2024 Open Education Conference

This interactive panel will feature authors of three diverse chapters from the open collection, Higher Education for Good: Teaching and Learning Futures. Collectively, the panel will share insights on their authoring processes, open collaboration, participation in the authors’ community, and the value of coalition-building with diverse voices across global higher education to create more hopeful futures. The discussion will draw upon common themes across the chapters: reimagining teaching and learning, critical approaches, and open practice as a force for change. The three chapters represented in the panel draw on lived experience from North American, European, and African perspectives, mirroring the global breadth of the wider collection. This session is designed as a discursive space for the panelists to share their unique experiences as authors, collaborators, and community-members in the hopes of inspiring others to adopt similar methods of open collaboration and authoring.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Reflect on open authoring, collaboration, and the peer review process from a variety of diverse perspectives
• Compare and contrast the common themes and challenges that prevail in higher education across the globe
• Assess the challenges and opportunities of openly collaborating within wider networks
• Appreciate the value of accomplishments in open scholarship and authoring

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.

Traditional course materials are expensive. They are also biased towards white, male, heteronormative perspectives at the expense of marginalised contributors, particularly in STEM disciplines. This mis/underrepresentation results in the devaluation of student voice and identity, negatively impacting academic performance. Open Educational Resources (OERs) that are intentional in their connection with social justice can be an essential strategy in improving access and a sense of belonging in course materials as well as the classroom, enabling deeper engagement with course content. This presentation explores two innovative STEM initiatives focused on adapting and co-creating OERs in pursuit of inclusion, decolonisation, improved epistemic representation and inclusive pedagogy in the curriculum. It explores students’ perceptions of power dynamics in the process of knowledge co-creation and draws attention to issues related to institutional transformation and sustainability.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Engage with the ‘students as partners’ theoretical domain as pertains to power and belonging.
• Draw insights on two initiatives addressing power and belonging in two different countries – South Africa and United States - and different institutional contexts.
• Consider the unique challenges and opportunities of STEM-intensive education to pursue co-creation and collaboration across student-faculty-staff roles and create more equity and representation in STEM curriculum.
• Engage in knowledge-sharing activities around open education initiatives for social justice with colleagues at their home institutions.
• Acknowledge, address, and act in one’s own context regarding belonging, power dynamics, and social justice.

South Africa not only suffers from a paucity of OER aligned to the curriculum in K-12 education, but the educational context is that of deep poverty, inequality, unemployment, crowded classes, intermittent electricity, and expensive internet data. We will focus on what processes are required to enable open learning, with a specific focus on CPTD. Using a human-centered design thinking approach enables reflections on how learning design content has to be sensitive to context in both offline and online environments, support teachers who may lack content knowledge and pedagogical skills, especially in out-of-subject teaching, note that a scaffolded approach is required as well as the risks of using AI within this context. We will address the policy and legislative changes required to enable more OER LTSM and advocate for the amendment of outdated copyright laws, and changes to tax donation laws which would be catalytic in enabling the production of OER.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Have insight into the challenges facing those implementing Open Education in contexts of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
• Be exposed to ideas of specific catalytic actions that, despite seeming to be small, could transform an educational landscape at no further cost to the fiscus, through more effective policy and tax strategy.
• Be inspired to find and encourage legislative changes that could lead to catalytic transformation in their own teaching and learning contexts.
• Reflect on what processes must be enabled in overcrowded, poorly equipped classrooms with challenges in internet data access and cost.
• Consider the issues of inequity in implementation of Generative AI in countries with a small number of mother-tongue texts and the implications of wholesale adoption that this would have in terms of culture and language.

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

Africa has never been more ready for a knowledge revolution. With its burgeoning population growth and vast natural resources, it’s about time for institutions to open access to digital knowledge in low-tech and user-friendly formats. At the start of 2021, 90% of African schools were still closed due to COVID-19 and most families in Africa lacked access to connectivity and critical content in the home. During this time, CDN was invited by partner organizations to liaise closely with African stakeholders in 5 countries to identify opportunities, challenges, and strategies to improve access to OER tools. This session highlights best practices and lessons learned through Open Content for Development (OC4D), an OER library tool launched by the Community Development Network (CDN). Our West African team will share insights from 5 countries since 2020 and will zoom in on lower-literate learners in low-tech areas.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Training/Leadership Development for local knowledge workers (Youth Service Ambassadors, “YSAs”);
• Digital Content Curation and Localization;
• Tech Deployment/Maintenance/Troubleshooting from Remote Access Points; and,
• Feedback Integration via digital dashboard to monitor hardware, software, and learner progress.

In the context of course enhancement for hybrid and flexible learning at a university in Namibia, the need was identified to enhance courses to be student-responsive open educational resources. To address this problem, a student-centered design thinking approach was undertaken with a specific focus on gamification, microlearning, cooperative learning and psychological safety. This paper involves qualitative action research of a process in which course enhancements were done drawing on selected theoretical principles and the expertise of the participating lecturing staff. The paper provides an overview of selected educational affordances utilized within an under-resourced environment, and on the deep reflections undertaken in order to focus upon empathizing with and prioritizing students’ needs in the context of cognitive neuroscience. Finally, the paper concludes with recommendations in terms of collaboration, content, communication, critical thinking, and creative innovation.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Be sensitized to the challenges of implementing open education in areas of poverty where internet data access cannot be guaranteed and is costly for students.
• Reflect deeply on how one can best enable open education in such a context.
• Understand the various educational affordances within a framework that incorporates gamification, microlearning, cooperative learning and the need to enable psychological safety.
• Consider research findings in social cognitive neuroscience and the implications these have in how best to structure online distance education to best cater for our social brains.

This session is designed to identify an agenda for action and research for the open education community which, we argue, is at a crossroads – building on a critical conversation begun at OER24 in March: “The future isn’t what it used to be: open education at a crossroads” (Cronin & Czerniewicz, 2024). The purpose of the session is to enable globally diverse conversations about the future of open education. In the context of the current global polycrisis, it is clear that the assumptions and foundations of open education are under threat. This moment –a crossroads– requires all parts of the open education movement to work together. In alliance with those who believe that open education is central to fighting for human rights, democracy, justice and sustainability, we (i) propose a framework of ideas for moving closer to realising those ideas, a “manifesto for open education for good”, and (ii) facilitate groupwork so that participants can collaborate to identify specific next steps.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Recognise at least some of the ways that wider global crises emerge within, impact on, and intersect with open education.
• Articulate the five tenets of the Manifesto for Open Education for Good.
• Take first steps in developing an agenda to take forward after the session, to work towards creating better open education and social futures.

Access to quality education and equitable participation in educational opportunities are critical for sustainable development. However, many Ethiopian learners face barriers in accessing open educational resources (OER) and participating in open education initiatives. This research aims to investigate the current state of access and equity in open education for Ethiopian learners. By examining factors such as digital literacy, internet connectivity, and language barriers, the study will identify the challenges faced by learners. The research will also explore learner attitudes towards open education and its impact on engagement and utilization of OER. The study will propose policies, and interventions to enhance access and equity in open education. The research will involve consultations with stakeholders to gather diverse perspectives and recommendations. The study's outputs will include a comprehensive report, and policy recommendations.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the access and equity gaps in open education for Ethiopian learners.
• Participants will identify the barriers and challenges faced by Ethiopian learners in accessing open educational resources and participating in open education initiatives.
• Participants will explore strategies, interventions, and policies that can enhance access and equity in open education for Ethiopian learners.
• Participants will learn about successful examples of open education initiatives and interventions that have addressed access and equity considerations in Ethiopia.
• Participants will be equipped with practical recommendations and actionable strategies to promote inclusive and equitable access to quality education through open education approaches in Ethiopia

The Dagbani Wikimedians User Group is a not-for-profit organization promoting free knowledge through Wikipedia and sister projects. The group, mostly students and educators of all ages, is made up of 153 volunteers with a vision to increase the visibility of Dagbani and all other Gur/Mabia languages spoken in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin on the internet using Wikimedia projects such as Wikipedia. The fascinating history of the group is explored in this session, tracing its origin, growth, and contributions to the Wikimedia movement. After getting the Dagbani language approved on Wikipedia in 2021 as the third Ghanaian language to be recognized by Wikipedia, the group went ahead to get three other Gur/Mabia languages (ie Gurene, Dagaare and Kusaal) recognized on Wikipedia as of March 2024, with another one (Moore) currently being incubated for approval. In fact the Dagaare language secured its approval in record time by chalking this feet in just nine months.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Appreciate the challenges encountered by the group in promoting diversity and inclusion within the Wikimedia space;
• Learn the evolution of the Dagbani Wikimedians User Group; and
• Discuss community-building strategies and initiatives for collaboration within the context of Wikimedia projects.

A challenge facing the American University of Nigeria (AUN) Library, located in Yola, north-eastern Nigeria, is its inability to satisfy the needs of its large community of users without affecting the quality of service it provides to the university community. To minimize the pressure on the only library with Internet facilities in the region, it developed a web-based application shared via USB flash drive, named Library-On-A-Flash (LOAF). LOAF contains OER, which may be used offline by libraries without access to the Internet It has links to reputable Databases and resources produced by two USAID and AUN-sponsored projects (TELLA and STELLAR. The application is the result of the collaboration of the Library and ITU and is used by institutions, IDPs and NGOs displaced by Boko Haram insurgencies. The projects major challenges are the capacity of the application and intensive copying and sharing. The features and content of LOAF will be demonstrated to participants during the conference.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Reduce the pressure put on their library facilities by large communities of users often common in developing countries.
• Raise awareness on Open Access Resources, especially among libraries with scarce learning resources and poor internet connection.
• Adopt and adapt OER for their learning and teaching to reduce the cost of textbooks.