Welcome to the Open Books Programme Cohort of 2025! This cohort represents a vibrant group of educators, academics, students and professionals committed to advancing open education and Open Educational Resources. Together, we aim to explore, create, and share open books that make a difference in education around the world. During this period authors will be supported by the Library to bring their open books to life using the authoring tool Pressbooks.
Key Components of the Programme:
- Duration: January 2025 – February 2026.
- Support: Personalised guidance and technical support from the Library team.
- Tools: Access to Pressbooks, an authoring tool.
- Community: A collaborative environment that encourages peer feedback and support.
Throughout the programme, authors will participate in various workshops, receive guidance and individual consultations, and engage in hands-on practice with Pressbooks to bring their books to life!
Programme Objectives
Our mission is to support each cohort member in creating an open book that is:
- Accessible: Ensuring they meet accessibility standards.
- Customisable: Allowing educators and institutions to adapt the books to meet specific learning needs.
- High-quality: Emphasising peer-reviewed content and editorial support to maintain quality.
By the end of the programme, it is hoped that our cohort members will have developed an open book ready to be shared with learners, educators, and institutions worldwide.
Support Provided by the Library
To make the authoring process as seamless as possible, the Library offers a robust support system, which includes:
- Project planning: how to make a start with writing and keep work on track to a collaborative timeline.
- Hands-On Training in Pressbooks: Authors will attend a workshop on how to effectively use Pressbooks for writing, editing, and publishing. Topics include structuring chapters, incorporating multimedia, and designing an accessible layout.
- Accessibility & Copyright and licencing support ensuring books are legally compliant and accessible
- One-on-One Consultations: Each author lead is paired with an Open Education Resources Adviser who provides personalised guidance throughout the programme. Advisers are available for regular check-ins, project feedback, and technical troubleshooting.
- Peer Review and Quality Assurance: Authors will benefit from a structured peer review process. This helps ensure that content is accurate, well-organised, and engaging for readers.
- Editing and Accessibility Support: Our team provides resources and consultations on creating content that is both high-quality and accessible, aligning with universal design principles.
- Community Building and Collaboration: The cohort is encouraged to share ideas, challenges, and feedback, building a strong support network and Community of Practice. Cohort members will have the opportunity to exchange expertise, and collectively enhance the quality of their projects.
The Authoring Journey
Our programme follows a structured timeline to ensure authors are supported at every stage of their journey:
- Kick-off (January – February 2025): Authors are introduced to Pressbooks, participate in an onboarding workshop, and meet the Open Education Resources Advisers. Initial consultations help authors refine their book concepts and project timelines.
- Development Phase (March – August 2025): Authors work on their book content, utilising Pressbooks to organise chapters, integrate mutimedia, and experiment with layout designs and themes. Regular check-ins provide valuable feedback and quality control.
- Refinement and Accessibility (April – December 2025): Authors polish their content with a focus on accessibility, quality and copyright/licensing compatibility. Library staff provide support on implementing accessibility features such as alt text, captions and formatting.
- Peer review: A peer review process is arranged with subject experts (December-January 2026).
- Finalisation and Publication (January – February 2026): Authors complete their books, making final adjustments and preparing for publication. The Library assists with publishing the book on the Pressbooks Directory, and delivers promotion strategies to maximise the reach of each open book.
*Our deadlines are intended as guidelines and may be adjusted as needed to accommodate evolving project needs.
Join Our Next Cohort
If you have a book project in mind and are interested in joining our next cohort, we’d love to hear from you! Our Open Books Programme provides support, resources, and a collaborative community to help bring your vision to life. Get in touch and let us know about your ideas, and we’ll keep you informed about upcoming opportunities to be part of our next cohort of authors.