Eastern to promote open educational resources during 'OEWeek'
Weeklong series promotes improved access to learning materials
Willimantic, CT (02/25/2026) — Eastern Connecticut State University will host a series of events for "Open Education Week" (OEWeek) from March 2 to 6. Launched in 2012 by Open Education Global, an organization promoting accessible and affordable educational materials worldwide, OEWeek is an international celebration of open education and a platform for open educational resources (OERs).
OERs are educational materials available to students at no cost. These resources can be found in the public domain or released under an open license, such as a Creative Commons license. This open licensing allows for resources to be shared, adapted, revised, and redistributed.
Eastern's OEWeek events are organized by open-education advocate and sociology Professor Nicolas Simon; Janice Wilson, director of library services; Julia DeLapp, director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA); and Angela Walker, reference and instruction librarian.
The week's events will include:
- Keynote Speaker, March 4: Kevin Corcoran, assistant vice provost of the Center for Distributed Learning at the University of Central Florida, will discuss the changing higher education landscape in the digital age and how the industry can use open education and artificial intelligence to meet the needs of the next generation of students. This discussion will take place at the J. Eugene Smith Library Paul E. Johnson, Sr. Community Conference Room from 3-4 p.m.
- Lunch and Learn, March 5: Organized by the CTLA, this session will feature a panel discussion by faculty members to promote open pedagogy on campus. This event will take place from 12:30-1:45 p.m. in the President's Dining Room at Hurley Hall.
- "Student OER Action Plan" Activity: More than 200 students will participate in a learning activity created by Eastern students in the fall 2025 semester. This activity will take place March 2, 3, and 6 in the J. Eugene Smith Library Paul E. Johnson, Sr. Community Conference Room.
- Library Exhibition: The J. Eugene Smith Library will showcase a selection of openly licensed materials used by Eastern faculty members. This exhibition will run all week.
Simon hopes that Eastern's OEWeek will display the efforts made by Eastern instructors to help their students find accessible learning resources.
"All of these initiatives taking place at Eastern reflect what is happening more broadly in higher education today," wrote Simon. "We can be extremely proud of the talented and caring Eastern faculty who are working diligently to promote liberal arts education and to reduce barriers for our students."
For more information on the global OEWeek initiative, visit: www.oeglobal.org/event/oeweek-2026/#
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,000 students annually on its Willimantic campus. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 25 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2025-26 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 15 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.
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