Open Education Week (OEW) – March 2-6, 2026 – JOIN AND NETWORK!
March 2 @ 08:00 – March 6 @ 17:00
Open Education Week is a celebration of the global Open Education Movement. Its goal is to raise awareness of the movement and its impact on teaching and learning worldwide, and to expand free and open educational opportunities for everyone everywhere.
EDEN is endorsing Open Education Week and is now organising EDEN DLE OEW for the 10th time in a row. We want to highlight how open education can help people achieve their educational goals, whether by developing skills and knowledge for work, supporting formal studies, learning something new for personal interest, or seeking additional teaching resources.
Join us for the following events – participation is free and open!
Remember to register. EDEN will issue open badges to acknowledge and appreciate your event participation.
Be sure to mark March 2-6 on your calendar!
During the Open Education Week, EDEN DLE offers the following online events:
Title: Assessment Futures: What OU Students Tell Us and How AI Can Help Us Respond
Description: Assessment is undergoing rapid transformation across the higher‑education sector, driven by shifting student expectations, new patterns of engagement, and the accelerating influence of generative AI. At The Open University, we now have a unique combination of evidence, expertise, and emerging tools that allow us to rethink assessment in a way that is pedagogically grounded, student‑centred, and institutionally coherent. This webinar brings together three complementary strands of OU work to help us understand where assessment is heading and how we can respond strategically.
First, we will explore longitudinal evidence from OU students, drawing on several years of comprehensive survey data that reveal how learners experience assessment, how they feel about being more engaged and involved in the assessment process, and their use of AI for assessment writing, feedback and support. These insights enable us to identify and anticipate opportunities for improved assessment design and support.
Secondly, drawing on concrete examples from different curriculum areas, we will demonstrate what assessment looks like that is informed by the OU’s framework for Critical AI Literacy Skills development, i.e. AI Literacy which is grounded in equity, diversity, inclusion and access principles.
Finally, building on the evidence about student experiences and the OU’s pedagogical framing of AI, we turn to practical tools that support course authors in rethinking assessment design. SCRIBE, the OU’s AI-supported authoring assistant, offers a growing suite of specialist assistants to help academics work through assessment decisions collaboratively and efficiently. These include assistants for generating diagnostic quiz questions with formative feedback, sketching VLE-based learning activities aligned to different pedagogical purposes, drafting assessment rubrics, and mapping tasks to learning outcomes. In this segment, we demonstrate how these assistants work, not as replacements for educator judgment, but as thinking partners that help course teams translate institutional priorities and student needs into well-designed, authentic assessments.
Together, these perspectives offer a coherent, evidence‑based view of how the OU can evolve its assessment practices in a way that supports students, empowers educators, and aligns with our mission of widening participation.
The session will be chaired by Denise Whitelock, who has spent her career developing AI systems for Teaching and Learning.
Together, these presentations offer a timely and practical view of how human–AI partnerships are reshaping assessment while stressing the roles of trust, transparency, and institutional purpose.
Format: Presentations and discussion with participants
Moderator: Professor Denise Whitelock, Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University, UK,EDEN DLE Vice-president
Description: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning are important for educators, teachers, students and policymakers. The Every1 project (https://every1.energy) is actively exploring the use of AI tools to support the creation and delivery of Digital Energy know-how to European citizens. Every1 brings together leading experts in energy, education, energy ecosystems and the social sciences to enable all European stakeholders to participate effectively in the digital energy market.
This session will consist of 3 international speakers, Irina Rets, Beck Pitt and Chris Edwards, who will present their current research in the Every1 European funded project. They will also situate their work within a framework of current challenges and opportunities. Then it is over to you, the audience, to participate in a lively debate about these issues, chaired by Denise Whitelock, who has spent her career developing AI systems for Teaching and Learning.
Format: Presentations and discussion with participants
Moderator: Professor Denise Whitelock, Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University, UK, EDEN DLE Vice-president
Professor Denise Whitelock, Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University, UK, EDEN DLE Vice-president
Dr Denise Whitelock is the Artificial Intelligence Lead at the Institute of Educational Technology (IET) at The Open University, following a six-year tenure as its Director. A Professor of Technology Enhanced Learning, she brings over 25 years of expertise in applying Artificial Intelligence to the design, evaluation, and transformation of online and computer-based learning in higher education.
Denise currently leads the UK’s contribution to two major European initiatives. The first, ADMIT (Generative AI and Large Language Models in Higher Education), explores the educational and ethical frameworks needed to responsibly integrate LLMs and generative AI into teaching and learning. The second, Every1 (Enable Everyone’s Engagement in the eneRgY transition), unites experts across energy, education, and the social sciences to empower inclusive participation in Europe’s digital energy market.
Appointed Editor of Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance & e-Learning in 2018, Denise’s international standing is reflected in her visiting professorships at the Autonoma University of Barcelona, the British University in Dubai, and the Commonwealth of Learning in Canada. She currently serves as Board Member, Senior Fellow, and Vice President of Research for EDEN Digital Learning Europe, and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Science.
Speakers:
Dr. Simon Cross, Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University, UK
Dr Simon Cross is a Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University and has 20 years’ research experience in distance and online learning and assessment. Simon has led a university-wide survey about the Student Experience of Feedback, Assessment and Revision (SEFAR) since its inception in 2015 and most recently introduced questions to probe how students use AI for assessment activities. He has a keen interest in exploring new approaches to digital assessment and has led two international projects investigating the use of digital badges for teacher professional development and assessment at scale in India. As Associate Director for the Quality Enhancement and Innovation in IET between 2019 and 2023, he commissioned investigations into the university use of assessment optionality, patterns of assessment design and transparency. His current research interests in this area include: generational differences in assessment experience and perceptions of choice and agency; relationships between AI use, study motivations, assessment literacy, study context, and course grades; and the role of students’ assessment networks in supporting learning, engagement, and trust-building.
Professor Mirjam Hauck, Faculty of Wellbeing Education and Language Studies at the Open University UK
Dr Mirjam Hauck (SFHA) is Professor of Critical Digital Pedagogies in the Faculty of Wellbeing Education and Language Studies at the Open University UK. She is also a university Academic Lead for AI in Learning, Teaching and Assessment. Her scholarly work focuses on theorising the field of collaborative online international learning (COIL)/virtual exchange (VE) through the social justice and inclusion lens, framed as Critical COIL/VE (CVE). Most recently, she has been exploring the potential of CVE to develop students’ critical AI literacy skills.
She is the President of the European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning (EUROCALL), serves as Associate Editor of the CALL Journal and is an editorial board member of ReCALL and LLT. She is a founding member of UNICollaboration.org.
Dr. Duygu Bektik, Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University, UK
Dr.Bektik is a Lecturer at The Open University’s Institute of Educational Technology. With a PhD in learning analytics and over 15 years’ experience in educational technology, her research focuses on generative AI in education, ethical instructional design, and institutional AI adoption. She leads the design-based research and academic evaluation of SCRIBE, the OU’s GenAI authoring assistant supporting course teams in curriculum and assessment design. Duygu co-founded OpenAIED, a cross-institutional network on AI in education, and co-leads the OU’s CPD course on Generative AI for Educators. She also serves as Deliverable Lead on the EU-funded ADMIT project, developing educational and ethical frameworks for AI integration in higher education
Title of the Topic: Challenges micro-credentials bring and solutions QualityLink proposes
Description: Openly shareable and interoperable course data is a key enabler for transparency, comparability and trust in the European micro-credentials ecosystem. Building on this premise, the QualityLink project has developed a structured set of quality indicators for micro-credentials, supported by a data model and ontology based on the European Learning Model (ELM). The project created a technical architecture for data exchange and implemented this in a pilot platform. The project directly addresses the “discover” use case of the European Higher Education Interoperability Framework (HEIF), thus capturing a key area in which European Universities alliances need to be interoperable to enable seamless student journeys.
This session is designed to link QualityLink project results with the challenges HEI face within micro-credentials. It will start with short presentations on the Quality link project results (quality indicators for micro-credentials and a pilot platform for data exchange) and lead to a panel discussion with experts in micro-credentials from different HEIs, who will focus on the challenges micro-credentials pose for institutions when exchanging open data on their courses.
Format: Presentations and panel discussion
Moderator: Estela Daukšienė, EDEN DLE
Dr Estela Daukšienė is an EDEN DLE Management board member and a researcher in EDEN projects that refer to micro-credentials (MicroCredX, QualityLink). She is a former president and board member of the Lithuanian and Distance e-Learning Association (LieDM).
Currently, she works at Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania, where she serves as an associate professor in the Education Academy. She’s also a deputy director at the Innovative Studies Institute, responsible for quality assurance of university online courses, and contributing to university teacher training. She teaches future teachers and leads various national and international projects. Since 2010 she has been working among leading researchers on the topics of TEL, OER, virtual mobility, micro-credentials, teacher digital competence development, education for SD and, recently, AI impact and application in education.
Speakers:
Colin Tück is a senior expert for innovation and digitalisation at the Knowledge Innovation Centre (KIC). Colin has 15 years of experience in European higher education policy and cooperation. He works in collaboration with different European projects and initiatives related to quality assurance, recognition, interoperability and data exchange, amongst others. Colin was the Director of the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR), leading the conception, implementation and management of the Database of External Quality Assurance Results (DEQAR). Colin contributed to shaping the European Higher Education Area’s (EHEA) quality assurance framework, for example as a member of the Steering Group for the 2015 revision of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG), as a co-author of the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes and a member of the EU Micro-Credentials Higher Education Consultation Group
Jochen Ehrenreich is a Senior Researcher at DHBW Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Heilbronn, Germany. He is the coordinator of Erasmus + project QualityLink; and has been active in other DHBW lead projects on micro-credentials, such as Micro-HE, OEPass, Ed-Dico. He leads framework development for issuing and recognizing micro-credentials across European higher education institutions at DHBW Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Heilbronn. His quality management background, and university innovation experience strengthen Europeans Credential systems.
More information is coming soon.
Title: Open Educational Practices for Critical Digital Competence: Insights from Design and Implementation
Description: This session explores how Open Educational Practices (OEP) can foster critical digital competence through the design and implementation of innovative learning experiences. The discussion will focus on practical approaches for integrating openness, critical thinking, and digital skills development into teaching and learning across formal and non-formal settings, including schools, higher education, and cultural heritage contexts. Participants will reflect on design principles, implementation strategies, and evaluation perspectives for OEP, considering opportunities and challenges such as inclusion, participation, ethical and cultural implications of educational technologies, and the development of transversal competences. The session combines short inputs with an interactive discussion, aimed at generating actionable ideas and shared insights for educators, researchers, instructional designers, and practitioners interested in adopting and scaling OEP to support critical digital competence
Format: Presentations and discussion with participants
Moderator: Carlo De Medio, Researcher in Experimental pedagogy, University of Roma Tor Vergata
Speakers:
Professor Antonella Poce, Department of History, Heritage, Education and Society – University of Roma Tor Vergata, Italy
Antonella Poce is presently a full Professor in Experimental Pedagogy at the Department of History, Heritage, Education and Society – University of Roma Tor Vergata, where she teaches Experimental Pedagogy, Educational Research Methodology, Museum Education. From December 2020 to February 2023, was employed as a full professor in the same subject at the Dept. of Education and Humanities, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, where she started and chaired the INTELLECT International Research Centre for Research into Heritage and Museum Education, Well-being and Teaching Technology. She presently coordinates the following joint (UNIMORE/UNIROMATRE) post-graduate degrees: annual “Empirical Studies in Museum Education ” and biennial post-graduate course “Advanced Studies in Heritage Education”.Her research concerns innovative teaching practices in higher education at the national and international level.
Kellian Adams Pletcher, Game and Interaction Designer, Producer, Educator – Fablevision, Boston
Kellian is FableVision Studios’ Director of G.L.A.M. (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums). As a producer, director, writer and game designer, Kellian has built over 150 games at museums and cultural spaces since 2008. Prior to joining Fablevision, Kellian was founder and Mastermind of Green Door Labs, creating games, immersive theatre, and physical/digital interactive experiences such as Murder at the Met, the Mystery of the Megatherium Club at the Smithsonian or AVATAR at the Peabody Essex Museum.Kellian has also taught game design at Northeastern University, is on the board of the Playable Theatre Project and “FIG Learns” from the Festival of Indie Games. She’s currently working on a book about – of course- museums and games.
Victoria I. Marín Juarros, Department of Education Sciences at the University of Lleida, Spain
PhD in Educational Technology: Virtual Learning and Knowledge Management from the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) (2014). Extraordinary PhD Award 2014-2016. Master in Educational Technology: e-Learning and Knowledge Management and Degree in Education (extraordinary award of the promotion 2009-2010). Associate Professor in the Department of Education Sciences at the University of Lleida. Previously she was a Senior Research Fellow (Ramón y Cajal: competitive Fellowship for tenure-track research professorship funded by the top early-career scheme from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation), a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oldenburg (Germany) (2016-2020), adjunct professor of Educational Technology in the Department of Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology at the UIB and adjunct professor at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR) (until 2016). Research collaborator of the Educational Technology Group of the UIB linked to the Institute for Educational Research and Innovation (Palma) and member of the Center for Open Education Research (COER, Oldenburg). Member of the EDUTEC Association for the Development of Educational Technology and New Technologies Applied to Education.Research interests: application of digital technologies in the teaching-learning process, especially in higher education and teacher training. Related interests: (critical) digital competence and (personal) data literacy, cultural and ethical issues of educational technology, personal learning environments (PLE), student and teacher agency and open educational practices.
Title: Digital Preservation and Revitalisation of Endangered Scripts: The Case of the Dongba Script
Description: This webinar explores how open online education, and in particular Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), can contribute to the preservation, transmission, and revitalisation of endangered writing systems, languages, and cultural practices. Writing systems worldwide face increasing risks due to social change, declining intergenerational transmission, and limited access to learning resources. Addressing these challenges requires approaches that move beyond documentation alone to support living practices.
The session combines presentations and discussion to bring together perspectives on endangered writing systems at both global and local scales. It opens with a brief introduction to endangered and minority writing systems worldwide, highlighting their broad range of structural and cultural features, the diverse contexts in which they are used, and the challenges involved in their transmission and survival. It will also consider opportunities for revitalisation through digital tools and open educational initiatives. It situates the Naxi Dongba script within the broader landscape of endangered writing systems worldwide, illustrating how a specific tradition reflects shared challenges while also presenting distinctive characteristics.
Particular attention is given to the Dongba script and Naxi cultural context, including the script’s graphic features, its close relationship with ritual and cultural knowledge, and the challenges posed by variation, transmission, and partial standardisation. This case study serves not merely as an isolated example but as a lens through which wider issues of script endangerment, revitalisation, and digital representation can be examined.
The webinar then focuses on MOOCs as a methodological approach to preservation and revitalisation. Rather than treating online courses solely as dissemination tools, the session examines how open digital learning environments can function as infrastructures for transmission, enabling sustained engagement between learners, cultural knowledge holders, and research communities. Drawing on empirical experience, the webinar highlights how MOOCs can support participatory learning, community formation, and the transition from learning communities to research and practice communities.
Finally, the discussion addresses the role of digital tools, including AI, in endangered script work. The focus is on concrete applications, limitations, and ethical considerations, including questions of authority, ownership, and long-term sustainability.
Format: Presentations and discussion with participants
Moderator: Sandra Kučina Softić, University of Zagreb, University Computing Centre SRCE, EDEN Senior Fellow
Dr Sandra Kučina Softić is the vice president of EDEN Digital Learning Europe, Assistant Director at the University of Zagreb University Computing Centre (Croatia) and Head of the E-learning Centre. She has over 25 years of experience working in higher education. Her work focuses on monitoring and fostering e-learning in Croatian higher education, and on providing support and advice to institutions, teachers, and students in implementing new technologies in learning and teaching. She has a master’s degree in Digital Education from the University of Edinburgh, UK, and a PhD in Information and Communication Technologies from the University of Zagreb, Croatia. In 2021, she authored a book on digital transformation in higher education (published in Croatian). She is a professor at the University of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, DOBA University, Slovenia and University North, Croatia. She was EDEN president 2019- 2022. Since 2023, she has been the EDEN DLE Vice President for Open Professional Collaboration. She is EDEH Digital Education Ambassador.
Speakers:
Tim Brookes, the founder of the The Endangered Alphabets Project
Tim Brookes is the founder of the Endangered Alphabets Project, the Script Keepers Network and World Endangered Writing Day. Educated at Oxford, he is the author of 23 books, including An Atlas of Endangered Alphabets, Writing Beyond Writing, and By Hand. He lives in Cambridge.
Philippa Steele, University of Cambridge, UK
Professor Steele leads the UKRI-funded project Visual Interactions in Early Writing Systems (VIEWS), based in the Faculty of Classics, and oversees a research team examining the visual features and contexts of writing. She has also founded the Endangered Writing Network, a collaborative initiative focused on language and writing endangerment. Following a doctorate focused on the languages of ancient Cyprus, Philippa has published widely on languages and writing systems of the ancient Aegean and Mediterranean.In her current research, she is working towards a cross-cultural study of textual arrangements, particularly writing direction and layout, as encountered in ancient and modern writing systems around the world. She also has a particular interest in minoritised, indigenous and endangered languages and writing traditions. In 2021, Professor Philippa Steele was immortalised as a Lego figure and inducted into the Lego Classicists Hall of Fame.
Jade Jue WANG – SZILAS, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Dr. Jade Jue Wang-Szilas is a researcher in distance education and digital language learning with two decades of experience in online course design, technology-enhanced learning, and intercultural pedagogy. She is an Associate Researcher at the University of Geneva and at PLIDAM (INALCO, Paris), and Senior Adviser in Technology-Enhanced Learning at the University of Geneva’s Centre for Continuing and Distance Education (CFCD).
Her research focuses on computer-assisted language learning (CALL), multilingual course design, and intercultural pedagogy, including the digital revitalisation of endangered writing systems. Her work emphasises multimodality, AI integration in education, teacher training, digital competencies, and cross-cultural collaboration.
She has co-initiated and coordinated several internationally recognised open learning initiatives, including the Chinese–French eTandem Course, a pioneering telecollaboration connecting learners in Switzerland, France, and China; Kit de contact en langues orientales : chinois (INALCO), the first introductory Chinese MOOC for French speakers; Initiation to the Dongba Script (University of Geneva, INALCO, BLCU), a MOOC dedicated to safeguarding and revitalising an endangered script; and Didactique du FLE dans une perspective francophone (University of Geneva, OIF), a professional development MOOC for French teachers worldwide.