Name: Creating Community Through Curiosity: Student Authored Open Texts at the Queensland University of Technology
Start: 2026-10-08T15:35:00-0400
End: 2026-10-08T16:05:00-0400

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

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

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OEGlobal 2026

Sal Kleine

Michael Hawks

Gabrielle Hayes

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Success you have shared X tickets.

OEGlobal 2026

Sal Kleine

Michael Hawks

Gabrielle Hayes

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