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Friday, October 9
 

11:05am EDT

Scaling OER Adoption in the Arab Region: The OER SMART Model
Friday October 9, 2026 11:05am - 11:35am EDT
5 DR3
ID: 32534

The session will present the design, implementation, and impact of the “OER SMART” project that was supported by UNESCO and implemented by Al-Quds Open University from Palestine and Queen Rania Center from Jordan, aimed at promoting OER concepts, reuse, and practices in Palestine and Jordan, with potential for scaled-up impact across the Arab region.The project focused on improving the understanding, capabilities and institutional preparedness for OER implementation within contexts where access to quality has been uneven. The project emphasised a comprehensive needs assessment to identify the requirements of educators and policymakers as well as key stakeholders in higher education. A self-paced, multilingual online training course was designed covering OER concepts and open licensing, quality assurance, planning for pedagogical use, and development of OER policy.The project's integrated model is a key innovation that combines digital learning with capacity building through Training of Trainers (ToT). A training was conducted for forty participants from universities and ministries of education in Palestine, Jordan to act as OER ambassadors to create a multiplier effect and sustain the knowledge. Results from the evaluations revealed that there was an increase of above 20% in the knowledge and skills of the participants, suggesting that the use of structured digital content in conjunction with participatory training was effective. The session will demonstrate the various formats of the OER SMART course including mobile apps, learning objects, web-based and open multimedia resources.  These elements demonstrate how open education can be designed to be inclusive, interactive and tailored towards various education settings.The session will importantly reflect on the challenges of implementing OER in developing and fragile contexts, including policy gaps, language barriers and sustainability issues. The presentation will share practical strategies to overcome challenges related to building communities of practice; aligning OER with relevant national education strategies; and enhancing regional collaboration.This session, aligned with the OEGlobal 2026 theme, emphasizes how collaborative and context-sensitive open education practices can serve to defend knowledge as a public good, especially in underrepresented regions. This provides a model that institutions and policy makers can use to upscale the OER initiative, while ensuring quality and impact.
Speakers
avatar for Mahmoud Hawamdeh

Mahmoud Hawamdeh

Project Manager, Al-Quds Open University
Dr. Mahmoud Hawamdeh is an EdTech researcher and educational expert with over 25 years of experience in higher education, particularly in digital pedagogy, policy, and innovation. He is a current project manager for national education reform and a prominent figure at Al-Quds Open... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 11:05am - 11:35am EDT
5 DR3 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA
  Presentation

12:25pm EDT

OpenBody Atlas: Visualizing Human Biology and Drug Interactions Through Open, Interactive Learning
Friday October 9, 2026 12:25pm - 12:55pm EDT
5 DR3
ID: 33765

What if anyone could see, in real time, how a drug travels through the human body and transforms its function?What if this knowledge were not restricted to textbooks, but openly accessible, interactive, and collaboratively built for all?OpenBody Atlas is an open, innovation-driven platform designed to reimagine how human biology and pharmacology are explored, understood, and shared as a public good. While traditional medical education relies on static, discipline-specific resources, this project introduces a systems-level approach that integrates anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology into a unified, interactive environment. The session aligns with the principles of open practices by demonstrating how collaborative, interdisciplinary innovation can produce scalable and inclusive knowledge systems.At its core, OpenBody Atlas functions as a dynamic interface of the human body, where users can navigate across biological systems and visualize functional processes in real time. Its defining innovation lies in the integration of a pharmacological layer: users can select a drug and observe its journey through the body, including mechanisms of action, receptor interactions, metabolic pathways, and systemic effects. This transforms passive learning into an exploratory, data-driven experience that bridges foundational science with applied therapeutics.This session will highlight how open practices—such as open-source development, community contribution, and peer-reviewed knowledge sharing—can be applied to build and sustain such a platform. OpenBody Atlas is conceptualized as a participatory ecosystem where students, educators, and researchers collaboratively create, validate, and expand content. By combining research-based knowledge with lived experiences and diverse medical perspectives, the platform supports a more inclusive and globally relevant understanding of healthcare.A key focus of the session will be the innovation framework behind the platform: how interdisciplinary thinking (spanning biomedical sciences, digital design, and open systems) can be leveraged to address gaps in current educational models. The session will also explore how this approach aligns with broader open movements, including open science, open data, and open education, positioning OpenBody Atlas as a convergence point for these initiatives.Participants will gain practical insights into designing open, scalable knowledge systems that move beyond institutional boundaries. The session will demonstrate how such models can be adapted across disciplines and contexts, particularly in resource-limited settings where access to integrated, high-quality educational tools remains a challenge. By emphasizing openness, interactivity, and collaboration, OpenBody Atlas presents a replicable model for innovation in knowledge sharing.Key takeaways include: understanding how open practices can drive innovation in complex knowledge domains; identifying strategies for building collaborative, interdisciplinary platforms; and recognizing the potential of open systems to democratize access to scientific and medical knowledge. Participants will also be invited to engage with the concept and explore opportunities for contribution and co-creation.
Speakers
avatar for Yash Sale

Yash Sale

OpenBody Atlas: An Open-Source Platform Integrating Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, SSSPM’s Dr N J Paulbuddhe College of Pharmacy Ahilyanagar Maharashtra India Asia
Yash Sale is a Bachelor of Pharmacy student with a strong academic foundation in anatomy, physiology, and neuroscience. He has completed certifications from premier institutions including the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, St George's... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 12:25pm - 12:55pm EDT
5 DR3 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA
  Presentation

12:25pm EDT

The Global Open Graduate Network’s Pilot Hubs: A Networked Approach to Scaling Open Education Research
Friday October 9, 2026 12:25pm - 12:55pm EDT
6 DR4
ID: 33857

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.Through exploring a federated model, GO-GN has sought to reconcile tensions between scale and responsiveness, enabling regionally situated communities to define priorities, build capacity, and exercise leadership while remaining connected to a wider international network. This directly addresses persistent gaps in open education relating to equity, representation, and the inclusion of Global South perspectives.The session’s value lies in its combination of strategic reflection and practical insight. It moves beyond abstract commitments to openness by demonstrating how governance, sustainability, and participation can be reconfigured through distributed models. The evaluation findings provide evidence of what works, what remains challenging, and how networks can evolve to better align their values with their impact.For conference participants, the relevance is twofold. First, it offers a transferable framework for designing and sustaining open education initiatives that are both globally connected and locally meaningful. Second, it contributes to a broader conversation about how openness can be reimagined as a dynamic, negotiated process. In doing so, the session provides actionable insights for researchers, practitioners, and network leaders seeking to build more inclusive, resilient, and context-sensitive forms of open education across borders.
Speakers
avatar for Robert Farrow

Robert Farrow

Senior Research Fellow, The Open University (UK)
Programme Lead, Open Education Research Hub and Co-Director of Global Open Graduate Network 
avatar for Beck Pitt

Beck Pitt

Senior Research Fellow, The Open University (UK)
Co-Director of Global Open Graduate Network
avatar for Carina Bossu

Carina Bossu

Senior Lecturer, Co-Director of Research Capability Hub, The Open University (UK)
Dr Carina Bossu is a Senior Lecturer in Academic Professional Development with the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University, UK. Her work and research have been focused on Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP) in higher education... Read More →
SD

Saraswati Dawadi

Research Fellow, The Open University (UK)
Saraswati Dawadi's current research is around language assessment, equity and inclusion in education, girls’ empowerment and professional development through online learning. She is the evaluation lead for the GO-GN Pilot Hubs.
Friday October 9, 2026 12:25pm - 12:55pm EDT
6 DR4 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA
  Presentation

2:15pm EDT

Sidebars as Seedbeds: How a Modular Design Can Help with Updating, Customizing, and Localizing OER Content
Friday October 9, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
5 DR3
ID: 33948

A long time ago, in a sociocultural context far, far away, we decided to write a research methods textbook. Our team was fed up with the exorbitant cost of textbooks. We taught sociology courses at Virginia Commonwealth University, a highly diverse urban public university, and we were constantly supplementing commercial textbooks with our bespoke instructional material anyways. We decided we might as well write our own book, one that students could easily afford, and that wouldn’t easily put them to sleep. From the outset, we wanted to write a textbook that would be relatively painless to revise. The fundamentals of research methods—what good research is, how best to think about and approach it—have not changed so much. However, the examples that textbooks use to illustrate sound research design or point out pitfalls do change across time, location, and populations. They changed in the years following the publication of the OER sources we drew upon for some of our textbook’s content. They changed even across the many years we spent writing The Craft of Sociological Research: Principles and Methods of Collecting, Analyzing, and Presenting Social Science Data (2024). Anticipating this, we sought to make our textbook modular, incorporating numerous sidebars that were meant to be revised or swapped out, with the core text remaining more stable. Besides allowing us to readily replace many of our research examples with timelier ones, these modular sidebars would also aid other authors and instructors who wanted to localize the textbook—say, by introducing research examples and discussions of local issues that might be more suited to their student populations.This presentation discusses how a modular design can help with updating, customizing, and localizing OER content. As a case study, we examine the development of our sociological research methods textbook, The Craft of Sociological Research (https://viva.pressbooks.pub/sociology-research-methods), which uses modular sidebars that describe notable examples of research, present interviews with prominent researchers, discuss local issues that past research has illuminated, and cover advanced methodological topics. The placement of these modular sidebars throughout the textbook makes it simple and straightforward to update its illustrative examples and customize a significant portion of its material for specific communities of readers, in line with the model of formal localization, whereby OER content is deliberately adjusted to align with local contexts and cultural nuances (Bradshaw et al., 2024). It allows instructors to customize the course to match the skill level and interests of their students. And it presents an opportunity for open pedagogy, providing opportunities for students to write short-form content for an OER’s sidebars. In a sense, the sidebars serve as well-organized seedbeds set aside within a garden, giving authors space to replant the text with a smattering of their own seasonal and native varietals while keeping its overall structure intact. Student surveys conducted after the textbook’s implementation show not only strong support for OER as a replacement for commercial textbooks, but also general satisfaction with the research examples and localized content that the textbook’s modular sidebars featured.
Speakers
avatar for Jessica Kirschner

Jessica Kirschner

Digital Publishing Coordinator, VIVA (Virginia’s Academic Library Consortium)
Jessica Kirschner is the Digital Publishing Coordinator at VIVA, Virginia’s academic library consortium. In this role, supports the publication efforts of VIVA's Open and Affordable Course Content program. Jessica began her career working in the acquisitions department at SUNY Press... Read More →
avatar for Victor Tan Chen

Victor Tan Chen

Associate Professor of Sociology, Virginia Commonwealth University
Victor Tan Chen is an associate professor of sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University who studies economic inequality, labor markets, social policy, and alternative organizational forms. He has published five books: The Missing Class: Portraits of the Near Poor in America (with... Read More →
avatar for Gabriela León-Pérez

Gabriela León-Pérez

Associate Professor of Sociology, Virginia Commonwealth University
Gabriela León-Pérez is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Her scholarly interests lie at the intersection of the sociology of migration, Latino sociology, and medical sociology. Specifically, Gabriela’s research explores the determinants... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
5 DR3 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA
  Presentation

3:35pm EDT

Beyond the Book: Hacking OER Infrastructures for Shared Maintenance and Governance
Friday October 9, 2026 3:35pm - 4:05pm EDT
6 DR4
ID: 33899

Open educational resources are typically imagined as books: finite objects authored at a moment in time, released, and then adopted by others. This framing has shaped nearly every layer of the OER ecosystem, from funding programs and hosting platforms to the expectations adopting instructors bring to the materials they use. It also quietly places the weight of keeping a resource current on the shoulders of individual authors, a burden that becomes untenable in fields where the subject matter shifts from semester to semester along with inevitable demands for maintenance (Jhangiani, 2019). Drawing on our recent article in the Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication (Daly, Ahmad, & Schneider, 2026), this presentation argues for a different starting point: OER as a dynamic digital commons, more akin to an open source software project than a printed textbook, requiring ongoing maintenance and shared governance.We ground this argument in an autoethnographic case study of an OER textbook on social media, a topic in which knowledge and topics ceaselessly evolve (Daly, 2023). The original author created and maintained four overlapping editions over several years, navigating cloned versions, manual re-checks of openly licensed media, accessibility re-layering, a legal threat from an image-rights service, and warnings from a promotion committee that the labor was endangering professional advancement. When an adopting instructor proposed moving the textbook toward collective stewardship, the team pursued funding, drafted preliminary by-laws, and invited adopters into co-authorship. However, other adopting instructors either did not respond or graciously declined, defaulting to the reader role that book conventions had trained them to expect. Funders would also not pay the original author to keep improving the work, and the hosting platform offered no up-stream contribution or version-control affordances. The book in question is now archived, despite maintaining high numbers of readers or adopters.We read these obstacles against lessons from open source communities, where forking is a last resort and upstream contribution, version control, codes of conduct, and templated governance documents are common practice (Schneider, 2021). From that comparison we offer three directions for hacking the open ecosystem toward the public good. First, organize economic flows that pay for maintenance and governance, not only initial creation and adoption. Second, advocate for upstream revision affordances inside OER platforms, including version control, contributor identification, and embedded decision-making tools. Third, coordinate the cultural work of shifting adopter expectations from passive consumption to commons participation, including governance documents inside OER themselves.Libraries have repeatedly reshaped social expectations around access to knowledge. We invite the OEGlobal community to take up a parallel shift around stewardship, so that the promise of OER as growing organisms is matched by infrastructures that can support their lifecycles.
Speakers
avatar for Nathan Schneider

Nathan Schneider

Associate Professor, Department of Media Studies, University of Colorado Boulder
Nathan Schneider is an associate professor of media studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he leads the Media Economies Design Lab and the MA program in Media and Public Engagement. He is the author of four books, most recently Governable Spaces: Democratic Design for... Read More →
avatar for Diana Daly

Diana Daly

Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, College of Information Science, University of Arizona
Dr. Diana Daly has authored open educational resources including Humans R Social Media and Decoding Deception, and a scholar in information science focused on literacies in new media technologies including artificial intelligence, and on information trust, misinformation, and information... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 3:35pm - 4:05pm EDT
6 DR4 MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA
  Presentation

3:35pm EDT

Coding a Drawing Tool Together: Learning How to Contribute to Open Source Software
Friday October 9, 2026 3:35pm - 4:05pm EDT
4 Room T
ID: 33970

The Processing Foundation’s mission is to promote software learning within the arts, artistic learning within technology-related fields, and to celebrate the diverse communities that make these fields vibrant, liberatory, and innovative. We work toward our goals by developing and distributing open source software (OSS) projects, Processing (Java) and p5.js (JavaScript). OSS has become one of the major cultural and technical achievements of the past half-century. Unlike commercial software, this work is a shared commons, built through collective knowledge, community practice, and sustained human effort. Unfortunately, there is often a significant gap between learning about OSS and developing the confidence to meaningfully contribute to it. Within communities that support Processing and p5.js, this gap is increasingly visible as we confront what Cabunoc Mayes and others have described as the “graying of open source,” a trend in which long-standing contributors are not being replaced by a new, diverse generation of participants (2025). As we celebrate 25 years of Processing, this moment calls for new approaches to access, participation, and recruitment through education. We developed a curriculum called Art + Code, which pairs with a professional development (PD) learning experience for K-12 educators with little or no prior coding background. The goals are to democratize access to computer science education and to reframe OSS contribution as a creative and collaborative practice. Throughout the PD, educators learn pedagogical practices for teaching creative coding while engaging as learners of the Art + Code curriculum. They explore foundational programming concepts through visually driven projects in p5.js. The culminating experience shifts from individual creation to collective contributions in the final project: the drawing tool. Here, participants develop custom “brushes” for a shared drawing tool, contributing code to a communal software project. Using OpenProcessing’s Live Collaboration feature, participants work together in a shared coding environment. This experience mirrors authentic OSS workflows while making visible the social dimensions of software development like attribution, remixing, negotiation, and collective ownership. For many educators, this is their first experience contributing to a shared codebase, reframing their understanding of what it means to “belong” in technical spaces.This session will share findings from pilot implementations of Art + Code across diverse educator cohorts. We will present qualitative insights and classroom observations that highlight how learners engage with core coding concepts through creative expression, as well as how participation in collaborative coding environments shifts their confidence and identity as potential contributors to OSS. We will also share educator feedback, including evidence of increased willingness to experiment, debug, and build on others’ work.  This session is designed for educators, curriculum designers, and open education advocates by offering both a conceptual framework and practical strategies for bridging the gap between learning and contributing to OSS. Participants will leave with concrete approaches to integrating collaborative, open-source practices into their own teaching, as well as access to the freely available Art + Code curriculum. In an effort to invite a broader and more diverse community into open source, this project centers creativity, collaboration, and meaning-making. 
Speakers
avatar for Roxana Hadad

Roxana Hadad

Co-Executive Director, Processing Foundation
For the last 25 years, Roxana Hadad, PhD has led research and programming aimed at making STEM and computer science education experiences equitable and relevant to students from historically excluded communities. As a Co-Executive Director at Processing Foundation, she oversees initiatives... Read More →
avatar for Amy B. Woodman

Amy B. Woodman

Director, Fellowship Program, Processing Foundation
Amy B. Woodman is the Director of Fellowship Programs at Processing Foundation, where she supports artists and creative technologists developing open-source tools. She brings over a decade of experience designing programs across education, technology, and the arts, with a focus on... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 3:35pm - 4:05pm EDT
4 Room T MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA
  Presentation

4:15pm EDT

AI, Openness, and Democracy: Ethical AI Education in Diverse Learning Contexts
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 33964

This session explores the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), open education, and democratic participation, with a focus on how ethical AI education can be meaningfully integrated into diverse learning contexts across Europe. As AI technologies increasingly shape access to information, decision-making, and public discourse, education systems face a growing responsibility not only to develop digital skills, but also to strengthen critical thinking, ethical awareness, and active citizenship.The session draws on practice-based and research-informed insights from several European educational and social innovation initiatives, including programmes focused on digital inclusion, technology integration in education, and AI literacy development. These include work with teachers and learners in both formal and non-formal settings, particularly in rural and underserved contexts, where access to quality digital education remains uneven.Building on findings from teacher training programmes and curriculum innovation processes, the session presents how AI-related topics, such as algorithmic bias, information integrity, and the societal implications of automated systems - can be translated into pedagogically meaningful learning experiences. Evidence from projects involving over 200 educators highlights how teachers integrate emerging technologies into teaching practices, not as standalone topics, but as part of broader learning goals related to critical thinking, problem-solving, and civic engagement.A key focus is placed on the role of educators as mediators of complex technological knowledge. The session explores how teachers without technical backgrounds can be supported through structured methodologies, co-created learning materials, and iterative professional development cycles. Insights from multi-phase training models demonstrate how sustained engagement, peer learning, and reflection contribute to more confident and context-responsive teaching practices.The session also addresses systemic challenges identified across projects, including disparities in access to digital infrastructure, differences in institutional readiness, and the risk of reproducing inequalities through emerging technologies. These challenges are examined as critical entry points for rethinking the role of open education in ensuring equitable participation in increasingly digital societies.By linking AI education with democratic participation, the session highlights pathways through which learners can move from awareness to engagement, including connections to participatory mechanisms such as the European Citizens’ Initiative. This perspective positions education not only as a means of knowledge transfer, but as a foundation for informed and active participation in democratic processes.
Speakers
avatar for Eglė Celiešienė

Eglė Celiešienė

AI, Openness, and Democracy: Ethical AI Education in Diverse Learning Contexts, Vilnius Business College
Eglė Celiešienė is an expert in digital education, social innovation, and democratic participation, working at the intersection of education, technology, and European policy. She serves as Chairwoman of the Board of the NGO Confederation for Children in Lithuania and the Lithuanian... Read More →
avatar for Gabija Skučaitė

Gabija Skučaitė

Director, Vilnius Business College
Gabija Skučaitė is an entrepreneur, education leader, and founder with over three decades of experience in building and transforming educational institutions. She is the co-founder and Chancellor of SMK College of Applied Sciences and the owner and Chancellor of Kazimiero Simonavičius... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

Bridging Global Open Education and Local Capacity Building: An Integrated Model from Paraguay.
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 33976

In many emerging economies, access to high-quality education remains constrained by structural limitations, including restricted availability of advanced academic programmes, limited exposure to global knowledge networks, and insufficient development of analytical and digital skills. While open education resources (OER) and large-scale online learning initiatives have expanded access to knowledge, their integration into formal higher education systems remains uneven, particularly in Latin America.This session presents an institutional model developed in Paraguay that systematically integrates global open education resources into undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, with the aim of enhancing students’ analytical capacity, digital competencies, and global readiness. The model combines internationally recognised open learning programmes—such as the HarvardX Professional Certificate in Data Science and the MITx MicroMasters in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy—with locally delivered curricula, contextualised instruction, and structured academic support.A key innovation of this approach lies in moving beyond the passive consumption of open content. Instead, open courses are embedded within degree structures, aligned with learning objectives, and complemented by in-person facilitation, peer collaboration, and applied learning components. Students are not only exposed to world-class content but are also supported in developing the skills required to engage with it effectively, including academic English proficiency and quantitative reasoning.In parallel, the model incorporates a work-study scheme that connects students to real-world research projects and institutional initiatives, fostering the application of knowledge in practical settings. Additionally, participatory pedagogical approaches—such as the Pre-Texts methodology developed by the Harvard Cultural Agents Initiative—are implemented across courses to strengthen engagement, critical thinking, and collaborative learning.Emerging evidence from this experience suggests that the model contributes to substantial improvements in students’ data science capabilities, analytical performance, and confidence in engaging with international academic environments. Graduates from these programmes have been admitted to PhD programmes at leading universities such as University of California, Davis and University of Manchester, as well as master’s programmes at institutions including University of Chicago, London School of Economics, and University of Warwick. Furthermore, graduates have secured entry-level positions in organisations such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the Banco Central del Paraguay, and international data science firms, signalling strong alignment between training and labour market demands.The session will present the design principles, implementation process, and key lessons learned from this experience, with a focus on scalability and adaptability to other institutional and national contexts. By bridging global open education and local capacity development, this model offers a practical pathway for democratising access to high-quality education and strengthening human capital in emerging economies.
Speakers
JM

José Molinas Vega

General Director, Instituto Desarrollo
Economist, academic, and researcher with extensive experience in public policy, development, and higher education in Paraguay. He has held senior positions in government and academia and has led multiple initiatives aimed at strengthening human capital and institutional capacity... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

Can Open Technology and AI Power a Global STEAM Educator Network for Under-Resourced Communities?
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 33850

A teacher in rural India working on a low-bandwidth mobile phone, with limited infrastructure, multilingual needs, large class sizes, and complex pedagogical demands to navigate, integrating STEAM smoothly and effectively is a real challenge. And she is not alone. What does it take to build an open STEAM educator network that can not only survive, but truly thrive in under-resourced communities around the world?We have powerful examples to learn from. Fab Labs have built a globally distributed community of practice around making and STEAM, establishing thousands of centers across hundreds of countries and democratizing access to digital fabrication tools such as 3D printers and laser cutters. On the other hand, India’s Atal Tinkering Mission has set up thousands of open learning makerspaces in schools, where children learn to tinker, experiment, and solve real-world problems through structured programs. Both initiatives have demonstrated impact on students’ STEAM learning, innovation, and entrepreneurial skills.Yet common challenges persist: sustaining these spaces, building strong support networks, developing skills to operate and maintain equipment, ensuring access to resources at both individual and institutional levels, managing operational logistics, and integrating pedagogy into the curriculum. As a result, these models remain difficult to replicate or scale in under-resourced contexts where resources are scarce, teacher capacity is limited, and infrastructure is unreliable.Can open technology and AI change that equation?This session presents both the wins and challenges from existing networks and how these learnings are being used to build a proof of concept: ZubHub for Educators. ZubHub is an open-source, facilitation-first platform designed for under-resourced contexts: a community-driven tool for teaching creative, STEAM, and activity-based learning. It aspires to support an open STEAM educator network that can be scaled and sustained.ZubHub features low-cost activity alternatives, making hands-on learning possible even with limited resources. Its multilingual design includes AI-assisted translation for diverse language contexts. An AI-assisted content creation feature helps educators document and structure activities for reuse and sharing. A dedicated facilitation mode allows educators to enter a “teaching mode,” with built-in time tracking and community note-taking. Engagement tracking across sessions and resources helps surface widely used activities, encouraging adoption and inspiring more educators to facilitate them.Through this session, we’ll invite participants to reflect on how they would actively use ZubHub as educators for facilitating sessions, creating and adapting content, and engaging with communities. How might it fit into day-to-day teaching practice? How could its design support building open STEAM networks in local, regional, or global contexts? What would they change or adapt?Participants will leave with concrete ideas and practical starting points for using and shaping tools like ZubHub to build open, scalable, and sustainable STEAM educator networks.
Speakers
avatar for Srishti Sethi

Srishti Sethi

Co-founder, Unstructured Studio
Srishti Sethi has worked in open education for over a decade through the design, development, and advocacy of open-source educational tools. She is co-founder of Unstructured Studio, a not-for-profit working with children and educators in rural India and other under-resourced contexts... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

Creating Inclusive Multilingual Resources for all
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 33725

Nowadays, it is difficult to preserve one's own languages, culture, and identity because of displacement; migration; wars happening in some parts of the world; the long-term effects of COVID-19; and the dominance of major world languages in educational and media spaces. Yet for many children who speak minority, heritage, or otherwise underserved languages, access to meaningful literacy resources remains limited. Children thrive when they can see, hear, and read themselves in the materials around them.  Books, audio materials, digital stories, and other juvenile resources are often unavailable in the languages they use at home and in their communities due to the aforementioned factors. This lack of access is not simply a matter of missing materials; it also affects language maintenance, educational participation, cultural continuity, and a child’s sense of identity and belonging. When young people do not have access to their languages in spaces of learning, they may begin to see those languages as less valuable, less visible, or less worthy of preservation. Creating inclusive multilingual resources is essential for children and families who speak underserved and heritage languages to have meaningful access to literacy, learning, and cultural representation. In many communities, the shortage of books, digital stories, audio materials, and other juvenile resources in local or heritage languages limits not only educational opportunities but also identity, belonging, and long-term language maintenance. This proposal focuses on how open education and collaborative community-based practices can support the creation and sharing of multilingual resources that are accessible, culturally relevant, and responsive to the needs of underserved language communities. Drawing on the ongoing work through Indiana University Bloomington’s Books & Beyond and Multilingual Minds projects on Yoruba and Burmese-speaking communities in Indianapolis, this session highlights how community building, collaboration, and open educational practices can help writers, educators, illustrators, translators, and community members work together to produce resources for children and families. By centering open educational practices, this proposal asks how multilingual resources can be created in ways that are adaptable, shareable, and responsive to community needs. Open approaches make it possible to think beyond access in the narrow sense of cost alone. They allow us to consider who gets to create knowledge, whose language practices are recognized, and how communities can build resources that reflect their histories, values, and aspirations. In this way, open education becomes a means of supporting equity, accessibility, and participation rather than simply distributing materials more widely.The proposal also considers how broader issues such as linguistic dominance, limited funding, displacement, and unequal access to publishing opportunities shape the production of multilingual materials. We choose to prioritize accessibility, equity, and inclusion and invite participants to think about multilingual resource creation as both an educational and community-building practice that supports heritage language maintenance and strengthens identity and belonging.
Speakers
avatar for Comfort Adejoke Durojaiye

Comfort Adejoke Durojaiye

Indiana University, Bloomington.
Comfort Adejoke Durojaiye is a PhD student in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington, where her work centers on language policy, cultural identity, multilingual education, and indigenous language revitalization. She is an educator, researcher... Read More →
avatar for Kaung Myat

Kaung Myat

Indiana University Bloomington
Kaung Myat is a Ph.D. student in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington, with over a decade of experience in teaching, research, and community engagement across Myanmar and the United States. He currently serves as a Burmese Language Adjunct Instructor... Read More →
JF

Jonas Fos

Indiana University, Bloomington.
Master's Student, Library & Information Science and Folklore & EthnomusicologyIndiana University BloomingtonJonas Fos is a Master's Student in Library Science and Folklore & Ethnomusicology at Indiana University Bloomington. His research interests focus on the intersection between... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

Don’t I Know You?: Re-Designing Open Programming for Inventive Collaboration
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 33460

Open Education programming often favors the familiar, but curiosity and connection can take us somewhere meaningful and new. This talk explores what happens when we treat programming not as event planning, but as relationship-building. Grounded in this approach, it highlights how curiosity, informal conversations, and community feedback can lead to more inclusive, responsive, and collaborative programming that upholds knowledge as a public good.I’ll briefly share two experimental formats shaped by this philosophy: 1) From the Field, and 2) Open Exchange – both designed to create space for dialogue, not just delivery. In Open Exchange, for example, sessions aren’t recorded by design, encouraging participants to speak freely, reflect openly, and engage in richer, more candid conversations, reinforcing collective knowledge-building.Working in “inventive spaces” means making room for new perspectives, unexpected connections, and the kinds of conversations that don’t always fit neatly into a traditional webinar, but matter just the same. In a field that values openness, this is an invitation to consider not just what we share, but who we make space for, how we design it, and who we might become as a result of the shared reinvention of knowledge. 
Speakers
avatar for Heather Blicher

Heather Blicher

Director, Community College Consortium for OER (CCCOER), Open Education Global
Heather Blicher is the Director of the Community College Consortium for OER (CCCOER) with Open Education Global, where she leads efforts to expand and support Open Education across community and technical colleges in North America. A passionate advocate for access, equity, and collaboration... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

Experiences of online faculty in using open pedagogy to support social justice
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 32503

It is often assumed that open education, by virtue of improving access to education, de facto supports social justice, but this is not the case. Additionally, online learning is generally thought to improve students' access to education because of the flexibility in when and where to learn that is possible, but it can, in fact, be a site of social injustice for historically marginalized students. As a result, using open pedagogy in an online course to support social justice requires intentionality on the part of the instructor.For my dissertation, I completed a qualitative, interpretive phenomenological study underpinned by critical theory that sought to answer this central research question: What are the experiences of post-secondary faculty members who teach online using open pedagogy to support social justice? My study was situated within the context of one post-secondary institution located in British Columbia, Canada, and faculty who teach online courses using open pedagogy to support social justice were interviewed.The results revealed that faculty members conceptualize social justice in a variety of ways, primarily focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion of identities, as well as removing systemic barriers. They operationalize social justice through using open pedagogy by centring student voices, diverse perspectives, and learner agency. As well, faculty members engage in social justice leadership development by valuing lifelong learning; engaging in professional development on a variety of topics and in a variety of ways; and welcoming, valuing, and incorporating student feedback and input. The results also revealed they need to be more direct and explicit in expressing their support of social justice by using open pedagogy. Accordingly, I developed a social justice model of open pedagogy that faculty members could use to help plan how they will engage in open pedagogy to support social justice while avoiding the perpetuation of teaching practices that can be marginalizing. Despite some limitations of the research stemming from the study design and the geopolitical context, future research could more deeply explore the risks faculty members face when using open pedagogy in support of social justice.
Speakers
MA

Melissa Ashman

Instructor, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Melissa Ashman is an instructor of business communications, public relations, and entrepreneurial leadership at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. An advocate for all things open, she has adapted and created open textbooks, developed and used open pedagogy assignments and practices... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

From Classroom to Community: Open Pedagogy for Inclusive Care
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 32982

This project reimagines open educational practice in junior-level nursing education by integrating open pedagogy, transparent AI use, and public-facing knowledge sharing to address real-world barriers to equitable health care. Embedded in an undergraduate Chronic Care course, nursing students engage with open educational resources (OERs) focused on special populations in public health, including faith traditions and spiritual worldviews, as well as stateless, displaced, refugee, asylum-seeking, and immigrant populations. The OER content provides students with a structured, accessible introduction to how culture, belief systems, migration histories, legal status, trauma exposure, and structural barriers can shape health behaviors, trust, access to care, and the continuity of care.Rather than presenting populations as fixed categories, the OER emphasizes complexity, intersectionality, and the limitations of labels. Students are encouraged to move beyond assumptions and instead approach care through cultural humility, trauma-informed practice, and patient-centered communication. The content introduces practical strategies for asking respectful questions, assessing barriers to care, using interpreters appropriately, and aligning care plans with patient values and priorities when clinically safe to do so. In this way, the OER serves not only as informational content, but also as a framework for helping students think more critically and compassionately about the lived realities that influence chronic illness management.Students then select one population focus and apply that learning to develop an evidence-based safety bundle for the management of a chronic condition covered in the course. Using AI transparently as a co-creator rather than a ghostwriter, students are supported in shaping and refining their bundles while remaining responsible for the clinical reasoning and final product. The assignment requires students to connect population-specific considerations to concrete nursing care and to translate broader public health and social context concepts into practical, patient-centered interventions. Each bundle includes evidence-based interventions, culturally responsive patient education, attention to faith and spirituality considerations or legal status and migration-related stressors, and SMART goals to support safe, individualized care planning. In doing so, students deepen their understanding of how inclusive care planning can improve safety, communication, adherence, and continuity in chronic disease management.Students then share their work as a “living poster,” creating an open-access learning resource that classmates can use and build upon. This public-facing component extends the assignment beyond individual course completion and positions students as contributors to a shared knowledge commons. By combining OER content, applied bundle design, and ethical AI-supported learning, this project demonstrates how open educational practices can foster deeper understanding, strengthen clinical judgment, and generate practical, practice-ready resources for the public good.
Speakers
avatar for Andrea Reed

Andrea Reed

From Classroom to Community: Open Pedagogy for Inclusive Care, Virginia Commonwealth University
Andrea Reed is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she teaches in the undergraduate nursing program, and is part of the National League of Nursing Social Determinants of Health 2026 Leadership Cohort. Andrea co-leads the VCU Institute for Women’s... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

From Consumers to Contributors: Exploring How Participation in Open Publishing Influences Student Belonging
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 31857

Open pedagogy offers students the opportunity to move from passive consumers of knowledge to active contributors in public knowledge ecosystems. However, less is known about how students experience this transition, particularly when their work is shared beyond the classroom. This presentation shares insights from a qualitative study exploring students’ experiences with open publishing, including contributions to open-access publications and open educational resources (OER). It examines how participation in open publishing shapes students’ sense of belonging, inclusion, and academic identity, while also considering how these experiences may vary across different backgrounds, disciplines, and learning contexts.Drawing on student narratives, the session highlights emerging themes related to authorship, visibility, and legitimacy. Students describe how contributing to public knowledge resources influences their sense of belonging—feeling recognized, valued, and connected to both classroom and broader scholarly communities. Many students reported increased motivation, engagement, and confidence as they experienced themselves as legitimate knowledge creators, while also navigating concerns about vulnerability, imposter syndrome, and perceived credibility. By centering student voices, the study illuminates the human dimensions of open pedagogy and demonstrates how fostering belonging can strengthen participation, identity development, and learning outcomes.The presentation also provides an overview of the study’s methodology, including participant recruitment, ethical considerations, and thematic coding of interview data. Reflections on lessons learned as emerging researchers highlight practical strategies for supporting students’ agency, ensuring ethical research practices, and designing open assignments that promote belonging and inclusion.Situating these findings within the broader landscape of open education, the session underscores how open pedagogy supports collaborative, participatory, and globally connected learning. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of students’ experiences in open publishing and actionable insights for creating inclusive opportunities that strengthen belonging, encourage public contribution, and recognize students as co-creators of knowledge. This session will be particularly valuable for instructors, librarians, and researchers interested in understanding how open practices can both empower students and foster meaningful connections within learning communities.
Speakers
avatar for Ginelle Baskin

Ginelle Baskin

Assistant Professor and Open Education Librarian, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)
Ginelle Baskin is the Open Education Librarian at Middle Tennessee State University, where she leads campus initiatives to advance textbook affordability and the adoption of open educational resources (OER). She works closely with faculty, departments, and campus partners to support... Read More →
KW
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

From Numbers to Narratives: Using Data Storytelling to Demonstrate OER Impact and ROI
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 33956

Open Educational Resources (OER) initiatives require sustainable support from institutional stakeholders, and compelling data stories are essential for demonstrating their value. This lightning talk will showcase practical approaches for collecting, analyzing, and presenting data narratives that illustrate OER's return on investment (ROI) and institutional impact. Drawing from Texas A&M University's institutional experience, this session will highlight how to transform raw data into persuasive stories that resonate with various audiences. Attendees will learn how to leverage multiple institutional data sources including enrollment data, library usage statistics, and purchasing data to craft compelling narratives about OER adoption and impact. The presentation will demonstrate how to calculate and visualize student cost savings, analyze enrollment patterns in OER courses, and track adoption rates across departments and colleges in ways that tell meaningful stories that advance institutional missions around affordability and accessibility. A key focus of this session is moving beyond simple numbers to create narratives that illustrate the human impact of OER programs. Data storytelling allows practitioners to connect quantitative metrics—such as dollars saved and courses offered—to qualitative outcomes that matter to stakeholders: improved student access, reduced financial barriers, and institutional commitment to affordability. By framing data within these broader narratives, OER advocates can demonstrate how their work directly supports institutional goals and student success. Real-world examples from Texas A&M will illustrate how data storytelling can support advocacy efforts, secure funding for OER programs, and encourage faculty adoption. Attendees will see how presenting evidence of cost savings alongside adoption metrics through compelling narratives creates powerful arguments for program sustainability and expansion. The talk will explore practical visualization techniques and dashboard development that make complex data accessible and actionable for different audiences, from faculty champions to senior administrators.  
Speakers
avatar for Lindsey Todorovich

Lindsey Todorovich

Open Education Librarian, Texas A&M University
Lindsey Todorovich works as an Open Education Librarian at Texas A&M University, where she manages the OpenEd department’s data dashboard. Her work supports evidence-based decision making, strategic outreach initiatives, and efforts to advance course affordability across campus... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

From Open Resources to Open Pathways: Leveraging OER to Expand Concurrent Enrollment Access
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 33904

From Open Resources to Open Pathways: Leveraging OER to Expand Concurrent Enrollment AccessThis session will examine the maturation of Open Educational Resources (OER) practices within a statewide online public charter school, and how these practices have facilitated the development of strategic partnerships designed to enhance equitable access to concurrent enrollment (CE) opportunities. The presentation will detail the progression from initial open course publication to the current application of data-informed curriculum refinement, professional learning community collaboration, and emerging content development supported by generative AI. By sharing program outcomes, metrics of student success, and the relevant policy context, the session aims to illustrate how coordinated secondary–postsecondary partnerships can effectively bolster transfer readiness, improve academic performance, and establish scalable pathways that align the philosophy of open education with institutional objectives for access, persistence, and workforce preparation.
Speakers
avatar for DeLaina Tonks

DeLaina Tonks

Executive Director, Mountain Heights Academy
Dr. DeLaina Tonks has been involved in education since 1991, as a teacher, instructional designer, and administrator. Prior to coming to Mountain Heights Academy, she taught high school French and Spanish in Upper Arlington, Ohio. DeLaina is a 2020 “Best of State – Administrator... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

Integrating Interactive 3D Physics Simulations into Open Educational Resources and Textbooks
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 32762

Physics is often seen as abstract and difficult, especially when students only learn from static text and equations. In my teaching experience, many students struggle to visualize what is really happening. This session introduces 3JCN Physics Simulation, a free online platform with over 330 interactive 3D simulations that help make complex physics concepts easier to understand through visualization and interaction.In this session, I will share how I use these simulations in my classes and how they can be integrated into open educational resources (OER) and physics textbooks. Instead of only reading formulas, students can change parameters, observe results, and build intuition step by step. This approach helps connect theory with real physical meaning and supports different learning styles.I will demonstrate several simulations from topics such as mechanics, waves, electricity and magnetism, and modern physics. I will also show simple ways to embed these simulations into online materials or digital textbooks without requiring advanced programming skills.This work is based on my experience teaching physics for more than 20 years, where I have seen that visualization and interaction can significantly improve student understanding. I will also briefly discuss teaching strategies such as active learning and using simulations for concept exploration and discussion.Participants will leave with practical ideas on how to use interactive simulations in their own teaching. All simulations are freely available, and I hope this work can support wider access to quality physics education around the world.I welcome feedback, ideas, and possible collaboration from the open education community.
Speakers
avatar for Thomas Nguyen

Thomas Nguyen

Adjunct Physics Instructor, Palomar College
Thomas Nguyen is an adjunct physics instructor in San Diego, California, with over 20 years of teaching experience in the United States and Vietnam. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and two master’s degrees in physics and computer science. Thomas specializes in developing... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

MIT OpenCourseWare To Go: Extending Open Knowledge to Mobile Learners Globally
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 33950

MIT OpenCourseWare To Go (https://ocwtogo.mit.edu/) reflects MIT’s long-standing commitment to upholding knowledge as a public good by expanding access to free, open educational resources for learners everywhere—especially those with limited or intermittent connectivity. OCW To Go enables learners to download curated MIT OpenCourseWare courses to mobile devices for offline use, including videos, making open learning portable and inclusive. As open education continues to expand globally, ensuring that knowledge is not limited by infrastructure remains a critical challenge. This session shows how open, offline‑capable technologies can help uphold knowledge as a public good, particularly for learners in mobile‑first and low‑connectivity contexts.For more than twenty-five years, MIT OpenCourseWare has embodied a vision of unlocking knowledge for the benefit of all. Since its launch in 2001, OCW has grown to reach over 500 million learners globally. Yet achieving the vision of anytime, anywhere learning has often depended on reliable Internet access, sufficient bandwidth, and a computer whether a laptop or desktop. The growing use of mobile devices to access OCW, 30% on average with some countries exceeding 50% mobile use, led the team to explore how to better serve these users. OCW To Go overcomes prior constraints by bringing the OCW experience into a learner’s pocket without Internet connectivity.OCW To Go addresses long-standing technical barriers posed by mobile operating systems, which traditionally prevent full websites from being stored and viewed locally. Learners browse a curated list of courses, select a course to download including optional videos and view them in a web browser on their mobile device while offline. The result is a soon-to-be open source, progressive web app that functions as a self-contained local web server on a learner’s device. Course materials are stored in the browser’s local storage and accessed offline, with video downloads available based on learner selection to respect bandwidth and storage limitations.OCW To Go empowers learners to engage with open education on their own terms—wherever they are and whenever they want. As a work in progress, OCW To Go invites collaboration, feedback, and shared invention from the global open education community as we collectively advance open practices and safeguard access to knowledge for the benefit of all.
Speakers
avatar for Curt Newton

Curt Newton

Director, MIT OpenCourseWare, MIT Open Learning
Curt Newton leads MIT OpenCourseWare in supporting millions of global learners and educators every year with freely shared materials from over 2,500 MIT courses. He joined OpenCourseWare in 2004, shortly after its launch, captivated by the promise of open education, and worked as... Read More →
BM
HV

Hardi Vajir

MBA Candidate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Hardi Vanir is a product leader passionate about building technology at the intersection of AI and social impact. At MIT Sloan, I am conducting AI research on communication and empathy, leading mentorship initiatives as VP of Sloan Women in Management, and pursuing a certificate in... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

OER and General Education as “Good, Necessary Trouble”
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 30934

Those who teach general education courses or who advise frequently hear the dreaded question: “Why do I have to take this course?” In higher education, there is a near-constant battle concerning the worth of a college education. Yet, we do not often have effective student-facing ways to frame why we have such requirements.The open access textbook Why Do I Have to Take This Course? A Guide to General Education, published with the Remixing Open Textbooks through an Equity Lens project, helps students think about why they take General Education courses through the lens of U.S. Representative/Civil Rights activist John Lewis’ philosophy of “good, necessary trouble.” Building on S.R. Lambert’s “Changing our (dis)course” (2018), this approach has underscored the value of OER and open education more broadly as ways to engage students with how general education provides a basis of knowledge and skills for creating social change, helping us to move from where we are to where we aspire to be.
Speakers
avatar for Kisha Tracy

Kisha Tracy

Professor, English Studies, Fitchburg State University
Dr. Kisha G. Tracy is a Professor and Chair of English Studies and Chair of the General Education Program at Fitchburg State University. She received her Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from the University of Connecticut. In addition to several articles, her first book was published by... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

Open Access 3D Printed Anatomical Models for Health Sciences Education
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 33981

Human anatomy is foundational to health science education and a core course in many undergraduate degree programs, including pre-med, pre-nursing, pre-dental, biomedical engineering, kinesiology, and exercise science.  Anatomy instruction relies heavily on hands-on 3D tools, including human cadaveric body and organ donation, plastic models, and skeleton models, which are essential for teaching anatomical relationships and spatial reasoning.  While these tactile resources are among the most important pedagogically, they are also the most expensive (ranging from $100 - $10,000 per model), a burden which increases lab fees for students and makes them financially inaccessible for many institutions.  The recent explosion of 3D printing technology has the potential to revolutionize anatomy education by lowering the cost of anatomical models, thereby improving access to resources across health sciences programs. The Modern Human Anatomy Program at University of Colorado Anschutz recently launched an open-access repository, called the Colorado OER Anatomy Hub, that hosts 3D-printable models of human organs paired with teaching guides for classroom implementation. Models can be downloaded and printed for free by anyone in the world with access to a 3D printer at a fraction of the cost of commercial models. We piloted 3D printed heart and brain models in 7 anatomy courses across 5 universities in Colorado and solicited feedback through a student survey assessing helpfulness, ease of use, engagement, and satisfaction. Across 821 completed surveys, respondents rated the models highly on all measures (mean Likert scores: 4.0–4.2 out of 5), with 78–87% agreeing or strongly agreeing that the models aided spatial visualization, were easy to use, enhanced engagement, and positively contributed to their learning experience. Moreover, 82% of students recommended the 3D printed models for future students and provided suggestions for modifications and improvements. This presentation will discuss these findings along with the theoretical, practical, and ethical considerations for 3D printing in anatomy education. Ultimately, we aim to empower educators to develop, use, and share OER 3D printed organ models to enhance student access and engagement in health sciences education.
Speakers
ZS

Zachary Stetter

Academic Services Principal Professional, University of Colorado Anschutz
Zachary D. Stetter, MS, is a human anatomical and 3D modeling Principal Professional in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. They manage the 3D printing lab within the Modern Human Anatomy program, alongside providing... Read More →
avatar for Maureen Stabio

Maureen Stabio

Associate Professor & Executive Director, Modern Human Anatomy Program, University of Colorado Anschutz
Maureen E. Stabio, PhD (née Estevez) is an associate professor in the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology and Executive Director of the Modern Human Anatomy (MHA) Program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado. She directs neurosciences courses... Read More →
EH

Ezra Heeschen

Business Services Principal Professional, University of Colorado Anschutz
Ezra Heeschen is the OER program manager in the Modern Human Anatomy Program in the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado Anschutz.Ezra Heeschen is the OER program manager in the Modern Human Anatomy Program in the Department of Cell & Developmental... Read More →
SS

Steven Summers

Medical Student, University of Colorado Anschutz
Steven Summers is a Medical Student attending the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz. He has interest in 3D printing, student education and mentoring, and ophthalmology.
CL

Chelsea Lohman

Associate Professor & Executive Vice Director, Modern Human Anatomy Program, University of Colorado Anschutz
Chelsea Lohman, PhD is an associate professor in the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology and Executive Vice Director of the Modern Human Anatomy (MHA) Program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado. She directs gross anatomy courses in both... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

Promoting the UNESCO Sustainable Development Goals with Institutional Repositories
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 32242

In 2025, Excelsior University launched its first institutional repository, known as SOAR. Its mission is to showcase the work of the Excelsior University community, including faculty, staff, and students. All of the work featured on SOAR is openly available. An institutional repository is also a great way to promote the UNESCO Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Research has shown that aligning an author’s work with the SDGs increases citation rates, research visibility, and policy changes. This presentation will share how SOAR incorporates the SDGs into its metadata. Additionally, authors are asked to choose the Goal that best reflects their work in SOAR’s submission form. By having authors think about the goals early on in the submission process, authors can envision the global impact of their works.   
Speakers
MC

Melissa Chim

Scholarly Communications Librarian, Excelsior University
Melissa Chim is the first Scholarly Communications Librarian at Excelsior University where she both created and manages the university’s scholarly publishing platform and institutional repository. She holds an MLIS from St. John’s University and an MA in History from Queen Mary... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)

4:15pm EDT

Reinventing assessment as an open educational practice: an experience in a posgraduate course in Uruguay
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
ID: 33147

In this presentation, we address the course "Assessment: a general perspective and a focus on the classroom," which is part of the Specialization and Master's Program in Didactics of Higher Education (Instituto Educación, Universidad CLAEH).Since its original version, which I have been responsible for since 2015, the proposal has evolved over time, particularly following its redesign into a fully online format due to the health emergency (2020). As we will describe in this communication, the course's evolution reflects a growing openness, both in my own teaching practice regarding assessment and in the associated involvement of its participants, who engage as peer colleagues and protagonists in their own assessment and the overall experience.The course’s guiding threads seek to foster in participants the development of an assessment model oriented toward learning, grounded in informed, well-founded reflection on theory and classroom practice. The module is organized around assessment in university classrooms; this theme is present not only in the content but also serves as a foundational pillar in the development of activities and feedback, as part of continuous assessment within a participatory, collaborative, and critically reflective approach that runs throughout the course. The course design interweaves different frameworks: on the one hand, the didactic model, inspired by teaching for understanding; on the other, the design of online teaching, strongly influenced by collaborative learning and learning communities (Czerwonogora, 2025). This articulation generates a novel framework that combines theoretical perspectives expressed through situated praxis. Assessment and feedback are central throughout the course's trajectory, in a constant back-and-forth between theory and reflection on participants’ teaching practices, as well as the collaborative construction of a "task situated in a real context" with peer assessment.In keeping with my commitment to the open movement and the aim of providing a transparent and collaborative learning experience (open teaching, Couros, 2010), the course also promotes critical consumption of content, the use of free and/or open-source tools and software, the incorporation of open licenses, and the synthesis of knowledge through the shared development of learning networks. For students, the experience proves to be "demanding, engaging, ethical, intense, dizzying, different, yet highly enriching; challenging, yet empowering"; it fosters "constant critical reflection and encourages creativity in my thinking."This reinvention of assessment presented here is grounded in an expansive conceptualization of open educational practices, allowing for multiple points of access and pathways to openness (Cronin & MacLaren, 2018). The broad definition of OEP underlying this proposal does not rely on the inclusion of open educational resources. Rather, it is expressed as emancipatory praxis (Grundy, 1987) that challenges the traditional approach to assessment in teaching practices.
Speakers
AC

Ada Czerwonogora

Universidad CLAEH (Centro Latinoamericano de Economía Humana)
She holds a PhD in Natural Sciences (Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo) and a PhD in Philosophy (Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación) from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina; a Master's degree in Virtual Learning Environments (Universidad de Panam... Read More →
Friday October 9, 2026 4:15pm - 4:30pm EDT
Video
  Lightning Talk (View Anytime)
 
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