Open education invites communities to envision a future in which access to educational opportunities is open, inclusive, and transformative. In the United States, realizing this vision requires intentional attention to issues related to both diversity and equity. The 2023 OpenEd conference track “Social Justice in Open” included 11 presentations across 3 days sharing practitioner experience with diversity, equity, and open practices; this suggests that those advocating for open are exploring their impact on the student experience. Some states, however, have passed legislation prohibiting public higher education institutions from using federal/state funds to support initiatives exploring diversity and equity, preventing participation in conferences, committees, and publications with an emphasis on diversity and equity. Participants in this session will engage in discussion about how the purpose and outcome of the work can be accomplished without using now prohibited language.
Attendees of this session will be able to:- Consider whether it is meaningful, harmful, or helpful to find ways to discuss diversity and equity without use of those specific terms.
- Identify ways in which laws prohibiting state funds from being used in DEI may or may not impact the ability of those in the open community to connect, share, and collaborate.
- Explore definitions of the terms diversity and equity with an eye toward identifying how to move toward established goals without using prohibited language.
- Integrate diversity and equity into practice in ways that reflect an understanding of the meaning of the terms.
- Locate where related conversations have already or are currently taking place.
