2026 Colorado OER Conference

Institutions committed to Open Educational Resources (OER) and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) initiatives are increasingly navigating policy, funding, and system-level changes that complicate traditional models of openness. At Colorado Mountain College (CMC), the implementation of a mandatory book fee structure has reshaped how OER advocacy, faculty engagement, and student access are understood and practiced. Rather than stepping away from open education goals, CMC has focused on resilience - adapting strategies while maintaining a long-term commitment to affordability, equity, and care.

This 25-minute roundtable invites participants into a facilitated, interactive conversation about what it means to sustain OER and ZTC work when ideal conditions are not present. Facilitators will briefly share CMC’s context and lessons learned navigating OER within a mandatory fee environment, including evolving definitions of progress, transparency with students and faculty, and cross-campus collaboration among academic leadership and library services.

Participants will then engage in structured peer discussion to share challenges, strategies, and questions from their own institutions. Together, the group will explore how resilience can function as an active practice in open education - supporting sustainability, community trust, and advocacy even amid constraint.

Attendees will leave with shared language, practical insights, and peer-generated approaches for continuing OER work with integrity in complex or shifting institutional environments.