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OER26 brings together leading voices who will help shape this year’s theme, “Openness Reimagined: Continuity, Change and Shared Vision.” The keynote speakers featured on this page will offer perspectives that challenge assumptions, spark new conversations, and explore how openness continues to evolve across education, technology, and community practice.
Day 1 Keynote - Monday 22 June
Teaching, Learning and Researching in the Open
Speaker: Prof. Eileen Scanlon
Eileen Scanlon is Professor emerita at the Open University and an honorary Professor at Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh. Eileen is an educational technologist who has worked in teaching, research and development with a focus on science education and science communication. In recent years she has conducted research projects involving open science and citizen science inquiry, exploring the opportunities for democratising research.
She was appointed Regius Professor of Open Education at the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University in 2013, was awarded an OBE for services to Education in 2016 and was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS).
Her recent books include: Educational visions: the lessons from 40 years of innovation (London: Ubiquity Press), edited with Rebecca Ferguson and Ann Jones, Citizen Inquiry: synthesising science and inquiry learning (London: Routledge), edited with Christothea Herodotou and Mike Sharples, and Open World Learning: Research, Innovation and the Challenges of High-Quality Education (London: Routledge), edited with Bart Rienties, Regine Hampel and Denise Whitelock.
Her full publication list and link to papers is available at oro.open.ac.uk
About the Keynote:
In this session, Professor Scanlon will explore her extensive experience in science education and educational technology through the lens of openness, a principle that has shaped her work and the mission of The Open University for more than five decades. Drawing on 57 years of institutional commitment to open access and open practice, she will trace how these values have informed her teaching, learning, and research.
A particular focus of her keynote will be her recent work in citizen science and inquiry. From developing platforms that support personal inquiry learning in schools to supporting communities in their own inquiries. Professor Scanlon will consider what is required to support openness in research.
This keynote promises to be a thoughtful and inspiring examination of how openness continues to shape educational innovation and how it can empower learners, educators, and researchers alike.
Day 2 Keynote - Tuesday 23 June
OER, Sustainability, and AI in Open, Distance, and Digital Education (ODDE)
Prof. Dr. Olaf Zawacki-Richter
Olaf Zawacki-Richter is Professor of Educational Technology at the University of Oldenburg, a position he has held since 2010 following a professorship in educational technology at the FernUniversität in Hagen. His research focuses on open, distance, and digital education, with particular emphasis on online learning, artificial intelligence in education, and evidence synthesis. He has authored more than 200 publications, including journal articles, book chapters, and edited volumes.
He has served as co-editor of several leading journals in the field, including the Online Learning Journal, International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, Open Learning, Distance Education, and Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung. Since 2024, he is Editor-in-Chief of the diamond open access Journal of Open, Distance, and Digital Education (JODDE). In 2023, he co-edited the Handbook of Open, Distance, and Digital Education (Springer) with Insung Jung.
Beyond academia, he has worked as a consultant for organizations such as the United Nations, the German Bundestag, and the Swiss National Science Foundation, and has delivered keynote addresses at international conferences worldwide. At the University of Oldenburg, he is Director of the Center for Open Education Research (COER) and the Center for Lifelong Learning (C3L), and served as Dean of the Faculty of Education and Social Scienc from 2021 to 2025.
About the Keynote:
Open Educational Resources (OER) have long been positioned as a cornerstone of more equitable, accessible, and participatory education. However, their long-term sustainability and quality remain persistent challenges. Drawing on recent evidence synthesis, this keynote takes a forward-looking perspective on the evolving role of OER within the broader field of Open, Distance, and Digital Education (ODDE).
Building on a systematic review of 226 studies, the talk highlights that OER sustainability is shaped by a complex interplay of macro-, meso-, and micro-level factors, including institutional policies, funding models, quality assurance, and the practices of educators and learners. In particular, quality and institutional support emerge as critical conditions for sustainable OER ecosystems. Complementing this, insights from research on OER quality assurance underline the need for robust frameworks and a shift toward open educational practices to enhance trust and adoption.
The keynote also addresses the rapidly growing influence of AI on open education. While AI offers new opportunities for the creation, adaptation, and dissemination of OER, it simultaneously raises concerns regarding quality, transparency, and environmental sustainability.
The keynote will conclude with strategic implications for policy, practice, and research, and briefly introduce the role of Diamond Open Access publishing, such as the Journal of Open, Distance, and Digital Education (JODDE), in strengthening open knowledge infrastructures.