We are excited to invite the community to share their practices and experiences with open education at Open Education Talks through a lightning talk or poster.
This virtual free event aims to foster conversations and share best practices in open education.
Schedule & Format
Five presentations will be featured every Wednesday in March 2027 with up to 25 presentations over 5 weeks. Each week will focus on a different theme and each session will include consecutive 15 minute lightning talks, followed by a collective Q&A session. All sessions will be hosted online via Zoom.
The Digital Poster Wall will be available on the Open Education Talks website throughout and following the Talks.
Talks Schedule
Every Wednesday in March 2027 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM ABT (Alberta Time GMT-6)
Proposal Streams
Presenters are invited to indicate which of the four streams their talk or poster best aligns with in their proposal submission.
For each stream, examples of related topics are provided. These examples are not exhaustive and do not encompass the full range of topics that may be relevant to each stream.
1. Building Blocks of Open Education: This stream focuses on the basics of open education (OE) and open educational resources (OER), what it is, and why it has been impactful in higher education, including examples. Some related topics include:
- Getting started with OE in post-secondary institutions
- Institutional supports, advocacy, and partnerships that make engaging with OE and OER possible
- Overcoming common challenges in adopting, adapting, or creating OERs
- Reflecting on how OE influences and reshapes teaching practices and considerations in diverse knowledge and learning contexts
2. Emerging Technologies in Open Education: This stream focuses on emerging and responsive connections between innovation, technology, and accessibility within OE. Some related topics include:
- How AI is transforming and influencing the landscape of open education
- Ensuring equity and accessibility in technology-enhanced OER and OE practices.
- Differentiating access from accessibility in OER and OE
- Investigating sustainable models for designing and distributing low-barrier OER
3. Students as Partners and Leaders in Open Education: This stream amplifies student-led OE projects and initiatives. Some related topics include:
- Student perspectives on the benefits and challenges of OE and OER
- Student advocacy in OE conversations and decision-making
- The role of student leadership in promoting open education initiatives
- Models of successful student partnerships with faculty, librarians, or staff in OE initiatives
4. Tensions and Possibilities within Open Education: This stream focuses on how the OE community has adapted or evolved its practices when facing tensions, challenges, or new opportunities. Some related topics include:
- How is open learning reimagined across learning ecosystems
- Exploring the role of OE and OER within open research practices and initiatives
- Ethical, copyright, and privacy tensions of AI in educational content creation and distribution
- Supporting multiliteracies in the diverse landscape of OE and OER
Submitting a Proposal
Submitters can select to submit a proposal for a lightning talk, a poster, or both when completing the Call for Proposals form.
For assistance with poster proposals, previous digital poster presentations, submission guidelines, and a poster template are available.
Note: No vendor submissions will be accepted.
Call for Proposals Timeline
- Proposals Open: November 3, 2026
- Proposals Deadline: December 14, 2026
- Presenters Notified: January 22, 2027
Proposal Review
The Steering Committee will review proposals and notify presenters by January 22, 2027. Review criteria used by the Steering Committee is available.
For accepted proposals, the Steering Committee will coordinate next steps for lightning talk and poster presenters.
Important Dates:
- Proposals Open: November 3, 2026
- Proposals Deadline: December 14, 2026
- Presenters Notified: January 22, 2027
- Registration Open: February 1, 2027
- Talks Start: March 3, 2027