Virginia Tech Reaffirms Commitment to Open Educational Resources and Academic Research

Open Access Week 2025 is an annual initiative led by Virginia Tech’s University Library to promote open learning, academic transparency and equitable access to scholarly resources. Through its Open Access Week 2025 programme, the university reaffirms its commitment to academic excellence. A series of panel discussions and workshops will spotlight open educational resources, open access publishing and collaborative academic platforms, each designed to support students, faculty and the broader research community. The university's goal of advancing digital library resources and technology in higher education has been furthered by the Open Access program since its launch in 2012. In addition to some live events, the majority of this year's offerings will be conducted through Zoom.

Particularly notable is the Virginia Tech Panel for the Future Professoriate on Monday, 20 October. Faculty members from the university will provide reports of their experiences with open publishing, open data, and open educational resources and how those experiences have informed their careers, innovations in teaching, and research. Classroom dialogue will be stimulated concerning how university panels have fed into tech innovation and the future of open access.

On 21 October, there will be a Copyright and AI session that will discuss how artificial intelligence is affecting academic research, especially as it relates to copyright law and authorship. This will be followed by the Open Access Policy Workshop, which will instruct researchers on how to deposit scholarly articles into VTechWorks, the open repository of Virginia Tech. On 22 October, the program featured a presentation of the Virginia Course Material Survey, which polled more than 1,200 students at Virginia Tech. The results provide a look into how open research advantages university students, particularly when it comes to affordability, access, and academic choice. Later in the day, the Authorship, Access, and Algorithms session will discuss the applications of AI in scholarly publishing, everything from peer review to licensing.

On 24 October, members are invited to an Introduction to Wikidata, where they will learn how to add to open crowdsourced data. An Open Textbooks session will introduce staff to freely licensed teaching materials and provide a £200 reward for considering the review of a textbook for their course. These initiatives highlight what Virginia Tech is undertaking to advance open education and facilitate digital transformation in its academic programs. Through the promotion of open access and embracing research and teaching innovations, the University Library remains an integral strategic centre for knowledge sharing and institutional development.

On the website www.openaccessweek.org, to can find further information about international Open-Access-Week events. Individuals needing accommodations should contact library-event-accessibility-g@vt.edu no less than ten business days before the desired event.  The events mentioned under the Open Access Week 2025 program at Virginia Tech University provide not just an outline of events, but they also serve as a testimony to the university’s commitment to open pedagogy, digital equity and scholarly innovation. Each of the events has been designed thoughtfully to address relevant issues within higher education, and it would be worthwhile to delve deeper into the significance of these events.

Editor’s Note:

The Virginia Tech Future Professoriate Panel leads the way by encouraging early-career scholars to consider what kind of impact open education resources and open publication can have on their future careers. It's not accessibility, it's empowerment. When early-career scholars realise how to make their work publicly available, they're in a better position to create authentic, collaborative academic trajectories. The Copyright and AI session is particularly opportune. Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used in content generation and research, and the legal and ethical limits need to be understood. This session not only educates—it enables writers to deal with a rapidly evolving environment with confidence. The Open Access Policy Workshop is pragmatic and advisable. Most scholars still have no idea that they can make their accepted manuscripts available to all openly via VTechWorks, despite publishers' constraints. This workshop demystifies the process and assists scholars in making their research more visible and impactful.

The Virginia Course Material Survey presentation is an eye-opener. As more than 1,200 Virginia Tech students have weighed in, the statistics tell us about the impact of textbook price on learning decisions, financial distress, and even food security. If you instruct, choose course materials, or are concerned about student health, this session is a must. The Authorship, Access, and Algorithms conversation puts AI centre stage once more, but this time in the context of academic publishing. From peer review to licensing, AI is transforming the production and dissemination of knowledge. This session invites frank discussion of what's to be gained, what's to be lost, and how we can responsibly influence the future. Introduction to Wikidata is an interactive chance to add to the sum of knowledge around the world. It's perfect for anyone with an interest in linked data, open platforms, or just a desire to make academic materials more accessible to the world. Lastly, the Open Textbooks session has a unique pairing of impact and incentive. Not only do faculty members learn how to implement and modify open textbooks—they're even given a £200 bounty for creating a review of one. It may be a small step, but it has huge potential for saving students money and enhancing access.

Skoobuzz underlines that together, these events show what Virginia Tech is doing to promote open education and how it’s using digital library resources and collaborative academic platforms to support students and staff alike. Whether you’re a researcher, educator, or student, there’s something here for you and something worth acting on.

FAQs

1. How is Virginia Tech University supporting open educational resources in 2025?

Virginia Tech is hosting panel discussions and workshops to promote open textbooks, open publishing, and collaborative academic platforms through its University Library.

2. What is the Future Professoriate panel at Virginia Tech, and why is it important?

The panel introduces future academics to open access publishing, open data, and teaching innovations, highlighting how university panels contribute to tech innovation and career development.

3. How does artificial intelligence impact academic research and copyright at Virginia Tech?

AI is being explored in scholarly publishing, authorship, and licensing, with dedicated sessions addressing copyright concerns and ethical use in higher education.

4. What benefits do Virginia Tech students gain from open-access research?

Open access improves affordability, expands access to learning materials, and supports informed academic choices, key findings from the Virginia Course Material Survey.

5. How can faculty at Virginia Tech earn £200 by reviewing open textbooks?

Faculty attending the Open Textbooks session may receive a £200 incentive from VIVA for reviewing a textbook relevant to their course.

6. What is VTechWorks, and how do researchers deposit articles there?

VTechWorks is Virginia Tech’s open repository where researchers can deposit accepted versions of scholarly articles, regardless of publisher copyright agreements.

7. What is Wikidata, and how can Virginia Tech staff contribute to open crowdsourced data?

The Wikidata session teaches staff and students how to edit public domain data and engage with linked open data using the Wikibase platform.