We are delighted to announce that Dr Robert Farrow and Dr Beck Pitt will serve as co‑chairs for OER26. Both are long‑standing contributors to the global open education community and bring extensive experience, leadership, and insight to this year’s conference.
The Open Education Conference for 2026 will take place at The Open University in Milton Keynes on 22-23 June 2026.
Dr Robert Farrow
Dr. Robert Farrow is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Educational Technology (IET) at The Open University (UK) where he leads the open education research programme. His own research focuses on the intersections of openness, learning in sociotechnical systems and the emerging ethical and philosophical dimensions of artificial intelligence. Rob is Co-Director of the Global Open Graduate Network (GO-GN) which supports a worldwide community of doctoral researchers in open education. He also serves as co-editor of the Journal of Interactive Media in Education and co-chair of the ICDE Open Education Network.
Dr Beck Pitt
Dr Beck Pitt is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Educational Technology (IET) at The Open University (UK) and Co-Director of the Global OER Graduate Network (GO-GN). Beck's work focuses on open textbooks, open course development and open pedagogies. Beck has extensive experience of successful collaboration with stakeholders in a wide variety of contexts including South Africa, Myanmar, Viet Nam, Kenya, Canada, United States and across Europe. Beck is also a member of the Journal of Interactive Media in Education (JIME) editorial team, co-convenor for the Computers and Learning Research Group (CALRG) and a member of The Open University’s Open Research Group.
Call for Proposals – Join Us at OER26
The OER26 Call for Proposals is now open. We invite contributions that examine how openness continues to evolve as a collective project shaped by critical inquiry, practical innovation, and shared ethical commitment. Share your work, your ideas, and your vision for the future of open education by 13 April 2026.