It has been a while since we provided an update on the Open GenAI project.  Here are some things we have coming up that we are excited to share. 

Testing with Opterna

Over the past several months we have been performing functional testing on Opterna in preparation for user testing. Opterna, an AI Study Companion which works exclusively within Pressbooks, was developed in partnership with the UBC Cloud Innovation Centre. We are now starting to engage some folks in the system for some testing. We will focus on testing with up to five educators who use open textbooks as well as five students.

Upcoming Webinars

October 5th – AI Slop, with no Warranty: A Year in Vibe Coding in Higher Ed facilitated by D’Arcy Norman and Brian Lamb.  

October 15th – The Future We Opt Into: Making Ethical Choices About GenAI facilitated by Brenna Clarke Gray and Dr. Elizabeth Childs 

October 19th – Generative AI and Accessibility: Contextual Approaches facilitated by Dr. Ann Gagné and Dr. Elizabeth Childs 

Grants

Over the past several months we have also provided grants to five individuals who are exploring OER and GenAI.  

  • Study Guides and Practice Questions – Emily Tang​ 
  • Instructor materials – Fabricio Matheus​ 
  • Learning Aids and H5P – Jovita Vytasek​ 
  • Inquiry assignments and instructor guides – Natasha Ramroop Singh​ 
  • Instructor materials and case studies – Irina S. Tzoneva​ 

Upcoming Presentations

We have a have a few presentations this fall, Dr. Elizabeth Childs, Harper Friedman, and myself (Robynne Devine) will be presenting at the Digital Learning Forum and the OpenEd26 conference.  

Dr. Elizabeth Childs and I will also be at the 2026 AI – CADEMY as part of the Poster Presentations this fall at UBC. 

Stay Informed

Stay up to date by checking in on our project page.