The OEN's Guiding Principles
To best understand who we are and how we operate, it is important to have a grasp of our Guiding Principles. Our Guiding Principles were developed by the OEN community, for the OEN community. They inform decision-making across all aspects of the Open Education Network. The following Guiding Principles manifesto also reminds us how we strive to be, as a community and an organization:
The OEN's Guiding Principles
We, the members of the Open Education Network (OEN), commit to working together to make open the default in higher education. When we advance open education locally and collectively, we empower faculty, remove barriers to education, and enhance student success.
The OEN is a vibrant and supportive community that advances the use of open educational resources and practices. Members benefit from and contribute to the global open education ecosystem.
These are the guiding principles that inform OEN actions:
The Common Good: We are working for the common good of our communities. The results of our collective efforts belong to all of us. We have a mutual responsibility for stewardship of resources we create together in order to preserve and improve them for future generations. We welcome others who share our vision of the common good.
Equity: We have a collective responsibility to build systems that will foster a more equitable future.
Inclusivity: We believe that a diverse and inclusive community is the best way to ensure informed, just, and effective community decisions and actions.
Action: We are an action-oriented organization advancing and championing ideas that will have a lasting benefit for the students, faculty, and staff of academic institutions and the future of learning.
Humanity: We are not merely consumers—we are human beings. As colleagues, community members, citizens, and experts in our own lived experiences, we treat every individual with dignity and respect. We act honestly, truthfully, fairly, and with integrity in all our dealings.
Integrity: We are accountable, transparent, and ethical. Decisions that impact the OEN are made through OEN community engagement.
Shared Abundance: We believe that nothing should stand in the way of learning. Our collective knowledge exists in abundance. We are committed to using this abundance for the benefit of all.
We'd like to direct your attention to the first line of the Guiding Principles manifesto, "We, the members of the Open Education Network (OEN), commit to working together to make open the default in higher education. When we advance open education locally and collectively, we empower faculty, remove barriers to education, and enhance student success."
As a new member of our community, we hope you'll join us in this commitment and effort with these principles in mind. We are grateful for your dedication to open education, as well as the richness that you add to our community and collective efforts.