Open Policy: Make It Last
Community can give open education energy, but that energy doesn’t last without policy. Open education often begins with a champion. A faculty member who redesigns a course, a librarian who organizes a workshop, an instructional designer who pilots an open assignment. These moments are important, but are ephemeral.
If open is going to shape institutional culture, it must be reflected in structures like:
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workload conversations
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funding models
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promotion and tenure criteria
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accessibility standards
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strategic planning documents
When open thrives only on enthusiasm for its great benefits, it burns bright and fades. When open lives in policy it becomes part of how things are done. But don’t worry, it’s still fun and exciting!
The Call: An Invitation to Act
If you believe open education improves learning, increases access, and strengthens community, then ask a harder question:
What would it look like if our institution took this seriously?
That might mean:
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Recognizing OER creation as scholarly activity
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Embedding open in teaching and learning strategies
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Providing micro-grants and course release
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Committing to accessibility from the start
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Tracking and celebrating impact
Open does not need endless rhetoric as much as it needs durable support.
Examples from Practice
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Some institutions explicitly name OER creation and open pedagogy as evidence of teaching innovation and scholarly contribution.
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Small grants programs incentivize adaptation and creation of open materials, often paired with instructional design and library support.
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Open education is written into institutional teaching and learning frameworks connecting it to access, equity, and student success.
- Libraries, teaching centres, IT units, and academic departments formalize shared responsibility for open initiatives.
In each of these cases, policy does not replace community. It protects it.
Your Response: A Short Action Plan
Take a few minutes to respond.
Consider our own institution.
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Is open named in strategic documents? Not yet.
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Is there clear guidance on licensing? Soon!
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Are faculty recognized for this work? Not enough!
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Is accessibility embedded or assumed? Embedded in law! But still work to do!
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Does funding exist, even modestly? Yes!
The answer to many of these is “not yet,” but that is not a failure. It’s just where we are at this time. Policy change begins with a conversation backed by evidence, stories, and collective will.
Below is just an empty space to envision your response. Feel free to keep track of your responses in your own way. You will be asked to make a short response in each chapter, so collecting them all in one space would be a very learner-centred thing for you to do for yourself!
One thing I can do to help Trent embed open education into policy is:
(Community generates the momentum and policy locks it in.)
Looking Ahead: Connecting to the Next Chapter
Policy makes open sustainable. The next chapter turns toward something even more practical: discipline. Open is not abstract. It lives differently in each of the disciplines. What does open look like in your field? What already exists? What could exist? We move from structure to specificity in the next section: An OER by Discipline guide.
Deep Dive: A Guide to Creating Open Policy
One of the most useful resources for institutions seeking to build open education policy is: Open Education Policies: Guidelines for Co‑Creation
This guide was developed by policy experts from multiple countries and organizations to support governments and institutions in co-creating open education policies that are meaningful and contextually responsive. Rather than prescribing one fixed policy template, the document focuses on process: how policy emerges through dialogue, consultation, and shared ownership. This guide is a practical entry point not only for policy writers, but for anyone wanting to influence and improve the policy environment around open practice at their institution.
