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Inventing Open Together: A Massachusetts Snapshot of Statewide Collaboration
Thursday October 8, 2026 4:20pm - 5:25pm EDT
3 Room I
ID: 33778

Open Education (OE) doesn’t scale through tools or policies alone, but through relationships, and Massachusetts offers a vivid example of that work in progress. What becomes possible when OE is approached not just as an institutional effort, but as a statewide, collaborative ecosystem? The Open & Low-Cost Educational Resources Advisory Council (OLERAC) advances statewide efforts to reduce educational costs, promote equity, and support the creation and recognition of open knowledge.This panel offers an evolving snapshot of Open Education in Massachusetts, with a focus on community colleges and the work of OLERAC. Through faculty and administrative perspectives, panelists will explore how cross-institutional collaboration, shared infrastructure, and community-driven approaches are shaping more sustainable and equitable open practices.Rather than presenting a single model, this session highlights work in progress: efforts to scale course marking, support faculty engagement, and navigate emerging questions around sustainability, accessibility, and artificial intelligence. Panelists will reflect on both successes and ongoing challenges, including the realities of coordinating across systems, roles, and capacity constraints.Grounded in the conference theme, this session invites participants into the conversation. After a brief panel discussion, attendees will engage in a full-room dialogue to share how similar (or different) efforts are unfolding in their own states, regions, or countries. Together, we will surface ideas, tensions, and possibilities for “inventing” more connected and resilient open ecosystems.
Speakers
avatar for Chris Laney

Chris Laney

Professor of History & Coordinator, Honors Scholar Program, Berkshire Community College
Chris Laney teaches history and serves as the Honors Program Coordinator at Berkshire Community College.  He has used OER since 2019 and is a member of the BCC OER Committee and the Massachusetts OLERAC.  He lives on a homestead in Western Massachusetts with his family and an assortment... Read More →
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Gina Foley

Associate Professor of Biology, Berkshire Community College
Gina Foley is an Associate Professor of Biology at Berkshire Community College, where she has spent the past two decades teaching and supporting STEM students. During a recent sabbatical, she developed Storytelling in Biology, an OER resource that uses powerful real-world stories... Read More →
avatar for Bernadette Sibuma

Bernadette Sibuma

Director, Online Learning, Massachusetts Bay Community College
Bernadette Sibuma, Ed.D., is the Director of Online Learning at Massachusetts Bay Community College.  She serves as a current member of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education’s Open and Low-Cost Educational Resources Advisory Council (MA OLERAC) and the OLERAC Assessment... Read More →
CD

Ceit De Vitto

Sr. Special Programs Coordinator/Open Education, Bunker Hill Community College
Ceit De Vitto holds an M.E.d. in Instructional Design, from UMass Boston. Since 2018 she has worked for Bunker Hill Community College as the Open Education Cooridinator. She also chairs the Course Flagging Committee for Massachusetts Department of Higher Education’s Open and Low-Cost... Read More →
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 →
Thursday October 8, 2026 4:20pm - 5:25pm EDT
3 Room I MIT Samberg Conference Center, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 USA
  Panel

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