OpenEd26 Attendee Guide
The 2026 Open Education Conference is almost here! Here is a guide with everything attendees need to know to access the conference and maximize your experience. Watch your registered email address for more updates, and you can always reach us at contact@openeducationconference.org!
About the Conference
The Open Education Conference is an annual convening for sharing and learning about open educational resources, open pedagogy, and open education initiatives. As the 23rd annual gathering of the conference community, this year’s theme explores the space between our policies and practices, between our values and our impact, and between where we are and where we aspire to be. “The Space Between” invites us to examine the possibilities that exist in the spaces we often overlook. Recognizing that openness is fundamentally relational, it acknowledges the gaps that remain in our open education work and how we might work together to bridge them.
📅 Date: October 27-29, 2026
📍 Location: Online, Around the World! 🌎
🌐 Format: Fully Virtual
⏰ Theme: The Space Between
Schedule at a Glance (Eastern Daylight Time)
Below is the tentative timetable of the conference. All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -4:00) and subject to change.
Pre-conference: Monday, October 26, 2026
11:00am Community Building with OpenCon
1:00pm National Priorities with the Open Education Association
3:00pm What Makes Open Education Work in K-12? (GoOpen National Network and ISKME)
5:00pm Open Education 101
Day 1: Tuesday, October 27, 2026
10:00am Conference Orientation
10:45am Welcome & Day 1 Keynote: Dr. Sian Proctor
12:00pm Break (15 min)
12:15pm Concurrent Sessions (40-min presentations)
1:00pm Concurrent Sessions (25-min presentations)
1:30pm Concurrent Sessions (25-min presentations)
2:00pm Concurrent Sessions (40-min presentations)
2:40pm Break (20 min)
3:00pm Concurrent Sessions (25-min presentations)
3:30pm Concurrent Sessions (25-min presentations)
4:00pm Regional Breakout (Americas)
5:00pm Concurrent Sessions (25-min presentations)
5:30pm Concurrent Sessions (25-min presentations)
6:00pm Daily Debrief
6:30pm Reception
8:00pm Regional Breakout (Asia and Australasia)
Day 2: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
8:15am Regional Breakouts (Africa and Europe)
9:30am Concurrent Sessions (25-min presentations)
10:00am Concurrent Sessions (25-min presentations)
10:30am Concurrent Sessions (25-min presentations)
10:55am Break (20 min)
11:15am Concurrent Sessions (40-min presentations)
12:00pm Day 2 Keynote: Bryan Alexander
1:00pm Break (15 min)
1:15pm Concurrent Sessions (40-min presentations)
2:00pm Concurrent Sessions (25-min presentations)
2:30pm Concurrent Sessions (25-min presentations)
3:00pm Break (20 min)
3:15pm Concurrent Sessions (40-min presentations)
4:00pm Virtual Exhibit Hall
5:00pm Break (15 min)
5:15pm Concurrent Sessions (40-min presentations)
6:00pm Daily Debrief
6:30pm Games Night
Day 3: Thursday, October 29, 2026
9:30am Concurrent Sessions (25-min presentations)
10:00am Concurrent Sessions (40-min presentations)
10:40am Break (20 min)
11:00am Day 3 Keynote: "Future of Open Education" Panel
12:20pm Breakout (Keynote Debrief)
1:00pm Break (15 min)
1:15pm Concurrent Sessions (40-min presentations)
2:00pm Concurrent Sessions (55-min panels)
3:00pm Concurrent Sessions (25-min presentations)
3:30pm Closing
Logging Into Sched
To attend OpenEd26, you’ll need access to this year’s conference platform Sched. Sched makes it easy to build a schedule, access sessions, and interact with other attendees.
Activating Your Account
Your Sched account is linked with your registered email address. There are a few ways to access Sched:
Search your email history for a message from notifications@sched.com with the subject "You’re Invited To 2026 Open Education Conference." Click the link in that email to log in and create a password.
If you already have a Sched account under your registered email, you can simply log in with your existing password.
If neither of these options worked, try re-setting your password. If your email is in the system, this will work even if you have never logged in before.
If none of these methods work, double check that the email address you are using is the same one you used to register for the conference. Email us if you are still having issues.
Accessing the Program
As soon as you log in, you will be directed to the OpenEd26 program. Scroll down to set your view of the program. Use the filters on the right side of the screen to set your time zone and select your profile icon in the top right of the screen to add your details and adjust your profile settings. See our Privacy Blog for important information BEFORE proceeding if you would like to limit how other attendees can see or message you.
Setting Your Time Zone
Sched automatically displays times in Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -4:00), but you can change that with one click. Scroll to the bottom of the filters on the right side of the screen. There is a dropdown menu you can use to select your location and convert times to your time zone.
Building a Schedule
Sched makes it easy to assemble a personal schedule. Once you are in the program, there are multiple ways to view and discover sessions. You can also “bookmark” sessions you want to attend.
Joining Sessions
The program has more than 150 sessions, so there is A LOT to choose from! OpenEd was not designed with the expectation that everyone will attend everything: we recommend prioritizing the sessions you find most exciting to attend live, and schedule time to watch pre-recorded sessions when it’s convenient for you.
Live Sessions: Live sessions can be joined online via Zoom. Session login information can be accessed in Sched 5-10 minutes before the start of the session. Just make sure you’re logged into Sched and bookmark the session page!
View Anytime: Lightning Talks are pre-recorded and will be embedded in Sched for attendees to watch anytime. Also, the recordings of live sessions are typically posted by the next morning.
Session Types
Plenary Sessions: Each day has a plenary session with featured programming on this year’s theme, “The Space Between”. These sessions will be recorded.
Concurrent Sessions: Most of the scheduled program is filled with concurrent sessions, which relate to one of our program topics.
Live Sessions: Virtual concurrent sessions will have speakers and attendees join the session on Zoom. Live sessions are recorded and posted by the next day.
Lightning Talks: The program includes more than 40 pre-recorded lightning talk videos packed with interesting updates, hot takes, and information. These will be released before the conference and can be watched anytime.
Pre-conference Programming: This year’s program includes a variety of preconference programming designed to prime you for the official conference ahead. Read more to learn what you can expect!
Social Sessions: The conference offers a variety of social sessions that are available for networking and connecting.
Social Spaces
Sched: This year’s conference platform includes an embedded chat feature, which you can use to send messages to the whole conference and individual attendees. Note that this feature requires making your profile public, which is optional. Check out our Privacy Guide for more information.
Discord: In addition to the embedded chat, the conference has once again set up a Discord server for attendees. If you’re familiar with Slack, Discord is a similar concept. To join our Discord server, look for a link in attendee emails sent the week of the conference.
Sessions: Social sessions in Sched are color-coded light blue and represent synchronous opportunities to connect with fellow attendees. Join us for our opening reception (Tuesday at 6:30pm ET), regional breakouts, games night (Wednesday at 6:30pm ET) and more!
Social Media: The official conference hashtag is #OpenEd26 and you can find us on LinkedIn, BlueSky, and Mastodon platforms at @HeyOpenEd or @HeyOpenEd@mastodon.social.
Code of Conduct
The Open Education Conference is committed to being a safe, accessible, equitable, and inclusive environment for all. Our code of conduct is important to facilitate those values and is essential to supporting environments centered on our principles in all conference spaces. The code of conduct applies to speakers, attendees, sponsors, and organizers alike, and it covers all aspects of the conference, including sessions, chats, and online spaces. Participation is conditional on reading and accepting the code of conduct, and unacceptable behavior is subject to sanctions. Please take a moment to review the code of conduct now.
Can’t Wait?
Neither can we! By exploring the space between our policies and practices, between our values and our impact, between where we are and where we aspire to be, we can reimagine what education can be when knowledge flows freely across every discipline, border and boundary. We are excited to continue building our shared vision of achieving an educational future that is truly open.
Got questions? Contact us at contact@openeducationconference.org.
