25.11.2025, 16:00–16:45 o'clock (Europe/Berlin), Purple Room
Austria has introduced a pioneering certification system that showcases both institutional commitment and individual competence in OER within its higher‑education sector. Consequently, the Certified OER Higher Education Institution certificate recognises universities that (A) adopt a strategic OER policy and offer dedicated OER training, (B) employ a minimum number of staff holding the OER Practitioner certificate, and (C) maintain a collaborative OER repository. The OER Practitioner certificate confirms that staff can locate, create, revise, remix and publish openly licensed resources responsibly and independently.
The presentation will outline how the certification was developed, implemented and managed, and will share current figures: to date, five universities and more than 260 individuals have been certified. The scheme is supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research.
Attendees will leave with actionable insights on leveraging Austria’s unique OER credentials to boost openness, collaboration and educational excellence. The session includes a Q&A, inviting administrators, faculty and policymakers to discuss implementation challenges and adoption possibilities.
Slides can be found here: https://repository.tugraz.at/records/ncx0x-qt068
Beginners, Advanced, Professionals
Additional information –Schön, S. et al. (2023). Development of an Austrian OER Certification for Higher Education Institutions and Their Employees. In: Otto, D., Scharnberg, G., Kerres, M., Zawacki-Richter, O. (eds) Distributed Learning Ecosystems . Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-38703-7_9
Language of the session –45 minutes
Sandra Schön, a long‑time OER ambassador, producer, user and award‑winner from TU Graz was responsible for the implementation of Austrian OER certificate from 2020-2025. Andreas Zitek, a senior researcher at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) will share insights from his perspective as a presidium member of the Forum Neue Medien in der Lehre Austria (FNMA), which is hosting Austria’s OER certification program for higher‑education institutions and practitioners.