OEGlobal Voices

OEG Voices 095: سعيدة بدلا من سائدة (Saida Affouneh)

Our 2026 season opens here, an inspiring conversation with Saida Affouneh, professor, researcher, and director of the E-Learning Center at An-Najah National University in Nablus, Palestine. We got to learn about Saida via a nomination for a 2025 Open Education Award for Excellence, leading to her recognition as an awardee as an Educational Leader. Saida was a key voice on the panel discussion on the opening day of the OEGlobal Tour in October. We are honored to share with you this conversation recorded in the podcast studio January 22, 2026. In the OEGlobal Voices podcast studio with our guest Saida Affouneh (left) and host Alan Levine (right). Episode 95 TranscriptDownload Listen with Transcript at Descript.com In This Episode FYI: For the sake of experimentation and the spirit of transparency, this set of show notes alone was generated by the AI “Underlord” in the Descript editor we use to produce OEGlobal Voices. Navigating Education and Resilience in Crisis: A Conversation with Saida Affouneh In this episode of OE Global Voices, host Alan Levine speaks with Saida Affouneh from An-Najah University in Palestine. Saida shares her experiences and insights as an educator in a region afflicted by constant crisis. Discussing her journey from Palestine to the UK for her Ph.D., Saida emphasizes the importance of education as a tool for resilience. She elaborates on the current state of education in Gaza and the West Bank, highlighting the challenges students face and their determination to continue learning despite extreme adversities. Additionally, Saida explains the critical role of Open Educational Resources (OER) and digital literacy in crisis settings, along with her vision for culturally sensitive, low-bandwidth educational content. This episode provides a deeply personal and motivational narrative on the intersection of education, crisis, and hope. 00:00 Intro Music and Highlighted Quote 00:47 Meet Saida Affouneh 02:20 Saida’s Background and Early Life 04:50 Educational Journey and Challenges 15:51 Discovering Open Education 19:22 Teaching at An-Najah University 22:14 Research and Student Experiences 25:28 Challenges of Education in Crisis 30:01 The Importance of Open Educational Resources 45:03 Hope and Resilience 48:26 Conclusion and Final Thoughts (end of AI generated show notes) Additional Links and Quotes for Episode 95 So there are new skills that rise up in the crisis situation that need to be developed. And this could be done through open resources, through like self-run courses with low bandwidth in Arabic, with examples from the situation here or around the area. …The second module that is needed, and I talk about it very much, is related to first aid support– first aid from medical background and first aid from psychological, mental and psychological background. Just the first steps in order to give yourself the support, is needed. The third one, which is very important is about how to be safe online because you know media and how it’s used inside the crisis. We need to raise the awareness of people how to use social media, how to use AI in crisis settings since it could be their main enemy, if they are not aware how to use it, which is very important. Saida Affouneh Saida Affouneh profile (An-Najah University) Publications (ResearchGate) An-Najah National University (Palestine) Nablus (WIkipedia) Al-Quds Open University Technology-enabled social-emotional learning for University educators: a systematic review (Frontiers in Education) Adopting the GHOSHEH Model to Create Innovative Open Educational Resources Based on Rogers’ Process for Diffusion of Innovations (Sustainbility Journal) Affouneh, Saida & Khlaif, Zuheir. (2020). A Hidden Dream: Open Educational Resources. 10.1007/978-981-15-4276-3_4. Enabling Gaza Students to continue University education: UNIMED participates in the initiative launched by the An-Najah National University Sumud (صمود) (Wikipedia) Gaza’s tech workers code from rubble as Israel’s war destroys digital life (Aljazeera) Keeping Gaza Connected: Building Crisis-Resilient Internet Access (Internet Society Pulse) OER For Gaza (form)

OEG Voices 094: Laura Dunn and Jamie Thomas

As a perfect last episode of the 2025 OEGlobal Voices podcast, we are delighted to share an inside look at the workings and impact of the Open For Anti-Racism program (OFAR) You will hear in the voices of Laura Dunn and Jamie Thomas how this has succeeded as a collaborative effort to increase the integrations of open educational practices and pedagogy for faculty to make their classes ever more accessible and responsive to the learning needs of students in community colleges across the state of California. OFAR, a project led by CCCOER (and OEGlobal), not only includes professional development through course materials facilitated by expert coaches, but also a process where each participant develops an Action Plan that is carried out in courses they teach the following semester. OFAR truly is the kind of professional development that goes far beyond resources and training, but supporting changes in pedagogical strategy. And this is accomplished through a distributed cohort model. Listen closely in the conversation how Laura and Jamie both refer to “students”, not only the learners ultimately in community colleges courses, but often they refer to the “students” as the faculty participants themselves. You will understand why there has been interest in this program from other educators in the US plus Canada as well. And you will hear of the future plans to publish and share an OFAR “Toolkit”. In the OEGlobal Voices podcast studio with (left to right) guests Laura Dunn, Jamie Thomas, and host Alan Levine. Episode 94 TranscriptDownload Listen with Transcript at Descript.com In This Episode FYI: For the sake of experimentation and the spirit of transparency, this set of show notes alone was generated by the AI “Underlord” in the Descript editor we use to produce OEGlobal Voices. OFAR and Open Pedagogy: Bridging Equity and Education Join host Alan Levine in an enlightening conversation with Laura Dunn and Jamie Thomas, key figures in the Open for Anti-Racism (OFAR) program. This episode delves into how OFAR empowers community college faculty to incorporate open educational resources (OER) and open pedagogy in their teaching. With personal anecdotes and professional insights, the guests discuss the transformative impact of culturally responsive strategies and community collaborations. Highlights include real-world examples of innovative course projects and the challenges and successes of implementing anti-racist teaching practices. This episode emphasizes the interconnectedness of educational communities and the ongoing efforts to make learning inclusive and accessible for all. 00:00 Intro Music and Selected Quotes 01:46 Welcome to OEGlobal Voices Podcast 02:07 Meet the Guests 02:36 Understanding the Open for Anti-Racism (OFAR) Program 06:50 Personal Backgrounds of Laura and Jamie 11:47 The Genesis of OFAR 16:16 Implementing OFAR in Community Colleges 22:18 Challenges and Successes of OFAR 25:19 Community and Collaboration in OFAR 54:40 Future Directions and Toolkit Development 58:49 Closing Remarks and Personal Insights (end of AI generated show notes) Additional Links and Quotes for Episode 94 So OFAR steps in then as a really actionable professional development program that helps faculty harness the power of OER and open pedagogy in their classrooms and in their teaching so that their teaching can become more accessible, regardless of student backgrounds. Students are then invited to bring their quote unquote whole selves. We say that a lot, in colleges and universities, but do we really mean it? But within OFAR we’re really looking for ways and strategies to help faculty bring their students– the whole student– into the classroom. Community colleges across the state of California and OFAR has had cohorts and teams from these colleges over the past six years now who are learning how to apply OER and open pedagogy to their teaching. Laura Dunn Open for Anti-Racism program (OFAR) OFAR Course (Self-paced open course and Facilitated Courses available through Canvas Commons) OFAR webinars OFAR Impact and Research Classroom Action (quotes and videos) Resources created by OFAR 2020-2021 Cohorts Resources by OFAR 2022-23 Cohorts (OER Commons) Alphabetic Listing of Californis Community Colleges California Central Valley (Wikipedia) Laney College Real College CA Student Survey Real College California: 2025 Survey Results of CCC Students’ Basic Needs Webinar (YouTube) Jasmine Roberts-Crews Adapting for Anti-Racism: Collaboratively diversifying faculty open professional development by Stacy Katz and Sherry L. Deckman, CUNY Lehman College Guide to OER and Antiracism (Wisconsin Technical College System remixed from OFAR course) One of the things we talk about with folks as we also have them connect with past participants through say a live webinar so that they can learn from other folks who’ve gone through this journey… we can try to help them be as adaptable as possible to whatever course they might end up getting assigned to at the last minute. Or, the particulars of who their students are and what their students are interested most in learning. And sometimes that connects really well with this idea of wanting to localize, say, a Biology curriculum or a History curriculum or a Cosmetology curriculum so that what is learned in the class also has immediate relevance to the neighborhood environment where our students are circulating and possibly going to serve new clients or stand up programs of their own. Jamie Thomas Our open licensed music for this episode is a track called  Everyone Knows It by Xennial that is shared under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. license. Like most of our podcast music, it was found at the Free Music Archive (see our full FMA playlist).

OEG Voices 093: Catherine Cronin and Laura Czerniewicz

Join us for our newest podcast episode, with voices connecting open educators from distant locations, both by the sea, Laura Czerniewicz from the southern tip of South Africa and Catherine Cronin from the west edge of Ireland. Listening to these two influential forces in open education, you should feel like you are in one room together. Recorded in September 2025, we invited Laura and Catherine to reflect on their multiple recognitions in the 2024 Open Education Awards for Excellence. Catherine was awarded in the area of leadership and both our guests were part of the entire team recognized for the global collaboration that produced Higher Education for Good. We hear about ongoing efforts that came from their subsequent keynote presentations as calls to action to critically address Open Education “at the crossroads.” In many threads you will understand how both Laura and Catherine embody, in a most human fashion, both leadership and collaboration. There’s much to be inspired by in hearing Laura and Catherine’s share stories of their influences, experiences, and mostly, the optimism that comes from witnessing how their vision for Higher Education for Good came to be openly created and shared. In the OEGlobal Voices podcast studio with (left to right) guests Catherine Cronin and Laura Czerniewicz plus host Alan Levine. Episode 93 TranscriptDownload Listen with Transcript at Descript.com In This Episode FYI: For the sake of experimentation and the spirit of transparency, this set of show notes alone was generated by the AI “Underlord” in the Descript editor we use to produce OEGlobal Voices. Reflections on Leadership, Collaboration, and Open Education with Laura Czerniewicz and Catherine Cronin In this episode of OEGlobal Voices, host Alan Levine catches up with Laura Czerniewicz and Catherine Cronin. The conversation reflects on their journeys in open education, touching upon leadership, humanity, and courage. They discuss their collaboration on the book ‘Higher Education for Good,’ recognized with multiple awards, and share personal stories from their pasts, including their childhoods and educational backgrounds. The discussion also explores the evolving landscape of open education, the impacts of big tech, and the importance of maintaining a human-centered approach. The episode closes with a reflection on community, personal well-being, and the joys of life outside work. 00:00 Intro Music and Highlighed Quotes 01:14 Podcast Introduction 02:05 Reflections on Leadership and Awards 04:52 Personal Histories and Early Influences 10:47 Challenges and Changes in Open Education 20:49 Higher Education for Good: Collaboration and Impact 26:34 Current Projects and Personal Reflections 41:01 Closing Remarks and Future Plans (end of AI generated show notes) Additional Links and Quotes for Episode 93 We know that in the midst of the chaos and collapse, there are people doing good things and soldiering on. That’s still true today. When we had this conversation about this possibility, that is exactly what we hoped for, that we would capture that dogged insistence on doing good in the face of what might feel intransigent obstacles. And it happened. It’s amazing and astonishing and bigger than we ever thought, but it’s a real celebration of the fact that, in the midst of everything and something we have to all remind ourselves now, when we watch what’s going on in the world, that there are good actions and people, no matter what. Laura Czerniewicz on Higher Education for Good Catherine Cronin (web site) Open Educational Practices for Good (2024 presentation at Lehman College) Laura Czerniewicz (web site) 2024 OEAwards Individual Award for Leadership (OEGlobal) Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (University of Cape Town) Higher Education for Good- Teaching and Learning Futures (Open Book Publishers) 2024 OEAward inCollaboration to All People Behind Higher Education for Good (OEGlobal) Open Book Publishers (publisher) The Future Isn’t What It Used to Be: Education at the Crossroads (OER24 keynote ) Open Education at a Crossroads (Open Education Conference 2024) Addressing Challenges to Open Education in an Era of Authoritarianism and Big Tech (OTESSA 2025 keynote) Catherine Cronin and Laura Czerniwicz on HE for Good (Helen Beetham podcast) Review of Laura Czerniewicz and Catherine Cronin (Eds.). (2023). Higher Education for Good: Teaching and Learning Futures (Helen Beetham in Postdigital Science and Education) Dear Photograph Soweto uprising (1976 South Africa) Cheryl Hodgkinson-Williams (University of Cape Town) Zohran Mamdani (Wikipedia) OEGlobal Voices 082: Amanda Coolidge, Marcela Morales, and Maren Deepwell on “The Small Things” OER19 Conference in Galway, Ireland, Recentering Open: Critical and Global perspectives Maria Ressa (Wikipedia) Avoiding Whatsapp as a political act (first of four part series, Laura Czerniewicz blog) And this sounds simple, but you don’t see it everywhere. It’s increasingly obfuscated and not mainstream. For me, it’s very sad. I think that we need more courageous leadership that respects humanity, that holds hope, that can paint a vision so people can see the difference from where we are now to what might be, what could be, more humane and socially just futures. And then help and encourage people to step towards that. So I dunno how I got there, but that’s my raw thoughts about leadership today. Catherine Cronin on leadership Listen to more of our episodes recorded with Open Education Awards for Excellence winners. Our open licensed music for this episode is a track called  Hope by Xennial that is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Like most of our podcast music, it was found at the Free Music Archive (see our full FMA playlist).

OEG Voices 092: Melody Chin on OEAward as a Catalyst

Into this last month of 2025 we continue catching up with winners of the 2024 Open Education Awards for Excellence (that’s how much excellence is out there). In this episode recorded August 11, 2025 we hear the voice and open education perspectives of Melody Chin, Senior Librarian at Singapore Management University (SMU). Recognized with an Individual OEAward as a Catalyst, Melody shares the state of open education resources and practices at SMU and it’s impact in Singapore and beyond, through her activities and fostering of openness regionally with the ASEAN University Network. Listen in to learn more about Melody’s interests and motivations for being an open catalyst. In the OEGlobal Voices podcast studio with guest Melody Chin (left) and host Alan Levine (right). Episode 92 TranscriptDownload Listen with Transcript at Descript.com In This Episode FYI: For the sake of experimentation and the spirit of transparency, this set of show notes alone was generated by the AI “Underlord” in the Descript editor we use to produce OEGlobal Voices. Exploring Open Education and Librarianship with Melody Chin Join us on OE Global Voices as we dive into a fascinating conversation with Melody Chin from the Singapore Management University. Recognized with an Open Education Award for Excellence as a Catalyst in 2024, Melody shares her journey from her early educational experiences in Singapore and Sydney to her pivotal role in advocating Open Educational Resources (OER). Discover how Melody’s passion for education and libraries has driven her efforts to make OER more accessible and impactful, both at SMU and across Southeast Asia. Melody also discusses the evolving role of librarians in the digital age, challenges in promoting OER, and the importance of building communities of practice across the region. 00:00 Intro Music and Highlight Quote 01:10 Welcome to OE Global Voices Podcast 01:23 Meet Melody Chin: Award-Winning Open Educator 02:31 Melody’s Background and Journey 06:52 Discovering Open Educational Resources (OER) 08:30 Challenges and Strategies in OER Adoption 13:14 The Role of Libraries in OER 16:40 Melody’s Involvement in ASEAN University Network 21:18 Current Challenges and Future Prospects 25:12 Conclusion and Final Thoughts (end of AI generated show notes) Additional Links and Quotes for Episode 92 2024 Open Education for Excellent award as a Catalyst (OEGlobal) Why I Enjoy Working at the SMU Libraries as a Senior Librarian in Instruction & Learning (Singapore Management University blog) Singapore Management University (SMU) Growth in Asia (SMU Research area) SMU Library Open Educational Resources (Research Guide) Centre for Teaching Excellence SMU Open Courses ASEAN University Network (AUN) Libraries of ASEAN University Network (AUNILO) MERLOT: How ASEAN Universities Can Scale Up Faculty Development Faster, More Effectively, and More Affordably (AUN-TEPL Workplan Seminar 2023) Overview of Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) (Singapore Ministry of Education) …especially [for] some of the classes that’ are based on local context, because one of the university priorities is Growth in Asia. Some courses have been based very much on Asian topics, Asian economies. For those sort of local based courses, it’s been a little bit more difficult to find relevant OER. But at the same time, I’ve constantly been reminding instructors that’s the beautiful thing about OER. You can customize the case studies, customize the examples that you have for our local context. Melody Chin on making OER relevant Listen to more from our episodes recorded with Open Education Awards for Excellence winners. Our open licensed music for this episode is a track called  Catalyst by Anemoia that is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Like most of our podcast music, it was found at the Free Music Archive (see our full FMA playlist).

OEG Voices 091: The CAUL OER Collective

Our continuing conversations with winners of the Open Education Awards for Excellence took us down under to Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand to hear from representatives from the Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL) OER Collective. Recognized in 2024 with an OEAward for Open Collaboration, the OER Collective demonstrates an outstanding example of collaboration across great distances that includes nearly every university from Australia and New Zealand. We sat down back in August for a conversation with Mais Fatayer (University of Technology Sydney), Ash Barber (CAUL), and Richard White (University of Otago). You will hear insight into how the Collective has advanced open education in the region, providing accessible, high-quality Open Educational Resources (OER) that are created to be relevant to this part of the world. More than the wealth of resources, with the support of CAUL, open education has grown to be a thriving and dynamic community “down under” and beyond. Join CAUL on December 12 for a live online celebration and showcase for the OER Collective’s activity in 2025. In the OEGlobal Voices podcast studio with (clockwise from top left), Mais Fatayer, Ash Barber, Alan Levine, and Richard White. Episode 91 TranscriptDownload Listen with Transcript at Descript.com In This Episode FYI: For the sake of experimentation and the spirit of transparency, this set of show notes alone was generated by the AI “Underlord” in the Descript editor we use to produce OEGlobal Voices. Celebrating the Success of the OER Collective with CAUL Representatives Join host Alan Levine in the OEGlobal Voices podcast as he welcomes Mais Fatayer, Richard White, and Ash Barber to discuss the achievements of the Council for Australian University Librarians (CAUL) OER Collective. This episode delves into the role of libraries in driving open educational resources (OER) and the significance of collaboration across Australian and New Zealand universities. The guests share their personal journeys into open education, highlight notable OER publications, and discuss the future of open education in the region. Episode recorded on August 14, 2025. 00:00 Intro Music and Highlighted Quotes 01:26 Podcast Studio and Guest Introductions 03:33 Personal Backgrounds and School Experiences 13:45 First Encounters with Open Education 20:46 The OER Collective: Formation and Growth 24:21 Collaboration and Success Stories 26:14 Rebellious Beginnings and Institutional Challenges 26:29 The Power of Collective Publishing 27:24 Diverse Expertise in the Collective 28:32 Community Engagement and Support 29:59 Highlighting the Podcast: Speaking of Open 32:37 Showcasing Standout OER Projects 41:25 Personal Passions and Hobbies 44:21 Future Goals and Aspirations for OER 49:53 Acknowledging Key Contributors 52:18 Conclusion and Final Thoughts (end of AI generated show notes) Additional Links and Quotes for Episode 91 Our institutions are at various stages of OER development and their exploration of OER in general and OEP, the practices too. But I think the aims of the collective really do allow institutions with different goals and at different levels to benefit from the collective and from each other. There’s a really wonderful thing that I’m observing lately is that your institutions who are more experienced are like the older sibling to some of the other institutions who are a bit newer. And I say that like older sibling ’cause there’s a real warmth about it where these institutions are wanting to take the other ones under their wing, guide them along, and really share their knowledge. There isn’t a feeling of, “Oh, we know what we’re doing and we’re the best, and we were first, and we’re number one” is none of that. It’s very much, “Oh, we’ve done this before. We’ve made a mistake before. Let’s help you not make that mistake” and it’s really quite wonderful. Ash Barber on the OER Collective  Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL) CAUL OER Collective Catalog (Pressbooks) The CAUL OER Collective Publishing Workflow 2025-2026 Grant Recipients All Published Grant Projects Open Education Down UndOER: Australasian Case Studies Governance Group Communities of Practice CAUL Open Educational Resources Collective 2024 Open Collaboration Award Winner (OE Global) University of Technology Sydney (UTS) UTS Open UTS published OER (OER Collective) University of Otago (Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka) Open Otago Open textbooks at Otago Media Studies 101 (2014 published by BCcampus) Otaga published OER (OER Collective) I think what a lot of institutions find it’s quite hard getting that buy-in from senior management. They don’t quite get the concept of an open book. “What is this weird thing that you wanted to get this away or what? I don’t really understand.” Whereas libraries can grasp that much more readily. Speaking for my own institution, the library’s ability to get buy in on something like this at its senior level is difficult. But once CAUL came in, [it] made a huge difference for us because it provided that framework, the platform and the sort of support networks and all that stuff. It has just made a huge difference. Richard White on libraries and CAUL Recommended OER Collective Titles Richard Fossil Treasures of the Geology Museum 3D model—Most complete dinosaur-aged reptile from Aotearoa Sketchfab (3D software) Mais Designing Learning Experiences for Inclusivity and Diversity: Advice for Learning Designers Ash He Awa Whiria: Braiding the knowledge streams in research, policy and practice Burning Issues in Classics Introducing scoping and systematic reviews Legal Research Skills: An Australian Law Guide Speaking of Open Podcast (Mais and Ash) OER and Engaging Students – Dr Sarah Steen What Can Open Education Do that AI Can’t? – Dr Julian Pakay Australasian Open Educational Practice Special Interest Group (ASCILITE) Looker Studio (analytics from Google) Mermaid Guitar (Richard’s band) Tomorrow (theme music for Speaking of Open podcast) Jude S Rupert (Ash’s poetic meanderings) Back to the bigger conversation about why Open Education, is as many of my colleagues at UTS state, it’s the future. Because Open Education allows the work to continue to sustain the work in that flexibility where you can build on top of the work. One of the things that we tried to do with the podcast is to bring that voice, or as I’d like to call it, the teaching presence from some of the case studies or the human presence and give the opportunity to the reader of the book or that case study to listen to the voice of the academic. Because there’s so much in the passion, the tone, the language and how academics present their case studies. There’s a lot of examples around different themes in the book. So there’s adaptation, implementation, but there’s also a lot of case studies about the teaching and how academics teach using open pedagogies. We wanna bring the teaching voice closer and say, this is not just to create knowledge and share it with everyone, this is to enhance the learning experience. This is to see open education actually create impact on the student’s learning experience. Mais Fatayer on the Speaking Open Podcast and Open Education Down UndOER case studies Listen to more from our episodes recorded with Open Education Awards for Excellence winners. Our open licensed music for this episode is a track called  Collective Genius by TimTaj that is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. We almost chose The Collective by Beat Mekanik. Like most of our podcast music, it was found at the Free Music Archive (see our full FMA playlist).