Call for Proposals: Open and Affordable Community Forum

Posted August 5, 2026 in JMU Libraries News, Open Education News

Do you want to connect with others across Virginia to explore topics of open and affordable higher education?

You’re invited! The Open and Affordable Community Forum covers issues in open education, open pedagogy, and open educational resources (OER). This forum is hosted by VIVA, Virginia’s Academic Library Consortium, and anyone in higher ed in Virginia is welcome to attend.

This year’s forum will be held on November 6, 2026. The event will be hybrid, allowing you to join in person (at Reynolds Community College, Parham Road Campus) or on Zoom.

The theme for 2026, “Community and Connections: Cultivating your Open Community,” invites attendees to consider how they have built or hope to build support and connection in their open work, whether within their classes, institutions, disciplines, or beyond.

Call for Proposals (due 9/13): Any faculty member in Virginia is invited to submit a proposal for a workshop, panel, or presentation that considers the impact of creating OER and adopting open practices in meeting the needs of learners and instructors. Sessions will be 5-40 minutes in length. Submit your proposal by September 13.

Learn more about the Open and Affordable Community Forum by exploring agendas from previous years.

Questions? Contact Liz Thompson, JMU’s Open Education Librarian and leader of the forum planning committee.