation

Speaker Modality Online
Track Catalyzing Human Connection Creativity and Curiosity to Thrive

5:30pm EDT

Beyond Epistemicide: The Polymath Protocol for Decentralized Knowledge Creation in the Global South

Thursday October 8, 2026 5:30pm - 6:00pm EDT

7 DR5

ID: 33364

The global open education movement has successfully removed financial paywalls for millions of learners. However, by focusing primarily on access to content rather than the origin of content, we have inadvertently created a system of "epistemicide" in the Global South. When a student in Nigeria or India is taught to see the world predominantly through the lens of Western-centric case studies, educational materials, and academic canons, education transitions from a process of liberation to one of cultural assimilation. This creates a global monoculture of thought that devalues localized problem-solving frameworks, indigenous knowledge systems, and regional languages.This session directly challenges the foundational premise of modern open education: that the mere distribution of Global North content is inherently an objective good. We will examine how hard metrics prove this disparity. With over 75% of research articles published in English and less than 5% of major open educational resources originating from authors based in the Global South, we are training the next generation of thinkers to solve the problems of the West rather than the urgent issues facing their own communities.The primary goal of this session is to pivot the conversation from OER 1.0 (access to existing materials) to OER 2.0 (local agency and decentralized authorship). To achieve this, I will introduce "The Polymath Protocol"—a theoretical, decentralized epistemic infrastructure designed to invert the current flow of global knowledge.We will explore how this protocol leverages non-proprietary, open-source networking to connect regional "Knowledge Hubs." Furthermore, we will dive into how emerging technologies, such as federated AI models, can be trained locally on indigenous data and regional dialects. This ensures that learners are not subject to the algorithmic bias and cultural homogenization inherent in monolithic, centralized tech giants.By moving away from a top-down, one-way funnel of expertise, the Polymath Protocol offers a viable architectural alternative that prioritizes cognitive diversity and true epistemic justice.Key Takeaways for Attendees:A Critical Framework: Attendees will learn to critically evaluate the "open-washing" of research and recognize the hidden cultural tax imposed on non-Western learners by the current academic hierarchy.Actionable Technical Alternatives: Participants will explore the mechanics of federated AI and decentralized storage as practical tools for preserving linguistic and intellectual diversity in digital education.Policy and Advocacy Strategies: Educators and policymakers will gain insights into the structural shifts required to fund local knowledge creators, move toward credit interoperability, and foster a truly democratic, multi-centered global knowledge ecosystem.This session is designed for educators, technologists, and advocates who believe that the future of human learning should not be a corporate monoculture, but a rich, resilient, and localized ecosystem of diverse ideas.

Speakers

Dhairya Chauhan

Computational Physics Researcher & AICTE Ideation Lab Contributor, Earth School

Dhairya Chauhan is an emerging researcher and AICTE Ideation Lab Fellow whose work sits at the intersection of computational physics, mathematical modeling, and the future of equitable education. Shared by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) for his contributions... Read More →

Thursday October 8, 2026 5:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
7 DR5 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA

Presentation

Speaker Modality Online
Track (Re)Inventing our Shared Global Vision Together

5:30pm EDT

Designing Open Support Ecosystems for First-Year Open and Distance Learners: Lessons from PASE SUAyED

Thursday October 8, 2026 5:30pm - 6:00pm EDT

6 DR4

ID: 33916

This presentation explores the design of an open support ecosystem for first-year students in distance higher education through the case of PASE SUAyED, an initiative developed at UNAM to accompany students during their transition into open and distance learning. In many conversations about open education, access is often framed in terms of content availability. However, students' ability to enter, navigate, and remain in digital learning environments also depends on the availability of guidance, orientation, and affective support. From this perspective, openness can be understood not only as access to educational materials, but also as access to resources that help learners develop confidence, belonging, and strategies for participation. PASE SUAyED was conceived as a support initiative for first-year students in the university's open and distance education system. Its purpose is to offer practical, accessible, and student-centered resources that respond to the challenges of transition, self-management, digital participation, and persistence. An important dimension of the project is its potential evolution toward a more open portal of support resources that can be shared more broadly with learners beyond the immediate institutional setting. By sharing this case, the session invites participants to rethink openness through the lens of student support and to consider how institutions can build more humane and inclusive ecosystems for learners entering digital and distance modalities.

Speakers

Indira Ochoa

Director of Digital Transformation Projects for Education at the Coordination of Open University and Digital Education (CUAED, UNAM), National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)

Indira Ochoa Carrasco holds a Master’s degree in Communication and Educational Technologies from the Latin American Institute of Educational Communication and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She is also certified in Flipped... Read More →

María José Barrera Olmedo

Head of the Research and Development Project Department (CUAED), National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)

María José Barrera Olmedo holds a PhD in Psychology from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, a Master’s degree in Psychology and Education from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with honors from UNAM. Her academic training has focused... Read More →

Anabel de la Rosa Gómez

Coordinator of Open University and Digital Education (CUAED), National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)

Dr. Anabel de la Rosa Gómez is the Coordinator of Open University and Digital Education (CUAED) at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from UNAM, where she also earned her undergraduate degree with honors. As a distinguished academic... Read More →

Thursday October 8, 2026 5:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
6 DR4 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA

Presentation

Speaker Modality Online
Track Catalyzing Human Connection Creativity and Curiosity to Thrive

5:30pm EDT

Inventing Together: Collaborative Product Strategy in the Open edX Ecosystem

Thursday October 8, 2026 5:30pm - 6:00pm EDT

8 DR6

ID: 33996

As open education communities step into a critical role on the frontlines of disseminating knowledge as a public good, the challenge extends beyond creating open resources to designing sustainable, collaborative systems that ensure their relevance and impact. This session explores how the global Open edX community offers a compelling model for “inventing together” through a community-driven approach to product strategy and governance.Open edX is an open source teaching and learning platform used by millions of learners worldwide, with more than 2,000 active instances and a robust network of contributors spanning institutions, organizations, and countries. Stewarded by a nonprofit, the platform reflects the values of openness not only in content but also in its development and decision-making processes. What makes Open edX particularly distinctive is its investment in a formal product management organization—an uncommon feature in open source ecosystems. This model brings together nonprofit staff and community members to collaboratively shape the platform’s roadmap, aligning contributions with shared strategic priorities.This session will examine how the Open edX product management function operates as a bridge between vision and execution in a distributed, participatory environment. Attendees will learn about key practices such as gathering and synthesizing user input, reviewing and prioritizing product proposals, and ensuring that contributions align with long-term goals. Central to this approach is a commitment to learner impact: decisions are guided not only by technical feasibility or contributor interest, but by the potential to improve teaching and learning outcomes at scale.We will also explore the challenges inherent in building a product organization within an open source community. These include balancing openness with strategic coherence, navigating diverse stakeholder needs, and maintaining momentum across a decentralized contributor base. At the same time, this model presents significant opportunities: it fosters deeper community engagement, enables innovation across sectors, and creates a shared sense of ownership over the platform’s future.By connecting this work to the broader open education ecosystem—including organizations like OEGlobal and initiatives such as MIT Open Learning—the session highlights how open source infrastructure can strengthen global efforts to expand equitable access to knowledge. Participants will gain insight into how collaborative product strategy can serve as a mechanism for resilience and collective thriving, supporting the conference’s call to catalyze human connection, creativity, and curiosity.Ultimately, this session invites attendees to consider how similar approaches might be applied in their own contexts, and how open communities can work together to design systems that not only share knowledge, but actively sustain and evolve it for the benefit of all.

Speakers

Jenna Makowski

Senior Product Manager, Open edX Platform, Open edX, Axim Collaborative

Jenna Makowski has led the product organization for the Open edX project since 2022.

Thursday October 8, 2026 5:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
8 DR6 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA

Presentation

Speaker Modality Online
Track Catalyzing Human Connection Creativity and Curiosity to Thrive

5:30pm EDT

Open as a Strategic Imperative for Sustaining Public Systems

Thursday October 8, 2026 5:30pm - 6:00pm EDT

5 DR3

ID: 33427

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.

Speakers

Josie Gray

Interim Director, Open Education, BCcampus

Josie Gray (she/her) is the Interim Director of Open Education at BCcampus, where she leads a team that develops and implements initiatives that advance open education practices in the B.C. post-secondary system. She is passionate about accessibility, open, and thinking critically... Read More →

Thursday October 8, 2026 5:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
5 DR3 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA

Presentation

Speaker Modality Online
Track Hacking the Open Ecosystem and Praxis for the Public Good

OEGlobal 2026

From $195.00

Tickets

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OEGlobal 2026

11:05am EDT

Ying-Wei Leong

11:05am EDT

Jöran Muuß-Merholz

Nicole Hagen

Frank Homp

11:05am EDT

Pariton Langpoklakpam

12:25pm EDT

Amanda Grey

Karen Meijer

12:25pm EDT

Emily Grady

2:15pm EDT

Fatma Bozkurt

Çelebi Kalkan

2:15pm EDT

Eyal Rabin

3:35pm EDT

Sal Kleine

Michael Hawks

Gabrielle Hayes

5:30pm EDT

Dhairya Chauhan

5:30pm EDT

Indira Ochoa

María José Barrera Olmedo

Anabel de la Rosa Gómez

5:30pm EDT

Jenna Makowski

5:30pm EDT

Josie Gray

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