The Reusable Learning Resources (RLR) initiative was launched in 2023 by the Department of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) at Munster Technological University (MTU). It is an award winning initiative, funded by the Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement Funding in Higher Education (SATLE). Designed and developed to support the creation of high-quality, media-rich open educational resources (OER), the initiative aims to deepen relationships across disciplines, as well as creating awareness and embedding the ethics of open education across MTU (Swain and Pathak, 2024)

In the 2024/2025 cycle of the initiative the TEL team supported the Department of Computer Science in realising their vision of developing gamified cybersecurity learning through the development of Capture The Flag (CTF) challenges for cybersecurity knowledge and skill development (Ken et al, 2025). These CTF challenges, replicating real-world scenarios would then be remixed and reused to enhance traditional course delivery and support active experiential learning. In keeping with the ethos of the RLR initiative, the CTF’s would be openly licensed so they could be adapted across modules, disciplines and learner levels.

One of the aims of the gamified cybersecurity project was the inclusion of MTU students as core partners who would work with staff experienced in CTF development. The project used an agile approach for simultaneous work on different stages. Stage one included research, hardware procurement, industry partner identification and student recruitment. The second phase involved CTF challenge and scenario development and the final phase was a CTF showcase development.

This presentation reflects on the successful development of the gamified cybersecurity project including the collaboration of the TEL team with the Department of Computer Science, the recruitment of students to take part and their experience of working on the project, the challenges faced along the way and the final outputs. Finally, we will reflect on lessons learned and final dissemination of the project outputs as open educational resources.

References

Swain, B.K., & Pathak, R.K. (2024). Benefits and challenges of using OER in higher education: A pragmatic review. Discover Education, 3 (81). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44217-024-00142-6

Ken, C. L., Juremi, J., Alizadeh, S., & Sulaiman, S. (2025). Enhancing cybersecurity education through gamified learning and Capture the Flag (CTF) platform. Learning Technology for Education Challenges, 2551, 69–82. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-98003-9_6

This practitioner paper explores the evolution of library digital learning supports from stand-alone resources to an integrated suite embedded within Moodle. Previously, information literacy (IL) supports were developed to supplement face-to-face teaching as well as distance education students. However, their stand-alone nature often reduced their impact and limited student engagement.

Aligning with the conference theme, this presentation details how DCU Library repositioned its digital presence to focus on the student. By re-designing IL tutorials and hosting them directly within the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), the library moved closer to the “who”. The tutorial design is grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles (CAST, 2024) to ensure that digital supports are accessible and inclusive for all learners. The current model leverages H5P software for interactive content development and the Moodle subcourse feature to provide greater flexibility and learning analytics. Central to the success of this integrated approach was collaboration with Learning Technologists in DCU’s Teaching Enhancement Unit as well as academic staff. The subsequent development of tools, such as MyReadingList, further demonstrates the library’s role as a key partner in enhancing the digital learning environment.

Attendees will gain practical insights into implementing embedded library supports that foster student engagement and provide opportunities for digital literacy skills development. It will also highlight the importance of collaboration and partnership in creating an equitable and inclusive student experience (Saunders and Corning, 2020).

References

CAST (2024). CAST Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. Available at: https://udlguidelines.cast.org (Accessed: 5 March 2026).

Saunders, L. and Corning, S. (2020) ‘From cooperation to collaboration: Toward a framework for deepening library partnerships’, Journal of Library Administration, 60(5), pp. 453–469. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2020.1729623.

Using Learning Technology effectively and intelligently has become mission critical in Higher Education and beyond. AI might be getting all the headlines, yet no matter just how shiny new tools might be gleaming, the digital business as usual has to continue, from maintaining infrastructure to running the VLE and from creating learning resources to assessment.

Over the past two decades we have seen how open source technologies and open approaches to EdTech can offer benefits for the institution as well as educators and most importantly, students. Yet one of the recurring challenges with open source software in education is advocating for open source not only as a solution for testing out innovations, but as an enterprise service. For open educators and learning technologists this presents an ongoing issue, balancing the requirements of institutional IT and purchasing policies with the needs of educators and students. With cyber security, responsible use of AI and accessibility all increasingly important, is there any room left for open solutions and services alongside an institution's core digital estate?

Inspired by the conference theme “Digital Learning From How to Who” this session will focus on who wins hearts and minds when it comes to Open EdTech advocacy. We will showcase several new Open EdTech case studies (based on interviews conducted with teams of instructional designers over the past 2 years) that show who and how institutions who are at the forefront of Open EdTech adoption develop, scale and deploy open source educational services, including Stanford University, Princeton University and SUNY Oneonta.

Hear how Ed Beck, and his colleagues at the State University of New York at Oneonta, took an open-source software from proof-of-concept experiment in open software to a scaled-up service that supports high-impact teaching and experiential learning for the faculty and students (Commons In A Box OpenLab this is the technology that powers the SUNY Oneonta OpenLab. CBOX OpenLab is a free open-source software that provides an infrastructure that encourages discussion, collaboration, and sharing).

We’ll also show how Cody Carvel, Digital Scholarship Technologist, at the Center for Digital Scholarship at Brown University Library, supports a growing community with diverse needs through digital projects including the African Poetry Digital Portal and an Inscription research tool. At the heart of this case study is making space for creativity in Digital Scholarship and innovative use of technology underpinned by digital literacies for faculty and students.

At a time when openness in education and on the web is more contested than ever before, these case studies offer practical advice for learning designers and learning technologists, as well as strategic insights for anyone navigating funding and procurement processes for open source technologies and looking for practica

This paper outlines our collective approach to the design and development of a new Open Course, “Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP)”, recently funded by the HEA National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Building on previously established open education initiatives, such as the “Using OER and OEP for Teaching and Learning” resource, this project mobilises a wide collective of open, inclusive, and digitally-critical practitioners who aim to develop a professional development course for those who aspire to more sustainable educational futures.

Responding to the 2025 call for a pre-specified course in Open Education, the course will support participants across Irish higher education to develop their capacity in using Open Educational Resources (OER) and enacting Open Educational Practices (OEP). Participants will develop a clear understanding of OER and OEP and their relevance to quality, equity, and sustainability, while critically evaluating open approaches for teaching, learning, and assessment, including social justice, accessibility and emerging technology (e.g., GenAI) considerations. The target audience includes academic staff, librarians, instructional designers, learning technologists, and programme administrators—recognising that sustainable openness requires cross-functional collaboration and shared leadership. The course will both model and support participants to integrate openness strategically into their own contexts and to contribute to a culture of critical openness, using a social-justice lens, to advance institutional and sectoral practice and initiatives. While the development of both OER and OEP rely on digital tools and platforms for development and dissemination, our approach also assesses the inequalities exacerbated by the digital divide and wider global crises (Affouneh & Khlaif, 2020; Bali et al., 2020; Hodgkinson-Williams & Trotter, 2018).

Leveraging a previously adapted ABC Learning Design approach, underpinned by Universal Design for learning, the design process will be informed by our collective experience in developing and facilitating Open Courses and staff development initiatives more broadly (Gormley, C., Lowney, R., & Stone, S. 2023). The team utilised a systematic mapping process to match appropriate content and activities to the intended learning outcomes using appropriate frameworks such as DigComp 3.0, the Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu), and the Dubai Declaration on Open Educational Resources (OER).

The first facilitated national rollout will commence in October 2026, and it is the aim of the development team to create both a self-study offering, and low-bandwidth options that can easily be translated or remixed for wider uptake and culturally-relevant sustainability.