Co-Chairs and Committee

Sheila MacNeill is an independent educational consultant, educator, artist and open educational practitioner. Having spent nearly 20 years in the UK Higher Education Sector, Sheila now works with a range of universities and educational organisations within the UK and internationally supporting the development of approaches to learning, teaching and assessment.

"Given the context of growing populist narratives around the role of education driven by the growing (and often unfounded) expectations of AI, there is a greater need than ever for open research, discussion and resources.  I hope this year's conference offers a safe space for critical discussions on how open educational practices and resources can provide effective counter-narratives. It is my hope that the conference will once again provide a space for care, hope and positive active resistance."

Dr Louise Drumm is an Associate Professor in Digital Education in the Department of Learning and Teaching Enhancement at Edinburgh Napier University, where she leads the MSc in Blended and Online Education. She contributes to institutional and sector-wide ethical and responsible responses to generative AI in higher education. With a diverse professional background as a learning technologist, academic developer, software developer, and theatre practitioner, she adopts open and creative approaches to teaching and academic development. Her research explores the relationship between theory and digital education practices and policy, critical digital pedagogy, open education practices, feminist pedagogies, and digital literacies.

"Our aim in OER25 is create a space where everyone can embrace our messy every-day, realities of working in open education today. We want to break down false binaries and explore the nuances that lie between the stock phrase ‘challenges and opportunities’. There is no better conference to foster that welcoming and inclusive space than OER, and we are excited to bring together a programme of research and reflection on current practices in open education."