This online conference picks up where OER25 left off, offering a chance to revisit key themes and continue the conversations that shaped this year’s event. Taking place on 16 September, the programme brings together practitioners, researchers and policy-makers from across sectors to explore what’s next for open education.
Themes from OER25, including equity and social justice, open practice during times of change, and the politics of openness in the age of AI, remain at the heart of this event. Whether you joined us at OER25 or are new to the community, this is an opportunity to reflect, share your work and connect with others working in open education.
The conference will be held entirely online, with a mix of live sessions, discussions and opportunities to engage with presenters and participants throughout the day. All sessions will be recorded and made available to registered attendees.
Programme
09:00 Welcome
09:10 Reflections and Forward Look: Opening from the OER25 Co-Chairs
Sheila MacNeil and Louise Drumm
09:25 Digital poster - What changed since June 2025?
Joe Wilson
09:40 Negotiating an impossible challenge: Recognising and responding to the realities of GAI and threat to open education practice in the context of a digitally distributed university
Keith Smyth
10:10 Q&A Open discussion
10:30 Break
10:45 Workshops x2:
Room 1: From Principles to practice - resisting the GenAI narratives on ethics, equity and the environment
Rosemarie McIlwhan, Louise Drumm, Kerith George-Bryan, Emma Duke-Williams
Room 2: Establishing A T.E.S.T. A.I.D. (Tracking the Engagement of Students & Teaching without AI Disruption) Research Network
John N A Brown, School of Computing, Engineering and Technology, Robert Gordon University
11:45 Parallel sessions
Room 1:
Global Pathways to Open Knowledge: Reimagining Universities as Ecosystems of Knowledge
Asad Ghalib, Liverpool Hope Business School, Liverpool Hope University
Room 2:
Promoting Critical Literacy through AI-Mediated Dialogue Games: A Model of Progressive Authentication
Dejan Ljubojevic, Bath Spa University
12:15 Lunch
13:15 Presentation: Inclusive design and character illustration
Alice Clayton and Joanna Law, University of Leeds, Digital Education Service
13:45 Q&A and open discussion
14:00 Presentation: Exploring AI at the Edges: Creating Learning Media with Generative Tools
John Lenehan, Hibernia College
14:30 Q&A and open discussion
14:45 Break
15:00 Workshops x 2
Room 1: Fighting the good fight - go rogue or go home 2.0
Kate Molloy and Claire Thompson, Atlantic Technological University
Room 2: Opening the Black Box: Demystifying Image-Based Generative AI for Ethical, Environmental, and Open Educational Practice
Tim Fransen, London South Bank University
16:00 Break
16:15 Parallel sessions
Room 1: AI-Driven Simulation Scenario Generation in Healthcare Education
Sam McNab
Room 2: Is Generative AI the New Music Technology
Priscilla Angelique-Page
16:45 Wrap up
17:00 Close
View full session details here
Tickets are available now. We look forward to welcoming you.
| Open Education, AI, and Populism - Revisited | |
| Member | £89.00 |
| Non-member | £149.00 |
| Delegate Fee (membership included) | £153.00 |