ebba.ossiannilssonBe the change you want to see. Presentation from the IRN_ISSE during the OEWeek26, 2026 March, 04.
Open Education Week 2026 is the global town square (or plaza, piazza, alun-alun, центра́льная пло́щадь, platz, maydan, etc) to gather to meet, celebrate, and exchange Open Education resources and practices. OEWeek 2026 “officially” launches by Open Education Global March 2-6, but we collect and share events, in-person or online, occurring between February 1 and the end of April. Open Education Week is hosted by Open Education Global.
Today, 4 March 2026, I hosted, together with colleagues, a session on behalf of the Research Network for Innovative Sustainable, Seamless Education (IRN-ISSE) on the theme "Be the change you want to see". Research projects from IRN-ISSE were presented. During the webinar, participants met some of the partners in IRN-ISSE. Presenters were: Ebba Ossiannilsson, Sweden; Ioana Andrea Stefan, Romania; Karen Ferreira-Meyers, Eswatini; and Helga Hambrock, South Africa, IRN-ISSE Co-ordinator. The team presented ongoing research and initiatives. Participants had the opportunity to discuss with the team and the audience interesting changes in education, including those brought about by the AI era. They also learned how they could become involved in the IRN-ISSE partnership. See more on the session https://oeweek.oeglobal.org/activity/be-the-change/
The International Research Network for Innovative Sustainable and Seamless Education (IRN-ISSE) is a global research partnership that began at mLearn 2018 at Concordia University in Chicago. The vision of IRN-ISSE is to build an international community of practice, inviting researchers and specialists to collaborate for the greater good, with a specific focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4): “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” The mission of IRN-ISSE is to study, support, inform, share, and implement research globally to improve access to and quality of education worldwide. The goal is to stand together and learn with and from each other, striving to remain at the forefront of innovative, sustainable, and seamless educational practice. Learn more about IRN ISSE here https://irnisse.weebly.com
The community has a global reach, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and India. The partnership is working on several initiatives, such as:
- The Seamless Learning Experience Design Model which identifies five themes relevant to designing a seamless learning experience: 1) seamless learning concepts, 2) positive concepts, 3) practical concepts, 4) human concepts, and 5) design concepts. Based on these five concepts, a Seamless Learning Experience Design (SLED) framework was developed.
- Research and ongoing work include the “Be the change to see the change” (this was the theme for interviews and larger podcasts) initiative, and on-demand, driven learning.
