2024 Open Education Conference

From 2017 to 2019, I conducted ethnographic research on the processes of learning and skills development using digital technologies within informal sales and repair communities in Haiti (Payen Jean Baptiste, 2022). These communities, mainly characterized by self-organization and self-management, operate according to a particular networking modus operandi named kolòn, that supports the production of knowledge and the development of skills.Much more than just a word, the term is a philosophy that underpins modes of work organization based on community of practice and the sharing economy (Wenger, 2009, Casséus and Payen, 2013). In this presentation, I will focus on the processes involved in building and maintaining this networked form of social organization, and how it contributes to the development and acquisition of new skills. I will also present the design and development of an open-source digital platform based on that model.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Explain the ethnographic approach to repair communities and the link between these types of communities and digital fabrication ecosystems. Discover how communities of practice in these ecosystems helps support knowledge management and innovation.
• Describe the concept of Kolòn and how it represents an organizational approach based on communities of practice and how this particular type of learning and doing with others in informal environment contributes to research on knowledge production.
• Discuss the concepts of adapted technologies and technologies appropriation within socio-cultural environments of individuals and how these concepts may lead to a new way of innovation and construction of use to transform practices and design new ones.
• Articulate the importance of taking an eco-systemic and holistic approach to understanding knowledge construction that considers cultural and historical contexts when engaging with communities.

In this session we share the results from a research study that reflects on the lived experiences of young refugees located in Pakistan and Rwanda when interacting with OpenEd during and following displacement. We offer a decolonial commentary on issues related to the design and development of OpenEd for refugees, noting some of the prevalent historical trends. We are guided by critical questions such as: Who designs the products? Where are they designed? How are they designed? And, which power dynamics are at play during the design process? From this, we draw on qualitative data where we explore young refugees’ experiences. We present results of a creative element which invited research participants to imagine what a liberatory OpenEd practice would look like. We recommend and open a discussion around a set of justice-centred design principles for developers of OpenEd in refugee contexts.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Critically engage with (add to, critique and analyse) a set of justice-centered design principles for OpenEd, especially in refugee contexts.
• Reflect on one's own work in OpenEd and how it adheres to justice-centered design principles.
• Identify elements of coloniality in OpenEd designs for refugees.

UPDATE:
Resources for librarians to reccomend to authors with regard to publishing choices and OER
Open Access Books Toolkit:
https://www.oabooks-toolkit.org/
University of Sheffield Guide:
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/open-access/books
University of Manchester Guide:
https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/services/research/open-research/access/understanding/



The Open Book Collective brings together libraries and small-to-medium OA scholarly books publishers from across the world via a unique consortial funding model to enable the publication of OA books with no fee. As an author, I decided in 2023 to publish my third monograph open access. This paper explores and explains how I came to this decision, and why I would urge other academics to do the same. Academics cannot be asked to bear all of the risk of transition to a sustainable open access landscape for scholarly books – but, as we stand to benefit from this transition as educators, readers, authors and human beings , I contend that we must bear some. I briefly introduce the range of small-to-medium scholarly publishers who are currently members of the OBC, and encourage authors, librarians educators to explore these high quality publishers as options to work with and support.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Select a suitable OA scholarly publisher for future work, without the necessity of a fee.
• Explore the range of OA books and publishers currently supported by the OBC.

Open Educational Resources(OER) represent a paradigm shift in educational access, offering a wealth of learning materials that are freely available for use, modification, and sharing. Organizations like UNESCO endorse OER to bridge educational gaps and foster an inclusive learning environment. The core attributes of OER—free access, reusability, flexibility, and redistribution—support a collaborative and adaptable educational framework. Integrating OER into curricula involves a systematic process of sourcing, assessing, customizing, and implementing these resources to align with specific educational goals. Creative Commons licenses facilitate the legal sharing and adaptation of OER. The integration of OER across various media formats is pivotal for advancing global education. These resources underscore the commitment to universal access, co-creation, and the democratization of education through OER, reflecting a collective movement towards inclusive and adaptable learning environments.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Recognize OERs purpose and importance in education.
• Analyze and differentiate Creative Commons licenses with traditional copyright, highlighting the advantages they offer.
• Learn how to mix and match CC-licensed works for adaptation and remixing, ensuring legal and ethical use.
• Find OER (text, video, image, open textbook, open course)
• Publish OER on platforms dedicated to Creative Commons or own institution’s repository.

In this talk, I will explore the process of developing social media campaigns on X (formerly Twitter), Mastodon, and LinkedIn to encourage platform users to engage with open access texts and provide visibility to those who choose to make their work publicly accessible. In my role on the community team for Knowledge Commons, I've collaborated with both students and full-time team members to develop campaigns highlighting the works our users have added to our open access repository. The session will delve into the creation process for developing such campaigns, which have included a regular monthly spotlight as well as special virtual event features. Topics covered will include the pros and cons of various social media platforms, suggestions for managing workflows in a small team, and creative ways to celebrate openly published texts. This presentation is suitable for anyone interested in learning more about using social media to reach a wider audience for their open work.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Explain the connections between the current social media landscape and open education
• Describe the challenges of identifying a suitable platform for making connections with social media users
• Develop a social media campaign highlighting open publishing
• Implement basic and recurring social media campaigns to promote the values of open publishing

The Global OER Graduate Network (GO-GN) supports doctoral researchers from around the world working on open education topics (https://go-gn.net). GO-GN amplifies, connects and supports its members and their work in a number of ways including regular online events, face-to-face workshops, co-authoring of publications and scholarship schemes. As of April 2024, GO-GN included around 180 doctoral researcher and alumni members in addition to a wider community of more than 200 experts and friends. GO-GN celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2023. This presentation provides an update on activities and outputs, including: • Developing and modelling good practice in open research and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) which is core to GO-GN. • Co-authored, openly licensed publications, including The GO-GN Open Research Handbook. • Outputs from the GO-GN research sprint on open education and AI. • Future GO-GN strategic direction and insights from across the network.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Have a better understanding of current doctoral research on open education topics and trends.
• Understand the aims of GO-GN, our latest activities and how you can get involved.

The presenters explore their uses of openness as attitude and vulnerability as a practice with educators and students discussing generative AI (GenAI) in higher education as we experiment with ways to build GenAI literacies. GenAI has been an overwhelming "shock" for many. Openness as attitude is sharing what we are doing and learning to support others in working with emerging technologies. Vulnerability as practice is our willingness to be wrong and learn from it. These strategies allow us to approach GenAI with curiosity and criticality, excitement, and concern in order to respond quickly and constructively. We will share recent examples where openness and vulnerability have helped further classroom, social media, listserv, webinar, and conference discussions of AI in higher education.. Then we will encourage participants to share how they lean into and have benefited from openness and vulnerability and discuss the concerns, risks, and challenges of learning in these ways.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Consider the degree of vulnerability that is appropriate for their own work in open education
• Explore a variety of concrete practices to leverage openness as an attitude and assess strategies that may benefit them for their own needs
• Discuss the challenge of sitting in the center of all the strong views about generative AI

This session will explore how artificial intelligence can be applied to enhance access to open educational resources and advance equitable learning opportunities globally. Leaders in the fields of OER, AI, and accessibility will discuss innovative proposals for leveraging technologies like machine translation, personalized recommendation systems, and automated content curation to make open education available to all. Attendees will gain insight into cutting-edge approaches for using artificial intelligence to increase the discoverability, adaptation, and inclusive design of open content. They'll learn about projects aimed at reducing barriers and expanding the reach of OER through technical solutions. Examples of work piloting AI for translation, personalized pathways, and automated alternative media generation will be shared. This session presents an opportunity to engage with experts developing strategies that apply AI's potential to spread open knowledge and narrow digital divides.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Analyze how AI technologies such as machine learning, natural language processing and adaptive systems can be leveraged to enhance access to OER.
• Develop innovative ideas and proposals for using AI to increase the discoverability, accessibility, inclusiveness and interoperability of OER on a global scale.
• Evaluate the ethical considerations and technical feasibility of proposed AI solutions for advancing equitable learning opportunities through OER.
• Understand how AI can be applied to reduce barriers to OER such as language translation, personalized recommendations and accessibility features.
• Collaborate with others to refine proposal concepts that maximize the potential of AI to spread open education worldwide in an open and interoperable manner.