Contributing to Lillehammer’s (Norway) Lifelong Learning ICDE Conference with the workshop: “Your place in the Open Ecosystem”

KA, as a partner institution of the ENCORE + Network, approached how Open Technologies can support initiatives, projects, and business’ uptake of Open Educational Resources (OERs) in the Lifelong Learning Conference 2023 (15th-17th February) in Lillehammer (Norway), which gathered 350 participants from 32 countries.

The workshop was intended to provide participants an opportunity to imagine and recreate their work and business as Open, reflecting on OERs applicability and benefit to business, innovation, and technology in lifelong learning. There was exchange, debate, and genuine interest on the possibilities openness offer to different stakeholders.

Some of the ongoing K4A’s research for the ENCORE+ Network was also presented as relevant background for engaging participants with the activities proposed. An overview of how businesses envisioned the use and potential strategies by the use of approach was provided, in terms of services provided to learners, and technologies supporting these processes. Additionally, some of the latest AI-based solutions for OER repositories were showcased as efficient tools catering for lifelong learners’ needs.

K4A workshop at the third International Lillehammer Lifelong Learning ICDE Conference 15-17 February 2023

Open education project OE4BW Eduscope 2022

A K4A co-funded project with the University of Nova Gorica (UNG) and the UNESCO Chair of Open Technologies for OER and Open Learning at the Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI) organized the Open Education for a Better World Eduscope 2022, which took place from 20 to 22 September 2022 in a hybrid format in Vipava, Slovenia.

OER projects developed through the 2022 OE4BW Mentoring Programme were be presented with short pitches and received direct feedback in a panel discussion. The program was complemented by keynote presentations on the role of Open Education in Emergencies like COVID 19, Best practices in open pedagogy, Open Education and inclusive knowledge society – Leadership and Language Issues, Open Source Authoring Tools to Create Open Educational Resources, Visual Communication Technologies and Their Applications in Education. 

During the 3-day event, the participants became familiar with open education design processes, methods, and tools. They learned from OER experts and practitioners how to align open education with developmental and strategic goals. This event built on the last four successful OE4BW Eduscopes, held as live conferences in Vipava, Slovenia, and online in 2020 and 2021. The conference’s aim was to share ideas and experiences, create new opportunities for people to network and create together, promote diversity of goals, backgrounds, and cultures, and contribute to implementing the UNESCO recommendation on open educational resources while addressing various sustainable development goals.