Attending the OE Global conference in Cambridge, MA? Join us for an informal meetup at Eastern Edge Food Hall. Everyone attending the conference is welcome to meet up, grab your own dinner, and hang out in the food hall area. We have a private indoor space reserved, and there is also an outdoor terrace if the weather is nice.

Location: Eastern Edge Food Hall

Address: 290 Main St, Cambridge, MA 02142

Association members are invited to join us for a special preview of forthcoming research from Course Material Monitor, a new independent research initiative being launched by the Open Education Association and Bay View Analytics this fall. This session will provide a sneak preview of new research on the cost of course materials and gather feedback as we prepare to publish the first report.

This session will not be recorded, but the new research will be published later this fall.

We acknowledge the generous support of the Michelson 20MM Foundation.

Audience: Members Only

Open education conferences and convenings can play an important role in building community, sharing practice, and creating momentum for open education. But planning an event that is engaging, sustainable, and responsive to your community requires more than choosing a date and developing a program.

Join the Open Education Association for an affinity conversation focused on planning open education conferences and events. Whether you are organizing a statewide convening, institutional event, regional conference, or virtual gathering, this session will offer an opportunity to learn from others doing similar work, exchange ideas, and talk through common challenges.

During the conversation, participants will:

• Share approaches to designing conferences and convenings that meet community needs.

• Discuss considerations such as format, programming, speakers, accessibility, logistics, and budget.

• Explore strategies for encouraging participation and creating meaningful opportunities for connection.

• Exchange lessons learned, useful resources, and ideas that can make event planning easier and more sustainable.

Come prepared to share what has worked for you, ask questions, or simply learn from others planning open education events.

Facilitators: 

• Amanda Larson MA, MLIS, AERI Program Coordinator, The Ohio State University

• Chelsee Dickson, Ed.D, Assistant Director of Academic Engagement & Instruction, Scholarly Publishing and Research, and Librarian Associate Professor of Library Science, Kennesaw State University

This event has concluded, but you can watch the recording.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the student experience in higher education, often faster than institutions can establish clear protections. Hosted by the Open Education Association, this webinar explores what students are owed as AI becomes embedded in their education, and what open education practitioners can do about it.

The session will open with a presentation from Student Defense, introducing their Student AI Bill of Rights and the principles it establishes around transparency, human oversight, data ownership, safety, and access to AI's benefits. This will be followed by a panel discussion connecting these rights to the realities of OER and open pedagogy work, including questions of student data, authorship, agency, experience, and access. The webinar will close with time for informal discussion among attendees.

Whether you're new to thinking about AI and student rights or already grappling with these questions in your own practice, this webinar will offer a grounding in the Student AI Bill of Rights and offer practical perspectives from faculty, librarians, and students on what it means for open education.

Presenter:

• Dan Zibel, Vice President & Chief Counsel, Student Defense

Dan Zibel is the Vice President & Chief Legal Counsel of Student Defense. He has substantial experience working on consumer protection issues in higher education, and the authority of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to oversee schools and other participants in Federal Student Aid programs. Before co-founding Student Defense, he served as the Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Postsecondary Education in ED. He’s currently a litigator on several Student Defense lawsuits, including protecting SNAP recipients’ data from government overreach, and attempting to stop the Trump administration’s dismantling of ED. He also co-leads Student Defense’s Safeguarding Higher-Ed Through AI Practices & Ethics (SHAPE) AI Initiative. It launched in September 2025 to provide strategic guidance, policy recommendations, and educational resources that promote ethical, responsible, student-friendly, and transparent uses of AI in higher education.

Panelists:

• Amber Lynn Anderson, Master’s Student in Professional and Technical Writing, University of Arkansas at Little Rock 

  Amber Lynn Anderson is a nonfiction editor and master’s student in Professional and Technical Writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she recently earned her BA in Professional and Technical Writing. As an undergraduate, she participated in an open-pedagogy project in Advanced Editing, serving as a co-author of Open Professional and Technical Editing with Handbook, an open textbook designed to support students and educators in the field. Her interests include nonfiction writing, editing, and teaching college-level writing courses.

• Virginia Clinton-Lisell, Professor, Education, Health & Behavior, University of North Dakota

  Virginia Clinton-Lisell, PhD, is a Professor in Educational Foundations and Research at the University of North Dakota. She holds a masters’ degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from New York University and a doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Clinton-Lisell’s research focuses on digital reading comprehension and open education. She is the Primary Researcher for the Open Education Group, which provides mentorship and support for early career researchers on open education projects.

• Tiffani Tijerina, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Writing, University of Arkansas at Little Rock 

  Tiffani Tijerina, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She holds a Ph.D. in Technical Communication and Rhetoric from Texas Tech University and an M.A. in Instructional Design and Technology from Georgia State University. Dr. Tijerina’s research and teaching focus on technical and professional writing and editing, open education, and instructional design. She is the editor of the Open Education Award-winning Pedagogy Opened: Innovative Theory and Practice, first author of the Open Education Award-winning Open Technical Communication 1e and 2e, and faculty author of the recently published open pedagogy project Open Professional and Technical Editing with Handbook.

• David Tully, Principal Librarian for Student Affordability, North Carolina State University 

  David Tully serves as the Principal Librarian for Student Affordability at NC State University Libraries, overseeing the dual pillars of open education and student scholarship fundraising. He advances open education as a tool for both cost reduction and pedagogical enrichment, helping faculty create flexible, student-centered learning environments. Additionally, David leads strategic fundraising and management for the student scholarship program, partnering with donors to deliver direct financial relief and create opportunities for long-term student success.

The first 60 minutes of this webinar will be recorded and made available following the event.

This webinar has concluded but you can watch the recording and view the slides.

Microcredentials are gaining real momentum on campuses across the country, and it is a conversation open education advocates should be part of. As institutions explore and expand their microcredential offerings, there is opportunity to ensure open education is integrated into that work. Hosted by the Open Education Association, this webinar is designed to prepare you to find those conversations on your campus, get involved, and know what to say once you are in the room.

The session will include a high-level overview by Lisa Young on what microcredentials are, where conversations are happening and how open education advocates can meaningfully engage. This will be followed by a panel discussion offering candid insights and perspectives on bridging these two communities and time for informal discussion among all attendees.

Whether you are just beginning to explore how open education connects to microcredentials on your campus or looking for concrete strategies to bring these efforts into alignment, this webinar will give you the language, the entry points, and the tools to move from parallel conversations to a shared vision.

Presenter:

• Lisa Young, Founder & Principal, EduEssentials Consulting

Panelists:

• Andrew Fisher, VPAA, Bristol Community College

• Kathryn Belous, Workforce Sector Strategies Administrator, Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity

• Dixie McMahon, Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives Executive, Workforce Development, Bank of America

The Open Education Association and SPARC are hosting open office hours for anyone interested in the Open Textbook Pilot Program. The Department of Labor, on behalf of the Department of Education, has opened the fiscal year 2026 competition with $7 million available for new awards. The program funds the creation and expansion of open textbooks that reduce costs for students in high-enrollment courses and in-demand fields.

Join us on Friday, May 29 at 1:00 PM Eastern to ask questions, discuss the opportunity with others, or connect with potential collaborators. Drop in any time. Applications are due June 23, 2026.

This webinar has concluded but you can watch the recording and view the slides.

Join us for a free peer reviewer training session designed to prepare you to participate in JOERHE's open peer review process, in which authors and reviewers know each other’s identities and can engage with each other throughout the editorial process. Peer reviewers receive scholarly credit through the publication of their peer review alongside the published article. 

During this session, you will learn the following: 

• What is open peer review? 

• What is the peer review process we use at JOERHE?

• What are we looking for in a peer review? 

• How do you provide kind and collegial feedback to authors?

Whether you're a first-time reviewer or simply looking for a refresher, this training will give you the tools and confidence to engage in a process built on kindness, collegiality, and genuine support for authors and the broader OER community.

Join the Open Education Association and Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) for an informal social hour connecting open education practitioners across the midwestern region. Come ready to meet others, share what you're working on, and build professional relationships with the people doing this work near you. 

Not from this region? Find the regional social hour that best represents you on our events page.

Audience: All are welcome

Join the Open Education Association and the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) for an informal social hour connecting open education practitioners across the Northeast region. Come ready to meet others, share what you're working on, and build professional relationships with the people doing this work near you. 

Not from this region? Find the regional social hour that best represents you on our events page.

Audience: All are welcome

Join the Open Education Association and the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) for an informal social hour connecting open education practitioners across the southern region. Come ready to meet others, share what you're working on, and build professional relationships with the people doing this work near you. 

Not from this region? Find the regional social hour that best represents you on our events page.

Audience: All are welcome

Join the Open Education Association and Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) for an informal social hour connecting open education practitioners across the western region. Come ready to meet others, share what you're working on, and build professional relationships with the people doing this work near you. 

Not from this region? Find the regional social hour that best represents you on our events page.

Audience: All are welcome

The Open Education Association is exploring the possibility of introducing a mentorship program and would like your input! We welcome association members to provide their feedback and ideas based on the current needs of the field.

This session will give a brief overview of the proposed initiative, then shift to an interactive feedback gathering session on specific aspects of a proposed program. If you prefer to contribute asynchronously, register to receive access to session materials.

Date & Time:
Thursday, April 2nd, 2026
3:00pm ET / 2:00pm CT / 1:00pm MT / 12:00pm PT

Audience: Members Only

This event has concluded, but you can view the slides and watch the recording.

Open education has made meaningful progress, yet the case hasn't reached many of the spaces where it could have an even greater impact. This webinar is for practitioners ready to take open education outside familiar circles. It will cover practical strategies for framing open education for new audiences and making the case in unfamiliar rooms, highlighting presenting at conferences as one concrete avenue for this work. 

The session will begin with a framing presentation, followed by a panel discussion. The speakers bring firsthand experience doing this across a range of contexts, from government and policy to fields well beyond the open education community. The webinar will be recorded and made available after the event.

Presenter:

• Lindsey Gwozdz, Assistant Dean of Library, Community College of Rhode Island

Panelists:

• Amanda Coolidge, VP Strategic Engagement and Growth, Pressbooks

• Ethan Senack, Assistant Director of Ops and Development, Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions

• Liliana Diaz Solodukhin, Senior Program Officer, Ascendium Education Group

Audience: All are welcome

You are invited to the Open Education Conference’s inaugural “Shut Up and Write!” working session. “Shut Up and Write!” is an established methodology to support dedicated time for writing.

With multiple upcoming deadlines for open education conferences — including the OpenEd26 deadline on April 3rd — this is a great opportunity to develop a proposal idea, start writing, or refine a draft. The session is beginner friendly and open to anyone, including those unsure about submitting or what to write.

The session will begin with a brief opening with tips on effective conference proposal writing, followed by quiet time for writing. The group will reconvene at the end to share progress. The focus will be OpenEd26 proposals but participants are welcome to work on any conference.

Learn More

• OpenEd26 Call for Proposals

• Other upcoming proposal deadlines

• About the “Shut Up and Write!” method

Audience: All are welcome

You are invited to the Open Education Conference’s inaugural “Shut Up and Write!” working session. “Shut Up and Write!” is an established methodology to support dedicated time for writing.

With multiple upcoming deadlines for open education conferences — including the OpenEd26 deadline on April 3rd — this is a great opportunity to develop a proposal idea, start writing, or refine a draft. The session is beginner friendly and open to anyone, including those unsure about submitting or what to write.

The session will begin with a brief opening with tips on effective conference proposal writing, followed by quiet time for writing. The group will reconvene at the end to share progress. The focus will be OpenEd26 proposals but participants are welcome to work on any conference.

Learn More

• OpenEd26 Call for Proposals

• Other upcoming proposal deadlines

• About the “Shut Up and Write!” method

• March 31st Follow Up Session

Audience: All are welcome

This Outreach Working Group will guide the Open Education Association’s efforts to expand outreach beyond the open education community and elevate the field with influential audiences, including administrators, disciplinary faculty, aligned organizations, and policymakers.

At this meeting, we will begin identifying priority organizations and conferences to engage and explore strategies to help members bring open education into new spaces.

Open signup has closed, but it's not too late to join this group! Just email contact@opened.org before the meeting.

Audience: Members Only

The Professional Development Working Group advises the Open Education Association on supporting professional growth and recognition in the open education field.

At this meeting, we will begin conducting a landscape analysis of existing professional development and recognition opportunities, including programs, credentials, awards, and communities of practice, to understand better where the association can add value.

Open signup has closed, but it's not too late to join this group! Just email contact@opened.org before the meeting.

Audience: Members Only

The Research Working Group guides the Open Education Association’s efforts to support open education research and strengthen connections with existing scholarly initiatives and networks.

At this meeting, we will begin a landscape analysis of open education scholarly initiatives, including scholarly agendas, conference proceedings, journals, and related efforts, to identify gaps, trends, and opportunities where the association can add distinct value.

Open signup has closed, but it's not too late to join this group! Just email contact@opened.org before the meeting.

Audience: Members Only