Posted on February 11, 2026February 11, 2026 by Ailin Le BellotNavigating the Future of Open Education and AI In this episode of OpenEd Mic, the hosts welcome Dr. David Wiley, a pioneer of the open education movement and creator of the Five Rs of Openness, for a thoughtful conversation about how open education and generative AI are converging. David shares his origin story, tracing his early realization in the late 1990s that digital technologies fundamentally changed how knowledge can be shared—and why open licenses were essential to making that sharing legal, scalable, and equitable. The discussion centers on how the Five Rs—retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute—remain highly relevant in an AI-driven world. David explains how these principles can be applied not only to open educational resources, but also to large language models themselves, from modifying model weights to fine-tuning AI with new data. The group also tackles faculty concerns around copyright, legality, and fears of displacement, with David emphasizing that AI should support—not replace—the relational, trust-based work that sits at the heart of teaching. Looking ahead, the episode challenges educators to move beyond using AI to simply generate static, textbook-like content. Instead, David encourages a shift toward AI as a conversational learning partner that enables dialogue, exploration, and embedded assessment. The conversation ends on an optimistic note, highlighting the creativity and commitment of the open education community. https://media.blubrry.com/3954992/https://ucfcdl-wp.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/openEd-mic/openedmic-007.mp3Podcast (opened-mic): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:48 — 45.9MB) | EmbedSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Podcast Index | Deezer | Youtube Music | RSS Download Transcript: PDF About our Guest Dr. David Wiley is an Associate Professor at Marshall University, Co-Chair of the university’s AI Steering Committee, and a founding leader of the open education movement. His work sits at the intersection of generative AI, open education, instructional design, entrepreneurship, and student success. He is the creator of the Five Rs of Openness and a co-founder of organizations including Lumen Learning and Degreed. Dr. Wiley has received numerous national recognitions for his academic and entrepreneurial work and continues to shape the future of open and AI-enabled learning. Social Media Handles: @opencontent on Twitter, https://www.linkedin.com/in/opencontent/ on LinkedIn and @kalendar on Github. David Wiley Associate Professor Marshall University About Open-Ed Mic Explore our Open-Ed Mic podcast for practical guidance and inspiring stories about open education. Discover how to incorporate OER materials into your course while connecting with a community dedicated to transforming teaching and learning through openness. Meet Your Hosts Your hosts—Kevin Corcoran, Zach Claybaugh, Brittany Dudek, and Dr. Michael A. Mills—bring decades of combined expertise as prominent thought leaders in open educational resources (OER) within higher education. With extensive backgrounds spanning digital learning, library science, student success initiatives, and strategic leadership at state and national levels, they have collectively shaped policies, driven impactful initiatives, and advocated passionately for increased access to education. Their collaborative approach highlights their deep commitment to advancing open education practices, ensuring quality, affordability, and accessibility for learners everywhere.
