Stories of Openness: An Open Education Podcast

Deakin University Library

Stories of Openness is a limited series podcast created by the Open Education team at Deakin University Library. Each episode is a conversation with a Deakin academic who has created an open textbook or other Open Educational Resource (OER). Listen as authors share their stories about creating more accessible learning materials and what it has meant for their students, their teaching practice, and beyond. This podcast is for anyone who is curious about OER or just loves hearing interesting people tell their stories. Production credits: Hosted by Lauren Halcomb-Smith (Lecturer, Open Education, Deakin Library) Produced by Eddie Pavuna (Scholarly Services Librarian, Deakin Library) Artwork by Sarah Fennelly (Visual Design Lead, Deakin Library) Music by Scott Holmes Music, shared under a CC-BY-NC License Tools: Episodes recorded in Zoom or Audacity, edited in Audacity using the OpenVINO Whisper Transcription plugin for transcription, and hosted and distributed via Castopod by Ad Aures. Licensing: Stories of Openness by Deakin University is licensed under a CC BY NC 4.0 license. Podcasting as a research method: Stories of Openness is part of an ongoing research project that uses podcasting as a research method. The primary aim of our research is to explore the impact that Library-funded OER are having on learning and teaching at Deakin from the perspective of Deakin OER creators. This research has received Deakin University ethics approval: 2025/HE001281. The project is internally funded by the university, with all researchers contributing as part of their normal roles as Library staff. Find out more: For more information about this podcast, including full production credits and acknowledgements, visit https://www.deakin.edu.au/library/teach/open-education/podcast Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

Episodes

  1. Jul 17

    Simon James, Chris Rawson, and Erin Cheffers' OER Story: Mathematical Reasoning and Investigation

    ‘Mathematical Reasoning and Investigation’, was published in 2023 and is an open textbook designed for people who think they’re not good at mathematics. This episode features conversations with and stories from co-authors Simon James and Chris Rawson alongside illustrator Erin Cheffers. They share how they came to create an OER, how Erin’s illustrations shaped the book, and how the book is changing the way they think about teaching, learning, and unit resources. Guest bios: Simon James is an Associate Professor in Mathematics in Deakin’s Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Built Environment and has been recognised with a Deakin University Award for Excellence in Teaching for his work with undergraduate mathematics students. Chris Rawson was - at the time of writing the textbook - a Senior Educational Designer for Deakin with a background in learning design and librarianship. Chris now works in the Deakin Library as a Scholarly Services Librarian. Erin Cheffers is a graphics and user interface designer for Deakin’s Strategic Educational Initiatives unit. At the time of writing the textbook, Erin was a student of Design and Visual Communication and was a part of the project via Deakin’s Students as Partners program Links: Access the OER via Deakin Open eBooks: https://deakin.pressbooks.pub/mathematicalreasoninginvestigation/ View Simon James at Deakin: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/29627-simon-james Connect with Simon James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-james-2a13b8123/ Connect with Chris Rawson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-rawson/ Connect with Erin Cheffers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-cheffers-558520219/ Find out more about this podcast: https://www.deakin.edu.au/library/teach/open-education/podcast Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.26187/deakin.24086916 Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

    Simon James, Chris Rawson, and Erin Cheffers' OER Story: Mathematical Reasoning and Investigation

  2. Jul 2

    Sarah Steen's OER Story: Workplace Role Play Scenarios

    ‘Workplace Role Play Scenarios’, published in 2023, is an internationally-recognised OER about helping students navigate difficult conversations, negotiation, and mediation in the workplace. In this episode, author Dr Sarah Steen generously shares her stories about how the OER came to be, it’s impact learners in and beyond Deakin, and how it’s shaping her own teaching practice in the brave new world of AI-enabled education. Guest bio: Dr Sarah Steen (FHEA) is a Senior Lecturer and Course Director at Deakin Business School. A passionate and innovative educator with over 15 years’ experience, she has developed an OER featuring role-play scenarios grounded in authentic, real-world contexts, providing students with rich opportunities to build critical employability skills. The OER has attracted over 6,000 visitors and has been adopted by Australian and international universities, as well as integrated into a state government training program. In 2025, Sarah received the Deakin University Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Employability in recognition of the OER’s impact. Links: Access the OER via Deakin Open eBooks: https://deakin.pressbooks.pub/workplaceroleplayscenarios/ View Dr Sarah Steen at Deakin: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/40976-sarah-steen Connect with Dr Sarah Steen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsarahsteen/ Find out more about this podcast: https://www.deakin.edu.au/library/teach/open-education/podcast Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.26187/deakin.24233626 Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

    Sarah Steen's OER Story: Workplace Role Play Scenarios

  3. May 24

    Siva Krishnan’s OER Story: Communication and Teamwork Skills to Support Neurodiversity

    Dr. Siva Krishnan shares his stories about co-authoring ‘Communication and Teamwork Skills to Support Neurodiversity’, an OER published in 2025 and designed for staff and students to support the neurodiverse student body with communication and teamwork skills. Siva’s stories touch on his experiences of collaborating with a student as co-author, the impact the experience has had on him as an educator, and the impact the OER is having beyond Deakin. Guest bio: Dr. Siva Krishnan is the Associate Head of School and an Associate Professor of Engineering at Deakin University’s School of Engineering. Links: Access the OER via Deakin Open eBooks: https://deakin.pressbooks.pub/communicationteamworkskills/ View Dr. Siva Krishnan at Deakin: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/10101-siva-krishnan Connect with Dr. Siva Krishnan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siva-krishnan-4890861aa/ Find out more about this podcast: https://www.deakin.edu.au/library/teach/open-education/podcast Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.26187/deakin.28693058 Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

    Siva Krishnan’s OER Story: Communication and Teamwork Skills to Support Neurodiversity

  4. Apr 18

    Trish Corbett’s OER Story: Sustainable Marine Futures textbook

    Dr. Patricia (Trish) Corbett shares the story behind ‘Sustainable Marine Futures’, an Open Educational Resource (OER) that explores how ocean science, sustainability, policy and community intersect to address key marine challenges. Trish shares how she came to create an OER, the impact it’s having on her students, and how it’s shaping her teaching practice. And, if you are wondering about the picture of the penguins on the cover, Trish has a story about that too! Guest bio: Dr. Patricia (Trish) Corbett is the Academic Director of Teaching for the Bachelor of Marine Science in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at Deakin University. Links: Access the OER via Deakin Open eBooks: https://deakin.pressbooks.pub/sustainablemarinefutures/ View Dr. Patricia Corbett at Deakin: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/45265-patricia-corbett Connect with Dr. Patricia Corbett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-corbett-3589a4122/ Find out more about this podcast: https://www.deakin.edu.au/library/teach/open-education/podcast Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.26187/deakin.30907151 Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

    Trish Corbett’s OER Story: Sustainable Marine Futures textbook

  5. Apr 18

    Sagarika Mishra’s OER Story: Business Finance textbook

    Associate Professor Sagarika Mishra shares the story of why she wanted to create an Open Educational Resource (OER) about corporate finance. In a world where finance textbooks can be overwhelming for both students and teachings, ‘Business Finance’. Sagarika explains how she designed the book to make business finance concepts more easily understood, what it’s meant for her students, and how it’s changing the way she thinks about teaching. Guest bio: Associate Professor Sagarika Mishra (Deakin Faculty of Business and Law) is an interdisciplinary researcher with expertise in AI in corporate settings, corporate culture, corporate governance, and climate risk on financial markets. Links: Access the OER via Deakin Open eBooks: https://deakin.pressbooks.pub/corporatefinance/ View A/Prof Sagarika Mishra at Deakin: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/1151-sagarika-mishra Connect with A/Prof Sagarika Mishra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sagarika-mishra-64850b6/ Find out more about this podcast: https://www.deakin.edu.au/library/teach/open-education/podcast Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.26187/deakin.24239683 Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

    Sagarika Mishra’s OER Story: Business Finance textbook

  6. Apr 18

    Danielle Hitch’s OER Story: Enabling & Optimising Recovery from COVID-19

    Associate Professor Danielle Hitch is an occupational therapist, academic, an Open Educational Resource (OER) creator, and a great storyteller. In 2023, Danielle published ‘Enabling and Optimising Recovery from COVID-19’, an invaluable resource focused the assessment, management and support of people experiencing Long COVID. This episode features stories about creating an OER about long covid, including how storytelling is used in the book itself, as well as how it’s shaping learning and teaching at Deakin. Guest bio: Associate Professor Danielle (Deakin Faculty of Health) has been at Deakin for nearly 20 years. She has also been an occupational therapist for 25 years and an active researcher in her field for 15 years. Links: Access the OER via Deakin Open eBooks: https://deakin.pressbooks.pub/enablingoptimisingrecoverycovid19/ View A/Prof Danielle Hitch at Deakin: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/1035-danielle-hitch Connect with A/Prof Danielle Hitch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-hitch-38318581/ Find out more about this podcast: https://www.deakin.edu.au/library/teach/open-education/podcast Digital Object Identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.26187/deakin.24239785 Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

    Danielle Hitch’s OER Story: Enabling & Optimising Recovery from COVID-19
  • 6 Episodes

About

Stories of Openness is a limited series podcast created by the Open Education team at Deakin University Library. Each episode is a conversation with a Deakin academic who has created an open textbook or other Open Educational Resource (OER). Listen as authors share their stories about creating more accessible learning materials and what it has meant for their students, their teaching practice, and beyond. This podcast is for anyone who is curious about OER or just loves hearing interesting people tell their stories. Production credits: Hosted by Lauren Halcomb-Smith (Lecturer, Open Education, Deakin Library) Produced by Eddie Pavuna (Scholarly Services Librarian, Deakin Library) Artwork by Sarah Fennelly (Visual Design Lead, Deakin Library) Music by Scott Holmes Music, shared under a CC-BY-NC License Tools: Episodes recorded in Zoom or Audacity, edited in Audacity using the OpenVINO Whisper Transcription plugin for transcription, and hosted and distributed via Castopod by Ad Aures. Licensing: Stories of Openness by Deakin University is licensed under a CC BY NC 4.0 license. Podcasting as a research method: Stories of Openness is part of an ongoing research project that uses podcasting as a research method. The primary aim of our research is to explore the impact that Library-funded OER are having on learning and teaching at Deakin from the perspective of Deakin OER creators. This research has received Deakin University ethics approval: 2025/HE001281. The project is internally funded by the university, with all researchers contributing as part of their normal roles as Library staff. Find out more: For more information about this podcast, including full production credits and acknowledgements, visit https://www.deakin.edu.au/library/teach/open-education/podcast Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

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