OpenEd Digest – March 2026
OpenEd Digest
your monthly roundup of what’s new in open education
This has been a busy and inspiring month for the open education community during Open Education Week. Thank you to everyone contributing their time, ideas, and energy to the field. It has been wonderful to see so many activities taking place with more still to come!
Upcoming Events
Curated picks from our lists of upcoming webinars and conferences
Upcoming Webinars:
ISKME - Introduction to Accessibility for OER - Mar. 12
Open Oregon - Beyond Compliance to Universal Design of OER - Mar. 13
CCCOER - From the Field: Inside Fanshawe's OER Design Studio - Mar. 18
Open Florida - OER Bootcamp - Mar. 25 - 27
Pressbooks - Prepare your Book for Publication and Distribution - Mar. 30
Rebus - Information Session: Rebus Leadership Learning Pathways - Apr. 1
Colorado OER Council - Build your own Formative OER Assessments with AI - Apr. 7
Call for Proposals:
OpenCon Ohio 2026 (in-person & virtual, May 14-15) - Deadline Mar. 20
OE Global 2026 (hybrid, Oct. 7-9) - Deadline Mar. 30
2026 Open Education Conference 2026 (virtual, Oct 27-29) - Deadline Apr. 3
Last Chance Registration:
Virtual Open Education Talks - Mar. 4-25
Virtual Northeast OER Summit - Mar. 25-26
Virtual OEP@TWU Conference - Apr. 2
In Person Effordability Summit - Apr. 6-7
Virtual All Things Open - Apr. 6-9
Open Opportunities
Highlights from our open education opportunity board
Open Calls:
Paper Submissions: Pedagogy Opened: Innovative Theory and Practice - Deadline Mar. 23
Chapter Proposal: Reflections on Open Educational Practices: Intentions, Nuances, and Complexities - Deadline Mar. 27
Professional Learning: Rebus Supplemental Materials Development Certificate - Early Bird Deadline Mar. 31
Professional Learning: ISKME OER Styles Accessibility Series - Deadline Apr. 8
Call for Papers: Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education - Deadline May 1
Job Opportunities:
Director for Open Educational Resources - Tallahassee State College
Curriculum Specialist for Open Educational Resources - Tallahassee State College
Open Education and Outreach Librarian - University of Wisconsin
Open Education Librarian - Texas State University
Stories from the Field
Snapshots of open education making a difference
From Colorado: The University of Northern Colorado announced that Chelsie Romulo, Ph.D., an associate professor, was awarded the 2025-26 Open Education Excellence Award for her outstanding commitment to advancing open educational resources (OER). Through her teaching, leadership, and advocacy for OER in faculty development, Romulo exemplifies a commitment to removing financial barriers and promoting inclusive, accessible learning environments for all students. Read More>>
From Nebraska: The University of Nebraska Kearney (UNK) reported how OER have transformed student access to course materials. The Open Nebraska initiative has saved students over $2.2 million on textbooks since 2015. Beyond substantial cost savings, these OER have improved student learning by offering flexible, accessible formats. Read More>>
Hot Off the Press
Newly-published resources to explore and share
Open Textbook: Memory & Cognition by Priyanka Mehta offers a fresh, engaging tour of how the mind works—spanning the brain, mental imagery, the different functions of memory, and decision‑making.
Open Resource: The Open Education Network (OEN) is pleased to share the Guide to Open Textbook Essential and Exemplary Features, a new, openly licensed resource available on OEN’s Manifold. The Guide is designed to help authors, librarians, instructional designers and faculty select and develop open textbooks.
Research: The double-edged sword: Open educational resources in the era of Generative Artificial Intelligence is a commentary that adopts a speculative-critical methodological approach to interrogate the "double-edged" nature of transforming OER from static content into a dynamic, algorithmic infrastructure.
Report: SPARC Europe published an Open Education European Alliance Feasibility Report that explores the need and appetite for establishing a European Alliance for Open Education. They found unanimous agreement that enhanced international collaboration is essential for meaningful change.
Reading List
Articles about open education and other noteworthy topics
OEN Welcomes New Executive Director | Open Education Network
VIU Students’ Union host free open textbook fair | CHKY 101.7FM
Health Sciences prof champions open educational resources | The Brock News
Are Free Textbooks the Future? Trinity Panel Explores Open Educational Resources | Trinity Tripod
Textbooks cost too much | The Ferris State Torch
The hidden cost of the textbook tax | Higher ED Dive
Here's how digital textbooks are hurting NJ college students | Northjersey.com
Textbook and Course Affordability in the Works by SG Senator | The Reporter
Teaching at Pitt: Why “Open” matters in Open Education | University Times
High textbook costs continue to impact CSUN students | Daily Sundial
