Oregon community college and university representatives attended and presented at the 2025 Open Education Conference, an annual convening for sharing and learning about open educational resources, open pedagogy, and open education initiatives. This dynamic gathering celebrates the core values of open education that strive to realize education ecosystems that are accessible, affordable, equitable and inclusive to everyone, regardless of their background.

Conference Takeaways

Here are some of the takeaways that Oregon attendees are thinking about after the event.

WOW! What a conference. Jam packed with an incredibly wide range of topics, I could barely contain my enthusiasm and really felt like part of the conference. The energy was amazing. And the depth and breath of ideas, knowledge and inspiration made it one of the best conferences I have attended in my 35 years in academia. –Dr. Sharon Methvin, Mt. Hood Community College

During my first exposure to OER in education, I was amazed at the potential it had for our students and accessibility, however, as I started to explore implementation options I felt a bit isolated and alone on this journey as not many other faculty I knew were receptive. This conference helped me feel included, and provided resources and tools to start working on implementing and building my own OER for my classes! I was also able to network with others in similar situations and learn how they overcame common issues. –Amanda K. Miller, Central Oregon Community College

The importance of using AI in ways that help maintain the integrity of learning and teaching, but still prepares our students for needed workplace skills. I gained a variety of ideas to supplement classes with OER materials and textbooks for effective teaching practices. –Karen Pleasant, Rogue Community College

It was great to see how the national OE community champions openness in so many ways, not just resources, but through collaboration and support. I appreciated the equity and sustainability focus throughout the conference, as well as attention to AI and navigating its use while staying true to open values. –Loree Hyde, Oregon Institute of Technology

There are so many exciting Open Education projects happening out there! It’s really impressive to see all of the ideas and possibilities! –Anonymous

Open education practitioners are a constant source of renewal for me amidst an otherwise extremely difficult and defeating time in higher education. No element of teaching is more exciting, student-centered, or inspiring. –Anonymous

Open is a worldwide movement that includes and goes beyond academia. Open can be for virtually anyone and has many stakeholders that can be crucial in success. –Anonymous

Presentations

Oregonians were represented on the program. Here are the presentation materials created by our colleagues:

What Difference Does It Make?: Measuring & Communicating the Impact of OER Initiatives, Abbey Elder, Iowa State University; Steel Wagstaff, Pressbooks; Virginia Clinton-Lisell, University of North Dakota; Stefanie Buck, Oregon State University; TJ Bliss, Utah State Board of Higher Education

Authors of open educational resources invest enormous amounts of time and energy into creating and sharing their work. Once published, however, it can be difficult to understand and communicate the impact that these resources have in the world. Whether launching a new initiative or considering how to sustain or expand an existing program, it is important to have a plan for measuring and communicating the value of your efforts. Providing evidence about and telling the stories of the impact our open education initiatives have had are crucial for both recognizing the effort of contributors and for ensuring continued support from funders and other important audiences. This panel brings together open education leaders for a frank and practical discussion of how to identify key audiences, select meaningful metrics, and craft compelling impact stories for the open education work you do.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Identify key audiences for their open education work and accurately identify their priorities.
• Select meaningful metrics and evidence to communicate the value of open education initiatives.
• Articulate the strengths and limitations of both quantitative measures and anecdotal evidence in representing the holistic impact of a given initiative.
• Develop effective storytelling strategies to convey impact to funders, administrators, and policymakers.
• Apply new approaches to assess and communicate the effectiveness of their own open education work.

Empowering Education Through Open Educational Resources: A Student’s Perspective, Julia Trachtman, University of Pittsburgh | PennPIRG Students; Caleb Gustavson, Georgia State University | Georgia PIRG Students; Kali Kleven, University of Oregon | OSPIRG Students; Annalese Earley, University of Pittsburgh | PennPIRG Students

As the education landscape rapidly evolves, Open Educational Resources (OER) offer a transformative way to make learning more accessible, equitable, and adaptable. Yet, student leaders are often missing in both the dialogue about how our community can best leverage OER and as leaders in the movement to increase the creation and adoption of open materials. Join this panel of students to learn directly from them about how to engage young people in your community. This panel of students from Georgia, Oregon, and Pennsylvania have recruited their peers, worked with campus stakeholders, coordinated with faculty leaders, and lobbied at the state and national level for open textbooks.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Share key challenges associated with engaging students in OER adoption and share strategies to overcome them in their institution or community.
• Describe how students can actively contribute to the OER movement, both as creators and advocates, within their educational environment.
• Share how institutions and practitioners can replicate successful student engagement practices.

Customizing the Curriculum: An Assessment of the Impact of Federally Funded OER, Amy Hofer, Open Oregon Educational Resources; Chandra Lewis and Benjamin Skillman, RMC Research Corporation

Open Oregon Educational Resources received a federal grant to develop 12 open textbooks and related course packs. We worked with RMC Research Corporation on the research component of the grant. Now that the grant period is over, we are finally, finally, ready to share the project outcomes. In this presentation, we will report on the impact of our professional development activities on faculty; survey responses from students who took our pilot courses; and student savings and academic outcome data. Open Oregon Educational Resources does not expect that implementing OER, per se, leads to improved student achievement. Rather, we demonstrate that students have the same or better learning outcomes as they would in similar courses using commercial textbooks, because the project provides access to higher quality learning materials than those available commercially by solving the problems that faculty identified with their current textbook options.

Link to slides: ​Customizing the Curriculum: An Assessment of the Impact of Federally Funded OER​​​

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Describe the research model and outcomes of a federal OER grant project, and determine whether the results have actionable uses in your own program.
• Interpret the project’s research results in the context of related studies in the field.
• Consider replicating or adapting the research model.

OER You Kidding Me? I Had No IDea!, Kim Grewe, Northern Virginia Community College; Debbie Baker, Maricopa Community College District; Veronica Vold, Open Oregon Educational Resources; Melissa Williams, Minnesota State; Nakita Afaha, University System of Georgia

Ever wondered what Instructional Designers (IDs) have to offer your Open Education program, or how to collaborate with IDs generally? IDs are relative newcomers, and often invisible laborers, in Open. As generative AI and rapidly shifting political/economic realities compel a paradigm shift in higher education and Open Education in particular, IDs are perfectly positioned to draw on their field’s intersection of technology and pedagogy to reimagine tomorrow’s Open Education by enhancing (among other things) development, design, accessibility, inclusive pedagogies, learning effectiveness, multimedia, publishing, and project management. Offering insights, candid discussion, and practical takeaways, this panel’s five seasoned instructional designers will highlight the skills and meaningful relationships IDs bring to Open Education’s evolving landscape. Join this dynamic conversation to explore how ID collaborations will enhance your Open initiatives.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Explore the current roles and contributions IDs make to Open Education.
• Examine structural barriers that limit ID collaborations in Open projects.
• Compare anticipated needs in the current and future Open Education field to the skillsets Instructional Designers offer.

Integrating Social Justice into Open Education: Navigating Workload, Budget Limits, and Resistance, Abbey Childs, Virginia Commonwealth University; Julia Stone, Portland State University; Maria Taylor, Berea College

This conference session will present the results of an online survey which explored how librarians and library workers at public, 4-year Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) conceptualize the relationship between open education and social justice. This study sought to uncover how librarians and library workers engage in open education work involving social justice, despite facing barriers, including understaffing, budget constraints, and political environments that discourage or disallow talking explicitly about social justice. Drawing on established open education and social justice frameworks, this session will present key survey findings and showcase the diverse and creative ways in which librarians and library workers are navigating challenges. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions, discuss their own experiences, and explore ways to integrate social justice into open education practices at their own institutions, even in the face of uncertainty and opposition.

Google Slides Presentation

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Discuss key research and frameworks related to the intersection of social justice and open education, and identify opportunities for future research exploration in this field.
• Analyze trends in how library workers conceptualize the connections between social justice work and open education at 4-year, public Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs)
• Engage in practical strategies for addressing challenges related to integrating social justice into open education practices at their own institutions.
• Cultivate a support network of colleagues and collaborators to help them navigate the complexities of conducting open education work involving social justice.

Want Equity-Minded K-12 Open Educators? Start with Teacher Educators, Anne Grey, Portland Community College; Mandy Olsen, Western Oregon University; Samuel Sennott, Portland State University; Annie Draeger, Eastern Oregon University; Amy Hofer, Open Oregon Educational Resources

The Hewlett Foundation awarded a grant to a statewide open education program to build a network of teaching faculty who will promote open education when teaching K-12 teachers. When developing their curriculum, teaching faculty scaffold skills such as using OER, implementing open educational practices, and designing equity-minded classrooms. Their students – pre-service and practicing K-12 teachers – then become the next generation of open educators. Teaching faculty participating in the program explore diverse ideas when designing curriculum in order to model how to bring open educational practices into the classroom. They can design part of their course or the entire thing. They can adopt a single activity or an entire textbook. They can try out different equity-minded frameworks such as Universal Design for Learning, Culturally Responsive Teaching, Transparent Teaching, or Open Pedagogy. On this panel, teaching faculty will share their course goals and redesign experiences.

Link to slides: Want Equity-Minded K-12 Open Educators? Start with Teacher Educators.

We had a tech snag during our presentation and missed part of Mandy’s segment. Learn more about her work realigning curriculum at Western Oregon University by watching her recorded keynote at 2025 Preservice Faculty Convening Materials.

The materials created by this grant cohort are available in an OERCommons folder.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Understand the key elements of a grant program that supports teacher educators in course redesign in order to develop a community of practice of future teachers interested in OER and equity.
• Learn from the experience of teacher educators who are redesigning their courses using OER and equity-minded design.
• Consider how to apply the elements of this grant program and equity-minded OER course design in your local context.

Mind the Gap: A Multilanguage & Culturally Responsive Approach to Student Success in Intro to A&P, Rachel Thwing, Portland Community College; Ann DeChenne, Little by Little Education Services; Hugh Jarrard, Oregon Tech; Kiana Pigao Stanford, Newberg High School

Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) Courses are known as gatekeeper courses because they are required for allied health and health-related professional programs and have high withdrawal and failure rates. Here, we unite as a multidisciplinary group of secondary and post-secondary biology and multilanguage educators to create an accessible curriculum with culturally relevant, inclusive, and linguistically diverse materials to increase student success. Our ancillaries include academic language and interactive study supports; we highlight 1st generation scientists’ achievements to help bridge language barriers and increase the inclusion of underserved students in high school, community college, and beyond. This work is published in an Introduction to A&P Pressbook, supported by Oregon Tech, Educational Partnerships & Outreach, and Open Oregon. With it, we look to a brighter future where existing impediments to learning are overcome for all students regardless of their native tongue or culture.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Explain how using culturally relevant materials and universal design principles can enhance student access and success.
• Analyze the impact of language dominance in education and explore multilingual OER as a solution.
• Identify ways to integrate indigenous and marginalized voices into open educational resources.
• Apply strategies for creating culturally relevant, community-driven educational materials.
• Develop an action plan to incorporate the integration of 1st generation success stories and culturally responsive content into their own OER initiatives.