More than 1,000 individuals globally will attend the Open Education Conference, OpenEd22, from October 17 – 20, 2022, which the Michelson 20MM Foundation is honored to sponsor. OpenEd not only brings together hundreds of OER advocates and champions as they share ideas and resources, but also it renews the community’s commitment. As Dr. Amy Nusbaum, assistant professor of psychology at the Heritage University in Washington said last year, “OpenEd is one of the first places I felt like my passion for students was not only recognized but also honored. It is the place where I met colleagues who became friends–the place my heart lives.”
This year’s theme is Rise to Action. More than just a theme, it is a challenge for attendees to “move forward and act in concrete ways that make education more accessible, affordable, equitable and inclusive to everyone regardless of their background, experience, or level of access to resources.” Building on the theme, topics include:
- Students at the Heart of Open Education
- Creating More Consistency in OER Cost Saving Measures and Benefit Calculations
- Sharing the Many Ways to Design for Open Learning Through ZTC Pathway Courses
- Creating Inclusive, Diverse, and Culturally Relevant OER
- Advancing OER Use to Facilitate Equity in the Classroom
During the conference, attendees will have a chance to hear from the authors of the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME’s) recent gap analysis, funded by the Michelson 20MM Foundation. “ZTC Gap Analysis, High Wage, High Demand Fields —Bay Area Community Colleges” seeks to identify learning materials gaps where the absence of suitable OER prevents the 24 Bay Area community colleges from offering ZTC degrees that align to high-wage, high-demand careers in the region.
Attendees are also welcome to join Michelson 20MM OER Program Manager, Cailyn Nagle on Tuesday at 11:30 AM PST for a coffee hour. It will be a great way to learn more about our work and provide a platform to dig in on some of the pressing issues in the OER community.
Additionally, James Glapa-Grossklag, Michelson 20MM’s OER Fellow, will serve as a panelist during “Open for Antiracism: Institution Impact in Year 2.” Along with fellow panelists, James will share how College of the Canyons created antiracist classrooms and will offer suggestions for other colleges and universities to do the same. By the end of the conversation, attendees will be armed with the understanding necessary to gain or advocate for institutional support to make their classrooms antiracist.
This year, we look forward to joining attendees and the hundreds of speakers to rise to action, furthering the adoption of OER. Our hope is that participants will leave renewed, akin to Ame Maloney, faculty services librarian at Skyline College in San Bruno, “I left…inspired, ready to take on numerous specific calls to action for ways I can engage student allies even more comprehensively at my institution.”
Michelson 20MM is a private, nonprofit foundation seeking to accelerate progress towards a more just world through grantmaking, operating programs, and impact investing. Co-chaired and funded by Alya and Gary Michelson, Michelson 20MM is part of the Michelson Philanthropies network of foundations.
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