Open Education Global

What do Slovak professors selling their own textbooks in the 1990s have in common with today's AI companies? More than you'd think.

In the latest of our Come Invent With Us: Perspectives On OEGlobal 2026 articles, Jan Gondol — Director of Technology at Open Education Global — recalls being a student forced to buy his professors' self-published "skriptá," deliberately updated each year to prevent sharing, with exam questions drawn reliably from the new pages. The teachers were the gatekeepers.

Then MIT put its courses online. And everything changed.

Twenty-five years later, Gondol argues that AI is open education's new frontier — and we face a similar choice about whether to let powerful models concentrate in the hands of a few, or push for open, decentralised AI as the critical infrastructure it's becoming.

"The frontier has shifted, from MOOCs, textbooks and articles to technologies like AI. New challengers and gatekeepers are springing up, but openness is as precious as ever."

Read it here: https://twp.ai/E5FFvv

Open Education is, at its heart, a collective effort. is no exception.

This October, we’re gathering across five conference tracks designed to reflect the breadth and depth of Open Education practice.

◾ Hacking the Open Ecosystem and Praxis for the Public Good
◾ Innovating Open Content to Democratize Knowledge
◾ Catalyzing Human Connection, Creativity, and Curiosity to Thrive
◾ (Re)Inventing our Shared Global Vision Together
◾ Exploring Emergent Technologies and the Future of Openness

From presentations and workshops to panels, roundtables, and lightning talks, we’ll be learning from colleagues who are weaving together theory and practice.

"Be ready to learn! This isn't like most conferences — these speakers are bringing theory and application all at once!" shared a previous OEGlobal attendee.
If you’re ready to join us, Early Bird rate ends tomorrow!
👉 https://twp.ai/E5F57J

Open Education is, at its heart, a collective effort. is no exception.

This October, we’re gathering across five conference tracks designed to reflect the breadth and depth of Open Education practice.

◾ Hacking the Open Ecosystem and Praxis for the Public Good
◾ Innovating Open Content to Democratize Knowledge
◾ Catalyzing Human Connection, Creativity, and Curiosity to Thrive
◾ (Re)Inventing our Shared Global Vision Together
◾ Exploring Emergent Technologies and the Future of Openness

From presentations and workshops to panels, roundtables, and lightning talks, we’ll be learning from colleagues who are weaving together theory and practice.

"Be ready to learn! This isn't like most conferences — these speakers are bringing theory and application all at once!" shared a previous OEGlobal attendee.
If you’re ready to join us, Early Bird rate ends tomorrow!
👉 https://twp.ai/E5F6M0

⏰ 48 hours left to secure Early Bird Rate

Early bird registration closes August 9 — if you've been meaning to register for the 2026 Open Education Global Conference, this is the moment.

October 7–9, 2026 | Cambridge, MA + Online

Three days with the global open education community — educators, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and technologists from every region of the world, at a landmark moment for the movement.

"A warm, joyful atmosphere, time spent with kind and inspiring colleagues, and more great ideas than can be found in my brain." said a previous OEGlobal delegate

Register now: https://twp.ai/E5F6J0

What makes a "hybrid” conference distinct from one that is “livestreamed”? How do you build an experience that works for everyone, whether they are in Cambridge or somewhere else in the world?

In the latest piece in our Come Invent With Us: Perspectives on OEGlobal26 series, Alan Levine, Director of Community Engagement at Open Education Global (OEGlobal) draws on decades of experimenting with online participation formats to take an honest approach to the real challenges of hybrid design. He issues a genuine invitation:

"The hybrid conference experience is something we should and ought to do together — in the spirit of the OEGlobal 2026 theme, let's invent it."

This isn't a how-to article. It's an open request from the people building the conference. If a hybrid conference hasn't worked for you in the past, your perspective is exactly what's needed.
👉 Find out how to join the conversation: https://twp.ai/Wptvje
📅 Join us in Cambridge or online … Early Bird registration rates close August 9. Register: https://twp.ai/IluC9S

At OEGlobal, we feel that anyone who is nominated for planting a seed of Open Education should be recognized! Including everyone and each project that was nominated for an in 2026?

Before we move on to the shortlist, and the winners ... we'd like you to see and explore all 200+ nominees for the 2026 Open Education Awards for Excellence.

Explore, encourage and celebrate! https://twp.ai/E5EytN

What makes a hybrid conference actually feel like a shared experience; for everyone, not just those in the room? It's one of the hardest design challenges in Open Education events, and we're asking for your help co-creating it.

This Thursday, August 6 (11am EDT • 4pm UTC), Open Education Global and Equity Unbound are hosting a free, open listening session on the hybrid conference experience — in preparation for this October in Cambridge and online.

We're not coming with set ideas. We're coming to listen to:
— What has worked for you as an online conference participant
— What has made you feel genuinely present and connected
— What has helped when time zones make live attendance a challenge
— What can in-person attendees do to bridge the distance?

Your experience — as a participant, organizer, or presenter at hybrid events — is exactly what we need. No registration for OEGlobal 2026 required.

👉 Register for Thursday's Zoom session: https://twp.ai/S9EiRA
💬 Can't join live? Add your thoughts anytime on OEGlobal Connect: https://twp.ai/NSZTF6
🕐 Check your local time: https://twp.ai/IluE32

At our last in-person conference, we welcomed a remarkable 60% of attendees who were joining us for the first time. Every single participant told us the experience met or exceeded what they hoped for.

For , we're preparing to welcome as many colleagues as before, both in person and online, from every region of the world.

Whether you're joining us for the first time or returning as part of our ongoing community, this is where new collaborations take root. You'll find practitioners, institutional leaders, and organizations all working together towards an Open Education ecosystem that is collaborative and sustainable.

"I came as a newcomer who was feeling shy. Within the first keynote, I instantly felt welcomed into an inclusive community that opened the door for me to enter. Mahalo," shared a previous OEGlobal attendee.

Open Education is never been a single story. At , we’re gathering myriad perspectives—from Africa, Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania.

The program shares the diverse perspectives and contextual experiences of delegates from 27 countries. You can explore 173 sessions across the 5 conference tracks. Practitioners will share best practices, workable solutions, and honest provocations from every corner of the globe.

"It was wonderful to share experiences with people from around the world and realize how similar things are: struggles, successes, and dreams," shared an OEGlobal23 attendee.

This is Open Education as a global, multi-disciplinary movement — and we hope you’ll add your voice.

Early Bird registration is open until August 9.
👉 Register here: https://twp.ai/E5DZ2h

What does it really mean to “hack” the open ecosystem—and why does it matter now more than ever?

Chris Bourg, director of MIT Libraries and founding director of CREOS, and Amy Brand, director and publisher of the MIT Press, share their thoughts on this in the latest piece from our Come Invent With Us: Perspectives on OEGlobal26 series.

Their perspective feels especially timely and important:

"'Hacking the open ecosystem today requires not only making knowledge available to all, but also building the systems that ensure the credibility and sustainability of that knowledge."

Right now, with generative AI changing the way we create, share, and use knowledge, and as commercial interests continue to shape academic content, Bourg and Brand remind us that libraries and university presses both have vital, complementary roles. Open knowledge only matters if we can trust it.

If you’d like to dive deeper, you can read their full piece here –> More than access: Hacking open scholarship and open learning https://twp.ai/E5DAIJ