About Us

The Open Education Association is a national membership organization working to strengthen and connect the people and institutions advancing open education across U.S. higher education. Open education begins with the recognition that knowledge is a public good, and that educational resources become more valuable when they can be freely used, adapted, and shared. Over more than two decades, practitioners at thousands of colleges and universities have put that principle into action, building a broad field with real results for students and instructors in every state.

What's been missing is the connective tissue at the national level. The association was founded in 2025 through a community-driven process involving practitioners and organizations from across the field, in response to a clear and consistent signal: the local work is strong, but it isn't connected in ways that multiply its impact. Read more about how the association came together.

The association advances this work through national advocacy, strategic programming, curated resources, and coordinated field-wide initiatives. It organizes the annual Open Education Conference, one of the field's longest-running international gatherings, and is establishing a national voice for open education in policy conversations, public forums, and coalition efforts. See what the association is working on.

Membership is open to individuals whose work or interests connect to open education in any form. Members shape the association's direction through working groups, committees, and leadership roles, and gain access to professional learning, collaborative networks, and coordinated initiatives. Learn more about membership.