Here at UTS, we’re marking Open Education Week with a special edition packed with provocative discussions on compatibility between Open Education and Generative AI, fresh perspectives on Wiki assignments, and celebrating UTS achievement in open education with the launch of new open textbook Decoding Data: a Complete Guide to Business Intelligence from Dr Amara Atif (Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology), published by UTS ePress.
UTS is not alone in our enthusiasm for Open Education (OE); as momentum continues to build across Australia, here’s a snapshot of what some our colleagues are doing.
Deakin University: Discover Open eBooks
Deakin University have launched a new initiative to mark Open Education Week activities in Australia: “Discover Open eBooks at Deakin”. In the week of April 20, Deakin Library officially launches Deakin Open eBooks, a dedicated Pressbooks platform for Deakin published open textbooks, and the first episodes of ‘Stories of Openness: An Open Education Podcast’, featuring interviews with Deakin OER authors. For more Open Education news from Deakin, subscribe to Deakin Open Ed News or follow the Deakin Open Education team on LinkedIn: Lauren Halcomb-Smith and Angie Williamson.
James Cook University Library: Textbook Affordability Project
James Cook University Library is committed to reducing textbook costs for students. During 2024–2025, the library undertook a university‑wide Textbook Affordability Project to investigate low and no‑cost textbook alternatives, prioritising free, accessible, and high‑quality options in place of commercial texts. This project focussed on first-year core subjects and sought to identify solutions including Open Education Resources (OERs), better use of subject reading lists, and strategic use of library subscribed e-textbooks with unlimited user licences, dependent on favourable publisher licence conditions.
Further information on the project’s background, outcomes and achievements is available in the JCU Textbook Affordability Project case study chapter in Open Education Down UndOER: Australasian Case Studies or on the JCU Open Education Program website.
Western Sydney University: Western Open Books
Western Sydney University is advancing open education through Western Open Books, its open publishing imprint supporting the creation of free, peer-reviewed, open access scholarly texts. These include open textbooks, edited collections, and research-focused works that contribute to global challenges such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
A leading example is Sur-Sur Southern knowledges: Education, sustainability and social transformation, an openly published scholarly text that brings together global perspectives on education, sustainability, and social change. The work integrates research, lived experience, and practice-based insights for use in teaching, research, policymaking, and community engagement, and is relevant to scholars, students, practitioners, and policymakers seeking inclusive and ethical alternatives to dominant global paradigms. A defining feature of this initiative is its translation-led approach, with the book published in both English and Spanish to support meaningful cross-cultural dialogue and extend global reach.
Southern Cross University Library: Zero Textbook Cost
Southern Cross University Library believes every student should access quality learning materials without financial barriers. SCU’s Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) initiative replaces commercial texts with free, accessible, and high-quality alternatives, including Open Educational Resources (OERs) and library-subscribed resources. SCU’s Bachelor of Psychological Science became the first Australian undergraduate degree to achieve ZTC across all 16 core units, saving students $2,000–$4,000 over three years. SCU now offers 26 ZTC degrees across all disciplines institution-wide. Further information on the project’s background, outcomes and achievements is available on the SCU Zero Textbook Cost website.
Get involved – here and everywhere!
ASCILITE Open Educational Practices Special Interest Group (OEP SIG) brings together open education practitioners across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Through monthly meetings, OEP Digests, and community events, the group fosters grassroots collaboration and a shared commitment to equity and inclusive learning. All are welcome to join at no cost!
Zooming out, I like to keep an eye on the international OE community, too. Across the globe, many OEW events are still taking place, offering fresh opportunities to engage with the international community. While timing can be a challenge for those in ANZ time zones, OEGlobal is an active community with something new happening almost all year round.
Many of us in the education portfolio and UTS library are also happy to chat with you about open education. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, or would just like to explore what else is available.
Acknowledgement
A special thank you to the following colleagues from Australian universities for contributing to this blog: Lauren Halcomb-Smith and Angie Williamson from Deakin University, Lucy Watlon from Western Sydney University, Alice Luetchford from James Cook University.