Open Education Workbook
A Journey Through Accessible, Effective, and Equitable Teaching
This workbook is your personal space to reflect, explore, and connect your teaching philosophy with the principles and practices of open education.
As you move through the various sections, guided prompts will be added after each session to help you deepen your thinking and capture meaningful insights.
These reflections are for you. Use them to explore what matters most in your teaching, to recognise alignment with your learners’ needs, and to identify opportunities for change. You are welcome to respond in writing, with audio or video, or through visual artefacts, whatever format best supports your process.
There is no one right way to do this work. The goal is to engage honestly and intentionally as you reflect on your teaching identity and imagine new possibilities for design.
I look forward to seeing where this reflective journey takes you!
Workbook Structure
The workbook begins with a “pre-flection” on your current teaching philosophy and approaches. You will have an opportunity to revisit this later.
Your Teaching Philosophy
Section 1 – Open Education: Principles and Practices
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Accessible Education
1.3 Effective Education
1.4 Equitable Education
1.5 Open Education in Practice
Section 2 – Open Educational Resources: Enhancing Accessibility and Effectiveness
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Understanding Openness and Licensing
2.3 Discovery and Evaluation
2.4 Adaptation and Customisation
2.5 OER in Practice
Section 3 – Open Pedagogy: Engaging and Empowering Students
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Centring Student Agency and Inclusive Practice
3.3 Students as Knowledge Creators
3.4 Breaking Down Tools and Assignments
3.5 Open Pedagogy in Practice
Your Open Education Journey: Final Reflection
Appendix A – Open Scholarship: Enhancing Research Reach and Transparency
A.1 Introduction
A.2 Open Access Publishing
Supporting Faculty Through Facilitated Workspaces
Beyond Independent Learning
While this workbook is designed to be completed independently, at Kwantlen Polytechnic University we’ve also created an optional facilitated workspace using PebblePad’s Atlas system to provide additional support for faculty who prefer collaborative learning.
This approach recognises that faculty engage with professional development in different ways. Some thrive with independent, self-paced learning, while others benefit from:
- Personalised feedback on reflective activities
- Ongoing dialogue about applying concepts to their specific teaching contexts
- Peer connections with other faculty on similar journeys
- Just-in-time support when questions or obstacles arise
The Model
Our facilitated workspace offers participants:
- Flexible engagement levels – from intensive regular check-ins to light-touch as-needed support
- Contextualised feedback – responses that consider their discipline, course level, and specific concerns
- Community options – opportunities to connect with peers or work one-on-one with a facilitator
- Sustainable support – clear expectations about response times and availability
By offering both independent completion and facilitated workspace options, we can support diverse learning preferences while maintaining the same core content and learning outcomes.
Adapting This Approach
While we use PebblePad’s Atlas Workspaces, similar facilitated support could be implemented through:
- Learning management system discussion forums
- Cohort-based learning communities
- Office hours and feedback sessions
- Peer learning groups with facilitator support
The key is providing optional, flexible support that respects both faculty learning preferences and facilitator capacity.
This page is adapted from content developed by Lisa Gedak, including the Reflect and Redesign: Intentionality and Iterative Course Design Workbook.
