Announcing Next Steps on U.S. National Coordination on Open Education

News

Feb 28

We are excited to announce the Open Education Association Development Project (opened.org), a national initiative to advance open education efforts across the United States for the benefit of learners. Answering a community-developed call to action for greater coordination at the national level, the project will seek to increase recognition of open education nationally, bridge gaps between existing efforts, and foster connections that empower the open education field to have a greater collective impact.

Supported by a two-year grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Open Education Association Development Project will begin in spring 2025 with a field-wide survey to identify needs and gaps that can be addressed through national-level action. Based on the results, the project will take targeted steps to address strategic priorities, which may include raising the visibility of open education among key audiences, developing resources to support advocacy and fundraising, and creating new ways to recognize outstanding open education work. The project will also work to build collective spaces and structures to better connect members of the field with resources, information, and each other.

The project will be led by a national Steering Committee that is committed to ensuring the project engages transparently with the community, works collaboratively without duplicating efforts, and respects the diverse contexts of existing initiatives. The foundations of this work were shaped through more than a year of conversations facilitated across a variety of community forums by DOERS, SPARC and the regional interstate higher education compacts (MHEC, NEBHE, SREB and WICHE). SPARC will serve as administrator of the grant under the Steering Committee’s oversight.

As articulated in the Proposal for National Coordination on Open Education, the Open Education Association Development Project’s long-term vision is a future where educational resources and practices throughout our education systems are openly shared and reflective of the learners they serve. With an initial focus on U.S. higher education, the project will dedicate itself to serving the open education field as a whole, working to build a shared association where people, organizations and open education efforts can connect and collaborate toward a more sustainable future.

As the work gets underway, everyone who is interested is invited to sign up for updates and opportunities to get involved. Updates will also be posted on opened.org.