Open education is built on the simple but transformative idea that knowledge is a public good.
We help practitioners, institutions, and organizations across the country work together to make open education the norm.
About Us
A national membership organization for people who create, use, and advocate for open educational resources and practices.
The Open Education Association represents a field that has been growing across the United States and around the world for more than twenty years. The association makes the public case for open education, coordinates strategic action on shared priorities, and runs programming that helps practitioners do their work more effectively, including the annual Open Education Conference.
Our Work
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Action Focused
Guided by member insight and shared purpose, the association is rolling out projects and initiatives designed to target the pressing priorities of the open education field.
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Community Built
Founded through a community-driven process, the association is designed to keep its governance and growth rooted in the values and voices of the open education field.
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Member Driven
Membership is open to anyone whose work or interests connect to open education. Gain access to valuable resources, a national network of peers, and a growing set of benefits.
Latest News
This fall, the Open Education Association invites the open education field to collaborate on a process to select national priorities and develop shared plans to advance them.
This month’s roundup of open education news, opportunities and events.
This month’s newsletter highlights a new study that identifies OER as a high-impact practice, spotlights advocacy for California’s ZTC program, and shares new working group opportunities.
The DOERS Collaborative has selected the Open Education Association to serve as its fiscal sponsor and long-term organizational home.
Emily Ragan was “tricked” into trying OER by a practical argument, then discovered a pedagogical paradigm shift.
In open education, a former University of Texas administrator found ways to remove financial and academic barriers and build campus community all at once.
The Open Education Funding Guide is a starting point for seeking resources to sustain and grow open education work over time. The guide covers how to plan, where to seek funding, how to build relationships, and how to write a strong proposal.
A delegation of California open advocates spent a day in Sacramento highlighting the impact of the state’s Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Degree Grant Program.
New research from AAC&U officially recognizes open educational resources as a high-impact practice, placing OER alongside undergraduate research, internships, and other approaches central to student success.
The Idaho State Board of Education adopted a revised version of its course material affordability policy, strengthening protections for students on automatic textbook billing and reinforcing the state's support for open educational resources.
This month’s roundup of open education news, opportunities and events.
The Open Education Conference is delighted to announce that this year’s opening keynote will be Dr. Sian Proctor, a geoscientist, artist, astronaut, and educator best known as the pilot of the historic all-civilian Inspiration4 space mission.
Governor Polis signed HB 26-1016 into law on June 1, reauthorizing Colorado's Open Educational Resources grant program through 2031. The program has saved Colorado students nearly $60 million in textbook costs since its launch.
This month’s newsletter highlights the upcoming funding strategies webinar and open applications for the Open Textbook Pilot grant.
A first-gen student who gamified her way through textbook costs grew up to ask: how do we make sure the next student isn't navigating this alone?
A NC State microbiologist couldn't find the right textbook for cutting-edge lab techniques, so he and his students stopped looking and started creating.
The 2026 competition for the federal Open Textbook Pilot Grant program is open. Applications are due June 23.
The Department of Education clarified how course material costs factor into Workforce Pell accountability requirements, with direct implications for institutions choosing between OER and commercial materials.
Explore the Open Education Glossary, a reference of key terms, organizations, platforms, and concepts used across the field.
This month’s roundup of open education news, opportunities and events.
Registration is open for the 2026 Open Education Conference on October 27–29. Register by August 31 to get earlybird pricing, and take advantage of discounts for association members.
This month’s newsletter highlights updates on OER and accessibility, information on microcredentials and Workforce Pell, and upcoming regional social hours.
A former theatre professor got hooked on OER when two students said they simply couldn't have afforded to take her class any other way.
A New York nursing instructor makes the case that OER models the values that nursing is built on
With the ADA Title II deadline extended by one year, institutions have more time to get accessibility right. OER should be part of the plan.
The Workforce Pell Grant program extends Pell eligibility to short-term workforce programs for the first time. As institutions build these programs, openly licensed materials are a strategy to reduce program costs and save students money.
This month’s roundup of open education news, opportunities and events.
A new policy adopted by the Nevada System of Higher Education requires institutions to identify courses that rely exclusively on no-cost or low-cost materials within their course registration systems, giving students clearer information about what they'll actually spend before they enroll.
Happy spring! This month’s newsletter highlights upcoming events you won’t want to miss, advocacy work happening in the field, and a reminder about the OpenEd26 call for proposals.
Pennsylvania has a strong open education community despite not having formal policy or state-level support. Advocates took the case for OER to the state legislature.
Events
Join this informal member social hour to soak up the last stretch of summer with the Open Education Association!
What should open education take on next? Introducing a process to choose national priorities.
Join this interactive listening session to help shape national priorities for open education. We'll discuss what challenges in higher education open education is well positioned to solve, brainstorm potential priorities, and map the work already happening in this space.
Join this interactive listening session to help shape national priorities for open education. We'll discuss what challenges in higher education open education is well positioned to solve, brainstorm potential priorities, and map the work already happening in this space.
Resources
This board brings together a wide range of active opportunities that relate to open education, such as calls for participation, job applications, and conference proposals.
Available in both list and calendar formats, this calendar tracks upcoming webinars of interest to the open education community. Updated regularly with registration information and recordings when available.
Curated list of annual conferences that include open education as a primary focus. Updated regularly with registration, calls for proposals, and save the date information.