MTU Hosts National Conference to Help Shape National Open Education Policy
Munster Technological University was recently invited by Ireland’s Higher Education Authority (HEA) to host a major national conference on Open Education at its Bishopstown Campus in Cork.
The conference, held on Wednesday, 20 May 2026, formed part of ongoing work towards the development of a new national policy statement in the area and provided a forum for discussion about access, inclusion, collaboration and innovation across the Irish higher education sector.
The HEA is Ireland’s statutory planning and policy-advisory body for higher education. It oversees the governance, regulation and funding of Irish Universities and higher education institutes. The conference marked an important milestone in their development of a new national policy approach to open education.
Open education is about making teaching, learning and knowledge more accessible, shareable and inclusive. In practice, it supports the creation, adaptation and reuse of learning resources; encourages more open approaches to teaching, assessment and student services and helps institutions work together to widen access to educational opportunities.
The event brought together researchers, educators, librarians, students, policy-makers and institutional leaders from across Irish higher education. The conference was planned and developed in response to the HEA Strategy for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, which identifies open education as an important means of supporting collaboration, innovation, inclusion and access to high-quality teaching and learning resources. The strategy also includes commitments to develop a national policy statement on open education, support institutional policies, and maintain and expand the HEA National Resource Hub for Open Educational Resources.
Speaking at the conference, Tim Conlon, Head of Policy and Strategic Planning at the HEA, said:
“An event like this really informs national policy. It gives the HEA the opportunity to listen, to discuss next steps, and to understand what might be possible across the sector. Open education offers one way for higher education institutions to work together in the national interest, sharing expertise and building the evidence needed to support future investment and policy development.”
The event included keynote addresses from Dr Robin DeRosa, Executive Director of the Open Education Network (OEN) based in the US, and Dr Catherine Cronin, an internationally -recognised scholar in open and digital education. The programme also featured an interactive workshop led by Professor Lawrie Phipps of Jisc and Professor Peter Bryant of the University of Sydney Business School, inviting participants to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of advancing open education in an age of artificial intelligence.
The programme in addition included lightning talks, panel discussions, poster presentations, sectoral case studies and interactive workshops. Across the day contributors explored the practical realities of open education in Ireland, including cost reduction for students, care and community, institutional culture, open policy and digital accessibility.
MTU has played an active role in open education nationally and internationally. The university previously hosted the international OER24 conference in Cork and has contributed to national initiatives, the HEA National Resource Hub, sectoral advisory groups, and projects in digital learning, reusable learning resources, universal design and teaching and learning enhancement. MTU’s work in digital transformation was also recently recognised when it received the inaugural HEA SATLE Impact Award for Digital Transformation.
Dr Gearóid Ó Súilleabháin, Head of the Department of Technology Enhanced Learning at MTU and chair of the conference, said: “The day was a valuable opportunity to share practice, hear different perspectives and consider how open education can be supported more fully across Irish higher education.”
MTU thanked the HEA for inviting the university to host the conference and acknowledged the speakers, facilitators, contributors and participants who helped make the event a significant step in the development of open education policy and practice in Ireland.
Images: A selection of photographs from the conference, taken by Joleen Cronin, is available at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/amobDdeQDY1V3QU19.
For further information:
Dr Gearóid Ó Súilleabháin
Head of Department of Technology Enhanced Learning, MTU
Email: gearoid.osuilleabhain@mtu.ie
