Ed/Tech must-reads 240625

Beyond Access: Why Australia's Equity Challenge Requires Practical Teaching Solutions from Needed Now in Learning and Teaching

Alongside the current discussions about how we address the challenges and opportunities of GenAI in teaching and learning, there are increasing calls to remember the duty of care that we have to students. These calls often focus on students from different equity groups and the Australian government has noted the need for action to ensure that these students are well supported. The central learning and teaching team at Sydney Uni have produced a rich resource offering simple practical strategies which can be applied before, during and after teaching to address everything from a few loud voices dominating discussion to developing routines for wider language participation in assessment. Some of the co-authors of this ‘Green Guide’ - Samantha Clarke, Jessica Frawley, and Eszter Kalman talk through the need for and value of this resource in this handy post.

Badgr/Canvas Credentials will no longer be free to use from LinkedIn

Digital badging has been a mess for many years, with the Mozilla Open Badges platform being retired in 2018 and existing badges moved to Concentric Sky’s Badgr system in 2018. After being used in the Canvas LMS for 4 years, Canvas owner Instructure bought Concentric Sky in 2022. In news which probably won’t surprise anyone, Instructure has announced that from Dec 31 2025, users (not in the Canvas ecosystem presumably?) will have to pay to issue badges. The option to create free issuers of badges will end on June 30, 2025. Doug Belshaw shares a list of 23 alternatives, but I suspect that the biggest problem with having so many options will be the thing that has hamstrung digital badges from the outset - not being able to make critical mass. (And again, we face the risk that any of these platforms will also change policy on a whim. Such a shame) (Holders of digital badges in Badgr will still be able to access them in the new year, in the way that standard backpacks work)

Help Needed: Showcasing the Impact of Open Education Down UndOER from ASCILITE Open Educational Practice Special Interest Group.

This popped up today in the ASCILITE Bulletin email and seems worth sharing.

Help Us Win! Showcasing the Impact of Open Education Down UndOER
 
The ASCILITE OEP SIG is nominating the recently published book Open Education Down UndOER: Australasian Case Studies for a 2025 Open Education Award for Excellence and we need your help to demonstrate its impact.
 
If the book has influenced your work, teaching, or thinking, or if contributing to it has shaped your open education journey, we invite you to share your story. Testimonials will help us highlight the real-world value and reach of this community-driven resource.
 
Submit your story here
 
Please feel free to share the link with colleagues or networks who have engaged with the book. Every voice adds weight to our nomination.
 
Thank you for supporting open education in Australasia!

Claire Ovaska,Jenny Wallace, Steven Chang, Ash Barber
OEP-SIG leads