Oregon community college and university representatives attended and presented at the 2026 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.

It was eye-opening to learn about the work being done with OER around the world. I was also inspired by the innovative ways educators are integrating AI tools into OER to enhance teaching and learning. One analogy from Dr. Bryan Alexander that really stuck with me was about using AI for good. He compared it to going to the gym with a robot: we can either let the robot do the exercises for us or use it to improve our technique and prevent injuries. This is exactly what we need to teach our students: AI should support learning, not replace it. -Ceci de Valdenebro, Portland Community College

I really appreciated the diverse OER and Gen AI discussions, and that this conference had multiple AI topics to attend. Gen AI is coming in full force and we just can’t ignore it anymore. I liked that there was support to utilize AI for OER creation, but that we still learned it has limits, and to be aware it can be an aid with errors. I also took away that faculty engagement with OER is still in the beginning stages for most colleges, and that some of the gaps can be closed with faculty evaluations supporting OER engagement, and I absolutely agree! -Amanda K. Miller, Central Oregon Community College

I focused on sessions about AI and came away with many good ideas to incorporate it into my classes as well as resources to explore to further my knowledge about the future of AI and when to resist or oppose it. -Karen Pleasant, Rogue Community College

I’m more aware than I was of the importance of the Open Education Association’s work. Open education has elders and a body of wisdom; in education spaces, we need to emulate and amplify the “Seven Generations” approach, especially in decision-making spaces around AI. This is an inflection point for open ed, and I’m both excited and nervous, grateful that open ed elders are remaining in leadership roles and asking key questions. I want to know how I can better operate in connection to others, as I often feel my work takes place in isolation from the larger community. This conference is like an annual rejuvenation point for me (a high point in the annual orbit, a zenith) to remind myself that I have a community of colleagues working from the same shared values as me. There’s a lot of overwhelm and fatalism in higher education, and it’s enervating, which damages people and the work. So even though I spent much of the time feeling sad for how many great things I don’t have capacity to accomplish (e.g., drooling), Open Ed ultimately made me feel connected, empowered, supported, and less isolated/alone in this work. -Colleen Sanders, Linn-Benton Community College

Presentations

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

Visible Impact: Creating Effective Alt Text With Students, Alishia Huntoon, Oregon Institute of Technology; Cyndi Rodgers and Elliott Huntoon DeRoche

Alternative text (alt text) is important, though often a secondary thought, when creating digital resources. When creating open educational resources, the written content is often the focus, with visuals added to support it. Accessibility requirements mandate that written descriptions be added to visual content in educational resources. With recent advances in AI, many are using AI to generate alt text for images in OERs. This can be done relatively quickly, but still requires significant time for reviewing, editing, and correctly inserting alt text so screen readers can access it and provide detailed descriptions. This talk advocates working with students to develop alt text to focus on the educational component of OERs. Students are eager to work with faculty on meaningful projects and can successfully develop alt text and assess its effectiveness. This talk will discuss how to do this, the benefits, and the challenges.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Develop and refine alternative text.
• Incorporate students in the process of developing and refining alternative text.
• Encourage student involvement in OER development and creation.

Building and Sustaining Student Leadership in the OER Movement, Rhonda Marker, Rutgers University; Kali Kleven, University of Oregon and OSPIRG Students; Cass Melo

While Open Educational Resources (OER) are essential for creating an accessible and equitable learning landscape, a critical gap exists in the movement: the consistent inclusion of student voices. Exploring the theme of “The Space Between,” this session addresses the disconnect between OER efforts in higher education institutions and the student leaders needed to sustain it.

Learn from experienced student leaders who will share proven organizing practices developed through the Student PIRGs’ 50-year history of running effective campus campaigns. Participants will learn practical strategies for recruiting, training, and maintaining student leadership.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Identify student spokespeople who can deliver personal stories about their experiences with college affordability and open educational resource solutions.
• Develop and mentor students as effective messengers to advocate for OER policies at the institutional, state, and national levels.
• Build lasting organizations and leadership infrastructure to maintain a consistent student spokesperson presence at your institution.

With Us: Designing OER With and for Postsecondary Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Annie Draeger, University of Oregon and Eastern Oregon University

As OER and Universal Design for Learning grow, many adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) continue to be excluded from Open Education conversations. As inclusion opportunities grow in post-secondary education, this exclusion represents a missed opportunity to align open education values with real learner lived experiences.

This session explores how to meaningfully include adults with IDD in the creation, use, and evaluation of OER. Participants will learn practical strategies for designing OER that support cognitive accessibility, plain language, and real-world relevance, while centering lived experience and ethical co-creation. Drawing from UDL practices, attendees will leave with concrete ideas for expanding OER to better serve adult learners with IDD.

Attendees of this session will be able to:

• Describe key gaps in accessibility practices and the learning needs of post-secondary adults with IDD.
• Identify concrete design principles that support cognitive accessibility and usability in OER for adult learners.
• Apply inclusive OER strategies that could apply to workforce or higher ed programs.