Open Ed Live: Open Education Forming Bridges for Lifelong Learning

Open Ed Live is a free online event aimed at bringing higher ed faculty, librarians, instructional designers, and others with related responsibilities or interests together to explore the boundless opportunities of open education. It consists of three half-day, virtual events with drop-in sessions for extended conversation on key topics.

Hosted by the Division of Digital Learning and UCF Libraries of the University of Central Florida, along with members of the UCF Bookstore, Office of the Provost and Academic Quality & Compliance, and teaching faculty.

Speakers representing all levels of colleges and universities will present informational sessions, participate in panel discussions, and lead interactive workshops for attendees.

You’ll receive actionable advice on how to best incorporate open educational resources and practices into courses.

This second annual event acts as a prelude to Open Education Week which takes place March 3-7, 2025. Open Education Week is an annual, global celebration where educators can actively share and learn about the latest achievements in open education.

Stay tuned for more details

Mark your calendars! This virtual event will be held February 25-27, 2025.

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dynamic and stylized classroom filled with open books and laptops on desks, overlaid by a bustling cloud of educational and technological symbols that represent the fusion of traditional learning with digital innovation

What is Open Education?

Open education encompasses resources, tools, and practices that are free of legal, financial, and technical barriers. Open educational resources (OER) are defined by UNESCO as “learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright that have been released under an open license, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others“.

“Open” permissions are typically defined in terms of the 5Rs: users are free to Retain, Reuse, Revise, Remix, and Redistribute these educational materials. Generally, the permissions from the 5Rs are granted by the use of open licenses, such as Creative Commons licenses.

By integrating open educational resources and designing assignments around them, open pedagogy creates a learning environment where students actively contribute to their education. This approach emphasizes collaboration, creativity, and the co-creation of knowledge. It adds value to the educational process, making learning more inclusive, dynamic, and relevant to real-world situations.

Who should attend Open Ed Live?

All faculty, librarians, instructional designers, and others with related responsibilities in higher education institutions across the country are welcome to attend this free event. OER advocates are encouraged to attend.

This event seeks to educate all attendees on emerging trends and issues within open education. It will also highlight the University of Central Florida’s efforts in this area as we work to remove barriers and improve learning for students everywhere.

Why should I attend Open Ed Live?

At Open Ed Live, you will become prepared for Open Education Week and beyond. You will learn about both basic information and emerging trends of open education surrounding the curriculum of higher education. Whether you are new or well-versed in this subject, there will be something engaging for you.

The first hour will include featured speakers from around the country on timely, exciting topics. The next session opens up to our drop-in sessions on basics to continue the conversations and ask questions. The third session ends each day with practical examples featuring innovation at the University of Central Florida, and encourages continued audience engagement.

Register and Attend Open Ed Live

This event is free and open to attendees in higher education. It will take place via Zoom over three days from February 25-27, 2025.

There will be multiple live sessions. Registered attendees are free to attend some or all presentations.

Once you have registered, you will receive the Zoom link and future communications about the agenda.

Registration will be open throughout the event.

Watch Previous Event Sessions

Couldn’t join us last time for our exploration into the transformative world of open education? No worries! You can access the recorded sessions online through the institutional repository. Immerse yourself in the enlightening presentations about the power and potential of open educational resources and practices.

Explore The Repository

Keynote – Jonathan Lashley

AI, openness, and our educative re/turn: Educator agency amid perpetual uncertainty

image of Jonathan Lashley — *Jonathan Lashley*

As the Academic Technology Program Manager for the Idaho State Board of Education, Dr. Jonathan Lashley leads the advancement of digital learning experiences in collaboration with the Gem State’s colleges and universities. Dr. Lashley has helped inform, design, and sustain open learning initiatives at institutions across North America via expertise in faculty learning, educational technology, and change management. With a multidisciplinary background in composition studies, critical theory, and learning sciences, Dr. Lashley’s scholarship seeks means of ensuring reliable access to transformative educational experiences for every learner.

Livestream Sessions

AI, openness, and our educative re/turn: Educator agency amid perpetual uncertainty

While the educational implications of generative AI are unfolding as quickly as they are evolving, they are not the only disruptive changes—technological or otherwise—facing educators. For many of us, our teaching and learning have only ever contended with an exhausting sense of uncertainty. In this session, we will explore how open educational practices help us (1) grapple with the ever-growing uncertainties surrounding AI in education and (2) revisit where our most enduring values as educators reside.

Is Opt-In the Future of “Inclusive Access”?

“Inclusive Access” is a model that has been adopted by many institutions to provide students with course materials. Recent developments at the federal level have raised questions about the transparency and equity of these programs. This presentation will discuss the current state of Inclusive Access, including how regulatory changes proposed by the U.S. Department of Education may change the default model from “opt-out” to “opt-in.” It will also share the University of Central Florida’s experience implementing a successful opt-in Inclusive Access program.

AGENDA

Download Extended Agenda

tuesday, february 27, 2024

Times (EST)	Daily Events
11:45 – 11:59	Open Ed Live Welcome
12:00 – 12:50	AI, openness, and our educative re/turn: Educator agency amid perpetual uncertainty
1:00 – 1:50	OER Basics Drop-In Session
4:00 – 4:50	OuER Story: In the Interests of All

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Times (EST)	Daily Events
12:00 – 12:50	Is Opt-In the Future of “Inclusive Access”?
1:00 – 1:50	Open Pedagogy Drop-In Session
4:00 – 4:50	Open Minds, Open Doors Panel

Thursday, february 29, 2024

Times (EST)	Daily Events
12:00 – 12:50	Confessions from OER Adopters: Implementing Open Education Resources from the Faculty Perspective
1:00 – 1:50	Accessibility and Open Education Drop-In Session
4:00 – 4:50	OER for Libraries and Textbook Affordability Partners
4:50 – 4:59	Open Ed Live Closing

Meet the 2024 Speakers

Discover the insights of leading experts in open education. Our speakers include pioneers like Kevin Corcoran in digital learning, Nicole Allen in educational equity, and Dr. Callaghan in Mesoamerican archaeology, along with award-winning librarians, innovative instructors, and dedicated researchers all committed to expanding access to educational resources. Connect with these trailblazers as they share their experiences and strategies for fostering learning and affordability in education.

Kevin Corcoran

Kevin Corcoran is the Assistant Vice Provost of the Center for Distributed Learning. Kevin has over 25 years of experience in the development and support of strategies for the effective use of digital learning tools and content that focuses on quality standards and practices, student engagement, accessibility and affordability. Kevin has supported system, state, and national open education efforts over the past decade, including chairing the statewide Connecticut OER Coordinating Council and the DOERS3 collaborative.

Nicole Allen

Nicole Allen is the Director of Open Education for SPARC, leading the organization’s efforts to advance openness and equity in education. Inspired as a student to make knowledge more accessible to the world, she has dedicated her fifteen-year career to advocating for open education and college affordability. Her impact includes passing legislative reforms, mobilizing grassroots campaigns, and building up the open movement nationally and internationally. At SPARC, Nicole leads a broad portfolio of initiatives to advance open education, spanning state and federal policy work, community organizing, and leadership development.

Dr. Callaghan

Dr. Callaghan is a Mesoamerican archaeologist who specializes in the study of the ancient Maya with an emphasis on ceramic analysis. He is interested in how ceramic technology, the organization of production, and exchange of ceramics contributed to the growth of social complexity. Dr. Callaghan’s research informs the study of how technology and production contribute to changes in social structure. He has been awarded grants from the National Science Foundation, National Geographic Society, American Philosophical Society, and the Fundación Patrimonio Cultural y Natural Maya (PACUNAM) in Guatemala. Dr. Callaghan teaches courses for undergraduate and graduate students at UCF in the areas of General Anthropology, Maya Iconography, Ethics in Anthropology, Archaeological Ceramic Analysis, Archaeology and Pseudoscience, and the Anthropology of Walt Disney World, FL.

Lily Dubach

Lily Dubach, Textbook Affordability Librarian at the University of Central Florida, collaborates across campus to promote and transition course content to affordable options such as open educational resources and library-sourced eBooks. In conjunction with statewide and national affordability initiatives, she provides library leadership on projects supporting student success. Lily is also the subject librarian for the School of Communication Sciences & Disorders. Her research interests include leveraging technology, such as artificial intelligence tools, for discovering or enhancing open educational resources, as well as analyzing student outcomes and perceptions of open or library-sourced material course adoptions. Lily is the 2024 recipient of the Excellence in Librarianship Award which recognizes outstanding contributions and support given to the university’s faculty and students.

Dr. Amanda Groff

Dr. Groff is a senior lecturer of anthropology who specializes in archaeology and bioarchaeology. Dr. Groff received her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Florida in 2015. Her primary area of research utilizes stable isotopes to determine migration and social mobility of ancient individuals. Dr. Groff joined the UCF faculty in 2009 and teaches various sections of online courses for the UCF Department of Anthropology. Currently, Dr. Groff also participates in research associated with the Cape Canaveral Archaeological Mitigation Project (CCAMP) in Florida and the Kerkenes Archaeological Project in Turkey. In addition to teaching, Dr. Groff also serves as the Online Coordinator for the UCF Department of Anthropology.

Wendy Howard

Wendy Howard is the Director of the Pegasus Innovation Lab (iLab) at the Center for Distributed Learning. She has a diverse background in both corporate training and higher education. In addition to her Doctor of Education degree in Instructional Design & Technology from UCF, Wendy has also earned a BA in Mathematics and Secondary Education and an MA in Corporate Communication & Technology from Rollins College. Her current research is focused on faculty development, digital learning in STEM, collaborative online learning and internationalizing the curriculum through technology. She also provides a practitioner’s perspective based on over twenty years of experience in both design and instruction.

As the director of UCF’s iLab, Dr. Howard’s primary focus is to strategically align, promote, and provide project management support for initiatives that contribute to the lab’s mission to serve as an incubator for the next generation of digital learning by supporting faculty and staff in piloting, refining, and evaluating innovations that positively impact student success at scale.

Dr. Denise Lowe

Dr. Denise Lowe holds an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership, Higher Education; an M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling; a B.S. in Psychology; and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). At the University of Central Florida, Denise served as an Instructional Design Team Lead from 2009 – 2018, where her duties included oversight responsibilities for several Strategic Initiatives, including faculty development and open educational resources. Denise also teaches as an adjunct lecturer in the LEAD Scholars Academy and the Nicholson School of Communication and Media. Her research foci are faculty development, emotional intelligence and leadership, and online design and teaching effectiveness. Denise currently holds a faculty rank of Senior Instructional Designer and is a member of the Open Education Resources team at UCF.

Sarah Norris

Sarah Norris is Scholarly Communication Librarian at the UCF Libraries. In this role, she leads the Libraries’ Scholarly Communication and open access efforts, with an emphasis on scholarly publishing and copyright training and education. Her research interests include digital humanities and copyright implications in the digital environment, open access including the expanded use of OERs in the classroom and open data, and utilizing technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to support research, teaching, and learning. In 2023, she was awarded a UCF Research Incentive Award (RIA) for outstanding research and scholarly activity that advances the body of knowledge in a particular field.

Anne Prucha

Anne Prucha is Senior Instructor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at University of Central Florida (UCF), where she teaches Spanish and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She is active with UCF’s Center for Distributed Learning Pegasus iLab, working with colleagues to incorporate Personalized Adaptive Learning (PAL) and OER content into first-, second- and third-year Spanish courses. In 2022, she and her colleagues, including Kacie Tartt, were recognized by UCF’s Affordable Instructional Materials (AIM) Initiative with the AIM High Group Impact Award for using OER, increasing affordability and accessibility for students.

Kacie Tartt

Kacie Tartt is Senior Instructor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (MLL) at the University of Central Florida (UCF), where she teaches Spanish and Latin American Studies. Kacie works to take the goals of accessibility and affordability to the next level in her courses. She also collaborates with UCF’s Center for Distributed Learning to further distance learning initiatives within the Spanish division at the university, most recently exploring Adaptive Learning methods and technologies, as well as OER, within her discipline in a third round of the Course Redesign Initiative sponsored by the Pegasus Innovation Lab & UCF Board of Trustees.

Karen Tinsley-Kim

Karen is part of the Instructional Development, or iDev, Team that creates online tutorials and training to equip faculty, staff, and students to effectively use Webcourses@UCF and other online instructional assets. She coordinates Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) online reactive accessibility content reviews and support for instructors who have enrolled students connected with Student Accessibility Services (SAS). Karen has a BS in Studio Art from FSU, MA TESOL from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and is continuing her academic development the Texts & Technology graduate program at UCF. Before joining CDL’s iDev Team in 2012, Karen taught ESL/EFL for over two decades, including in East Asia and at UCF-CMMS. Throughout her careers, she has contributed her skills in writing, editing, graphic and web design, and online teacher training. Karen is also the utility patented product developer of the Redema Ottoman Footrest, which she uses under her desk every day.

Dr. Sandra Wheeler

Dr. Sandra Wheeler is a Senior Lecturer and Anthropology Undergraduate Coordinator. Dr. Wheeler teaches upper-level undergraduate courses in biological anthropology such as Primatology, Ancient Plagues: Archaeological and Skeletal Evidence of Infectious Disease, and Mummies, Zombies and Vampires: Anthropology of the Undead. Several of her courses have received Quality, High Quality and Blended Quality designations. Dr. Wheeler also developed Beyond the Anthropology Major: Careers Applying Anthropology, an undergraduate professional development course aimed at non-academic and alt-academic jobs; this course received a high-impact Integrative-Learning Experience designation. Dr. Wheeler is committed to student-centered learning and providing low-to-no-cost accessible course materials. As Undergraduate Coordinator, Dr. Wheeler helped spearhead the adoption of OER course materials in all of the Anthropology General Education Program courses. By 2025 the Anthropology Department aims to adopt OER course materials for ensure all lower-level Anthropology courses.

Dr. Lana Williams

Dr. Williams a bioarchaeologist specializing in research of human health and diet. She works in Egypt with the Dakhleh Oasis Project (2002-present) and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven project at Dayr al-Barsha (2006-present), and as a team member with various archaeological projects in Europe, the Near East, and Mesoamerica. Her research focuses on isotopic and elemental analysis of hair, seasonality in fertility and disease, musculoskeletal biomechanics and patterns of activity, and placement of the dead in the physical and social landscapes. Dr. Williams regularly teaches introductory general education courses in Anthropology and upper-level courses on Ancient Egypt, the Viking World, Human Biological Diversity, Biobehavioral Anthropology, and History of Anthropological Thought.

Event Committee

Kevin Corcoran, Assistant Vice Provost of the Center for Distributed Learning
Lily Dubach, Assistant Librarian
Wendy Howard, Director of the Pegasus Innovation Lab
Samantha Morgan, UCF Barnes and Noble Campus Store Operations Manager
Amanda Major, Assistant Program Director of the Pegasus Innovation Lab
Rocco Fazzalari, Project Coordinator I
Rebecca McNulty, Assistant Instructional Designer
Nicole Stahl, Project Coordinator II
Amber Mullens, Administrative Project Mgr I
Missy Murphey, Assistant Librarian
Rachel Vacek, Librarian and Associate Dean, Technology and Digital Strategies
Frank Tamberelli, Associate Instructor
Christian Beck, Associate Lecturer

And a special thanks to the following for preparing and promoting Open Ed Live.

Jon Pizzo, Manager Multimedia Services, iDev at the Center for Distributed Learning
Samantha Richardson, Communication Specialist I, iLab at the Center for Distributed Learning
Bren Bedford, Web Project Analyst II, iDev at the Center for Distributed Learning
Ailin LeBellot, Web Content Specialist I, iDev at the Center for Distributed Learning