The American University of Nigeria's (AUN) Library On-A-Flash (LOAF) has recently garnered significant attention at the 2024 Open Education Conference held in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. The conference, themed "It is About Time," celebrated the progress of open education while looking toward a future of more accessible, equitable, and inclusive educational practices.
This year's hybrid event drew over 1,500 in-person and online attendees, including nine faculty members and librarians from AUN. Notably, eight of these participants were sponsored by AMICAL, a consortium of American international liberal arts institutions dedicated to advancing shared goals in libraries, technology, and pedagogy, to attend the annual gathering.
Mr. Benson T. Ali, AUN's Interim University Librarian, was among the distinguished presenters during the 'Lightning Talk Session.' He highlighted the development of the LOAF, which aims to empower users with limited internet access by providing them with thousands of educational resources in portable formats.
In an interview, Mr. Ali remarked on the conference's enriching experience, stating, "The conference has been full of inspiration, connections, and learning." He praised the event for its remarkable array of keynote speakers and noted that it featured over 150 presentations and breakout sessions.
One of the standout features of the conference was a student keynote panel that shared their experiences in 2024 and emphasized the necessity of open education. The panelists called on education stakeholders to create a community-informed vision for the future of education where equity and openness go hand in hand. They further discussed strategies for increasing awareness of Open Educational Resources (OER), alleviating pressure on library facilities, reducing textbook costs, and enhancing access to offline resources for underserved communities.
The conference underscored the importance of innovative solutions like the LOAF application in addressing the pressing needs of today's learners and advancing the field of open education.
Reported by John Abah