West Virginia OER Convening 2026

About

OpenLearningWV’s annual OER Convening brings together faculty, librarians, and administrators from across West Virginia each year to learn about Open Educational Resources.

Sessions

Excerpts from the unofficial draft agenda, subject to change. This post will be updated with slides and links as they become available.

Wednesday, April 8

Time: 1:00 p.m.
Title: Opening Remarks
Presenters: Beez Schell
Materials: Schell Opening Google Drive Share

Time: 1:00–5:00 p.m.
Title: Scaling Open Education with AI
Presenters: Brett Christie
Description: This interactive workshop explores how generative AI can enhance the discovery, adaptation, and creation of open educational resources (OER) to support teaching and learning. Participants will engage in hands-on activities and leave with a practical AI + OER plan they can begin implementing immediately.
Materials: Christie Scaling Google Drive Share

Thursday, April 9

Time: 9:00–9:45 p.m.
Title: Welcome & Open Learning WV
Presenters: Beez Schell & Chris Rasmussen
Materials: Schell Welcome Google Drive Share

Time: 9:45–10:45 a.m.
Title: OER Adoption: Access, Affordability, & Academic Success
Presenters: Amanda Larson
Description: This session explores how adopting open educational resources (OER) can expand access to course materials while reducing costs for students. Participants will examine research and practical strategies that show how OER adoption can support affordability and improve student engagement and academic success.

Time: 11:00–12:00 p.m.
Title: Open Pedagogy
Presenters: David Tully
Description: This workshop introduces attendees to the concept of open pedagogy, demonstrating how its use makes learning more inclusive, showing examples of open pedagogy in practice, and pointing to a series of action steps and resources for those intending to practice open pedagogy.

Time: 1:00–1:35 p.m.
Title: From Course Materials to Community Voices: Exploring Open Content with the Library
Presenters: Monica Brooks & Panel
Description: Marshall librarians who work with open publishing will share how faculty can incorporate varied open content formats across teaching, research, and community engagement models. Panelists will entertain questions to touch on real-world workflows and trade-offs they encounter when supporting various open resource types.
Materials: Brooks Slides (PDF) | Brooks Handout (PDF)

Time: 1:00–1:35 p.m. (Maple Room) [Schedule Change]
Title: AI & Academic Tasks: Guardrails, Risks, & Opportunities
Presenters: Brett Christie
Description: As AI becomes more present in academic work, educators need clearer ways to communicate when, how, and why students may use it. This session highlights approaches for designing assignments that promote transparency, reflection, and responsible use while protecting the intellectual work students need to do for themselves.
Materials: Christie AI & Academic Google Drive Share

Time: 1:35–2:10 p.m.
Title: Copyright Basics for OERs
Presenters: Jonah McAllister-Erickson
Description: An overview of copyright, and its intersection with OERs. This session will also touch on Creative Commons Signals.

Time: 1:35–2:10 p.m. (Maple Room) [Schedule Change]
Title: Content Packaging: SCORM, Common Cartridge, & QTI—How? And Why?
Presenters: Robert Szarka
Description: How can content packaging reduce the burden of OER adoption & reuse? Bring your laptop & LMS login to play along!
Materials: Szarka Packaging Slides (PPTX) | Example SCORM Package | Example Common Cartridge Package (unfinished; not for redistribution) | Link to Excel Tutorials on Shepherd LOR

Time: 2:10–2:45 p.m.
Title: The Mountain State Mandate: Connectivity & the OER Experience in West Virginia
Presenters: Taylor Miltenberger
Description: This study evaluates the current landscape of OER in WV through comparative surveys of faculty and student perspectives. The analysis specifically explores how digital infrastructure and internet access influence the practical adoption and effectiveness of these materials in higher education.

Time: 2:10–2:45 p.m. (Maple Room)
Title: Build Your Own AI Assistant: Creating Custom Chatbots with Google Gemini
Presenters: Maria Agee
Description: This hands-on workshop empowers educators to strengthen students’ digital literacy using freely accessible AI tools. Participants will explore Google Gemini’s no-cost Gems feature to create customized classroom chatbots that support instruction without budget barriers.
Materials: Agee Slides (PDF)

Time: 3:00–3:50 p.m.
Title: “Inconceivable!”: WV Faculty Perceptions & Misperceptions of OER
Presenters: Jeremy Larance with Maria Agee, Curtis Hakala, & Rob Szarka
Description: This presentation will share findings from a survey on West Virginia faculty perceptions of open education, examining how faculty understand—and often misunderstand—OER, copyright, and open licensing. The data suggest that many faculty hold negative views about using OER while simultaneously demonstrating limited familiarity with what OER actually entails. The session will invite audience feedback and discussion, with the hope that these conversations will help all of us more effectively promote and support OER training and adoption.

Time: 3:50–5:00 p.m.
Title: OER & Accessibility
Presenters: Amanda Larson
Description: This session focuses on how OER can be designed and adapted to ensure accessible learning for all students. Participants will explore practical approaches for creating and selecting materials that meet accessibility standards while supporting barrier-free and flexible learning environments.
Materials: Larson Accessibility Google Drive Share

Friday, April 10

Time: 9:15–10:15 a.m.
Title: Clearing Your Next OER Hurdle
Presenters: Robert Szarka, Joshua Beck, & Zahra Pourabedin
Description: Hear about work in progress at Shepherd & brainstorm about your next move to use OER in your class & increase adoption at your institution.
Materials: Szarka et al. Slides (PPTX) | Your Next Steps with OER handout (ZIP)

Time: 10:30–11:45 a.m.
Title: OpenWV LeadOERs: Individual Action
Presenters: Tanya Spilovoy & Cayla Eagon
Description: An overview of Open LeadOERship. Panelists share their own personal strategies for leading OER in their sphere of control.