2026 is already an interesting year, so why participate in #OEGlobal26?
An OEGlobal 2024 attendee stated that “Universities are repositories of social hope,” and we couldn’t have put it better!
The conversations by and with the community that will take place at OEGlobal 2026 at MIT’s Samberg Conference Center and online this October, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of MIT OpenCourseWare, will shape open education’s next decade. If you need more reasons to attend, please keep reading!
Reconnect in person at a moment that matters
Open Education has been growing and developing for over two decades through the participation and effort of many stakeholders and educators. The 2026 OEGlobal Conference brings the global community back to MIT for the first time since 2011 — coinciding with the 25th anniversary of MIT OpenCourseWare, a milestone for the entire open education movement.
Be in the room for a moment that matters.
Open Education Global 2026 is a space to share struggles and challenges and to celebrate the solutions and wins of a movement as multifaceted as the education sector itself. This conference is for the community, by the community.
“Be ready to learn! This isn’t like most conferences — these speakers are bringing theory and application all at once!”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2023
“A warm, joyful atmosphere, time spent with kind and inspiring colleagues, and more great ideas than can be found in my brain. So many things to share with my colleagues back home. I love how multi-disciplinary this conference is. Layers on layers on layers.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2024
Present your experiences, results, and solutions across 5 tracks
Bring your research, practice, technology, and questions to five conference tracks:
- Hacking the Open Ecosystem and Praxis for the Public Good;
- Innovating Open Content to Democratize Knowledge;
- Catalyzing Human Connection, Creativity, and Curiosity to Thrive;
- (Re)Inventing our Shared Global Vision Together; and
- Exploring Emergent Technologies and the Future of Openness.
These topics will be presented by your colleagues across all formats — presentations, workshops, panels, round tables, and lightning talks. Be with your community in person. Reconnect and celebrate your achievements in open education by making your solutions — projects, resources, practices, or technology — visible.
“I appreciated the intentionality with which Indigenous Knowledge was uplifted and discussed within the context of this conference. I look forward to more work being done in this area.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2023
“My expectations were pretty high; I expected it to be energizing, renewing, and inspiring, and it was. I did not expect to hear kookaburras walking home at night. Loved!”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2024
“Being able to participate in this event gives you the chance to pursue 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
Collaborate and network with your peers from every region
OEGlobal 2026 is planning for a record-breaking number of in-person and virtual participants from every region of the world. At our last in-person gathering, 60% of attendees joined us for the first time, and 100% of survey respondents said the conference met or exceeded their expectations.
Explore new collaborations or partnerships with like-minded colleagues, organizations, institutions, and government entities by connecting with institutional decision-makers and peers in the room. Collaborate to establish regional, national, and international alliances that take action on the UNESCO OER Recommendation.
“Open minds, open hearts, caring people, and the ability to collaborate with like-minded people.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2024
“I came as a newcomer who was feeling shy and worried about how to engage. Within the first keynote speaker event, I instantly felt welcomed into new ways of seeing and an inclusive community that opened the door for me to enter. Mahalo. I am so grateful to feel a sense of belonging.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2023
“I loved sitting down at lunch on the last day, and someone goes, “we want to start an instructional design community of practice,” and universally everyone at the table said, “YES! We’re in!” It was such a creative and energetic moment that showed me that we are a collective of people who have similar goals and aspirations.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2023
Experience open education as a global, multi-disciplinary movement
Conference sessions at OEGlobal 2026 will feature global coverage — Africa, Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania. OEGlobal 2026 makes explicit space for Indigenous and Western knowledge, for arts and sciences, and for adjacent open movements. Learn from global practitioners sharing best practices, workable solutions, and provocations you can adopt, adapt, or augment to meet your own challenges.
“Robert dhurwain McLellan’s keynote on day one was deeply inspiring and moving. The discussions around Indigenous data sovereignty, particularly the emphasis on the ‘nothing about us without us’ principle, have deeply resonated with me. I’m leaving with a renewed commitment to incorporating these values into my own work.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2024
“It was wonderful to share experiences with people from around the world and realize how similar things are: struggles, successes, and dreams.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2023
Make connections that outlast the conference
Meet established partners in person. Find new collaborators. Forge peer-to-peer relationships through conference sessions, open meetings, and networking events. OEGlobal 2026 discussions continue on OEGlobal Connect — our community platform — so that connections made this October stay alive through the year.
“This community is so welcoming and open to collaboration. I love hearing other people’s OER and OEP journeys. Open Education and Open Access are truly a communal movement.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2024
“I had opportunities to meet with colleagues with whom I’ve remotely worked for YEARS, so being able to meet them in person has been surreal and amazing.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2023
“After a very tiring year, it was just lovely to connect with like-minded individuals who share our struggles and keep contributing to open anyway. I feel reinvigorated and inspired to persevere in this important work.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2024
Be inspired at the intersections shaping open education now
Attendees to OEGlobal 2024 named the intersections of AI and open education, Indigenous perspectives and ways of knowing, DEI and social justice, and open pedagogy, practice, and research as their most inspiring sessions. OEGlobal 2026 picks up these threads and weaves them into five tracks at MIT. Share your work with colleagues who understand and face similar pressures — and be inspired in return by their solutions, ideas, and workarounds.
“Universities are repositories of social hope.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2024
“Hopeful being with like-minded people. Inspired through discussions and presentations that we can tackle some of the world’s issues through open education.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2024
“The sessions I attended about OEP and policy making were very inspiring and encouraging to know that the struggle with administrative support is not an anomaly at my university but something that affects others. [..] We need people making loud calls for changes while those who are doing it secretly can continue to do work as well.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2024
Wherever you are, you can be at OEGlobal 2026
Can’t travel to Cambridge? OEGlobal 2026 is hybrid.
The conference will include online access to the program, hybrid presentations, and asynchronous activities. The organization of community-led gatherings is encouraged to reflect local contexts, languages, and priorities. Regional meetups, keynote watch parties, and multilingual discussion circles are all options: if you’re hosting one, register it as a Satellite Event, and your gathering will be listed on the OEGlobal 2026 conference website.
“Reconnecting with other OER passionate people has helped renew my passion to continue my own work, which has hit roadblocks.”
— Attendee, OEGlobal 2024
Registration opens after May 15.