The Open Education Global annual conference is the premiere convening of the global open education community bringing together practitioners, policy builders, and decision-makers.
Whether you are a new or a returning Conference attendee, the OE Global Conference has something to offer everyone. Advocates, educators, administrators, technologists, and learners from around the world take this annual opportunity to share, collaborate, learn, network, and celebrate each other’s work and benefit through a broad, dynamic, and innovative collective vision of Open Education.
OEGlobal 2023 takes place in Edmonton, Canada is hosted by Norquest College. The conference convenes under the theme of Building a Sustainable World through Open Education. Given the threats to the planet and the slow progress towards meeting the SDGs and their targets, OE Global 2023 in Edmonton will focus primarily on how open education can support the UN’s sustainable development goals, as well as UNESCO’s framework for achieving the SDGs, the five Education for Sustainable Development priority action areas.
We invite the international education community – especially those working with the open movement – to take an active role by being present and adding your experiences to shape a sustainable future for education. Openly share your open practices and research findings, exchange ideas with fellow education enthusiasts, expand your network, and get inspired.
“The conference is a wonderful place to share with excellent professionals that share the same ethos of ‘being open’ and caring for equity and education for all. The forum is a safe space to share ideas and receive good feedback but it also offers endless opportunities to learn about new things. Friendly people, amazing work, magnificent presenters. “
–Open education practitioner & researcher, Bath Spa University, UK
1. Celebrate Open Education face to face
Open Education has been growing and developing for over 20 years through the participation and effort of many stakeholders and educators. This effort is not always visible to everyone. Open Education Global is one way to discuss the struggles and challenges and celebrate your solutions and wins. Open Education is as multifaceted as the education sector. This conference is to support the community, by the community.
“I met so many participants from all over the world. All of the people were very open to share their experiences on their successes and failures with open learning material. The conference has cemented our belief in open educational resources. I hope we can keep in touch with everyone and see what we can achieve together.”
— CEO, Grasple (OEGlobal 2019 sponsor)
2. Present your experiences, results, and solutions
Be with your tribe in person. Reconnect and celebrate your achievements in open education by making your solutions, whether projects, resources, practices, technology, visible. Share your knowledge and expertise with open education peers who are excited to learn and share in turn.
“Being able to participate in this event gives you the chance to pursuit present and future trends, build trust and interest with other leaders and advocates, and foresee opportunities for new or ongoing initiatives.“
— A policy maker, advocate and researcher from Chile, OEGlobal 2018
3. Collaborate and network
Explore new collaborations or partnerships with like-minded colleagues, organizations, institutions, or government entities by accessing institutional decision-makers. Collaborate with peers to establish regional, national, and international partnerships that take action on UNESCO OER Recommendations.
“Although I have used and have advocated the use of OERs, this conference opened a new world to me, unlocking concepts such as open pedagogy and open practice. I now only understand the bigger picture and am happy to be part of it.”
— A senior academic & learning developer from South Africa, OEGlobal 2018
4. Explore international opportunities
Gain an understanding of how others are doing open education in different parts of the world. Learn from global practitioners who are showcasing and sharing best practices, and workable solutions that can be adopted, adapted, or augmented to apply to your challenges.
“OEGlobal21 opened my eyes to how others are approaching OpenEducation and the UNESCO recommendations around the world. The interactive activities allowed me to explore ideas and approaches at my own pace, and there were many inspiring presentations and useful discussions around them.”
— An OEGlobal21 online delegate
5. Reinforce your personal connections
Meet with established partners and make new connections around the world. Identify leaders and forge peer-to-peer relations through conference sessions, open meetings, and networking events.
“As a new open education professional and first-time OE Global conference attendee, this was a life-changing experience for me. I have expanded my network tremendously and have developed a greater theoretical grasp of the open movement in a global context. The sessions were thoughtful and engaging, but what I found even more valuable was meeting fellow attendees during the lunch and coffee breaks!”
— A librarian from the United States
6. Be inspired by your colleagues and inspire others
Sharing your work with colleagues who understand and face similar pressures is always satisfying. Being inspired in return by their work, solutions, ideas, and workarounds will take your open education work to the next level!
“Thank you OE Global. In my book, this was a great experience to learn and share knowledge. I hope to continue working for open education. The event was incredible and inspirational.”
— Daniel Flores Bueno, OEGlobal22 in Nantes
Listen to the personal experiences or Sahla and others at OEGlobal 2022 in Nantes, France, the most recent in-person gathering.