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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

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