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. Oct 6

    Sophie McKenzie and Karen Young’s OER Story: The HOST Guide for STEM Placement Supervision

    ‘The Host Guide for STEM Placement Supervision’ was published in 2026 and is an open textbook designed to support high-quality placement experiences for STEM students. This episode features conversations with and stories from co-authors Sophie McKenzie and Karen Young. They share how they came to create an OER and how the book is changing learning and teaching at Deakin. Guest bios: Sophie McKenzie and Karen Young are the co-authors of The Host Guide for STEM Placement Supervision. They are from Deakin’s Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Built Environment (SEBE). Sophie is a teaching and research academic who specialises in cyber security, augmented and virtual reality, and career development for students of information technology. Karen is the faculty’s academic director for work integrated learning. In 2025, Sophie and Karen applied for and received a grant from the Deakin Library to support the creation of an OER designed to support high-quality placement experiences for STEM students. Links: Access the OER via Deakin Open eBooks: https://deakin.pressbooks.pub/hostguidestemplacement/ View Sophie McKenzie at Deakin: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/24564-sophie-mckenzie Connect with Sophie McKenzie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-mckenzie-21573418/ View Karen Young at Deakin: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/2795-karen-young Connect with Karen Young on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-young-87993a22/ 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.33180080 Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

    Sophie McKenzie and Karen Young’s OER Story: The HOST Guide for STEM Placement Supervision

  2. Sep 14

    Tom Keel's OER Story: The Business Case for Sustainability (BCFS) in Property Development (PD) Projects

    The Business Case for Sustainability (BCFS) in Property Development (PD) Projects is a dataset of case studies aimed at demonstrating the commercial potential of developing more sustainable, higher-performing residential building projects. Developed as part of a research project, the BCFS enables property developers to better understand the benefits and impacts of including sustainability features in their projects. This episode features BCFS creator Tom Keel, who shares his story of how the OER came to be, the impact he has observed it having on learning, and how the experience has shaped his teaching practice. Guest bio: Tom Keel is a Lecturer from the Department of Finance in Deakin Business School. Tom’s area of expertise is Property and Real Estate with particularly interest in urban development, sustainable construction, and city-liveability. Links: Access the OER via Deakin Research Online (DRO): https://dro.deakin.edu.au/articles/online_resource/The_Business_Case_for_Sustainability_BCFS_in_Property_Development_PD_Projects_/32670999 View Tom Keel at Deakin: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/30140-tom-keel Connect with Tom Keel via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-keel-a6a5a5112/ 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.32670999 Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

    Tom Keel's OER Story: The Business Case for Sustainability (BCFS) in Property Development (PD) Projects

  3. Aug 31

    Nateque Mahmood's OER Story: Building Futures Construction Careers Collection

    When you think about Open Educational Resources (OER) – which we hope you do, and often – your first thought is probably open textbooks. But did you know that OER can take many forms, including videos? In this episode of ‘Stories of Openness’, Lauren sits down for a chat with Dr. Nateque Mahmood, co-creator of the unique OER, ‘Building Futures: Construction Career Collection’. Nateque’s OER is special because it is entirely video-based. The collection celebrates the unique qualities of the construction industry in Australia. Viewers can step into the shoes of a graduate project coordinator, site supervisor, health and safety advisor, project coordinator, senior project engineer, senior site manager, social procurement manager, or construction director. Connect with this episode to hear Nateque’s stories about creating the OER, the impact it’s had on Deakin students, and how the experience has shaped his teaching. Guest bio: Dr. Nateque Mahmood is an associate professor and head of discipline of Construction Management in the School of Architecture and Built Environment at Deakin University. Nateque is exactly the kind of person you want teaching our future construction managers – one with hands-on professional experience. Nateque comes his teaching and research work with over 14 years of as a professional civil engineer. Links: Access the OER via YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnPz8ejtXPEvSecvP4lw7kngP3qoriA4v&si=hEpjv8ATDX1kcSYO View Nateque Mahmood at Deakin: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/51229-nateque-mahmood Connect with Nateque Mahmood via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natequemahmood/ 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.28426142 Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

    Nateque Mahmood's OER Story: Building Futures Construction Careers Collection

  4. Aug 16

    Cailin Mellberg’s OER Story: The SPATIAL Project

    What do you get when you mix anatomy, 100,000+ images of the human body, open licensing, a sprinkle of innovation, and a whole lot of hard work? Tune in to Episode 8 of ‘Stories of Openness’ to find out… In this episode of ‘Stories of Openness’, we meet Cailin Mellberg, a lecturer of anatomy in Deakin’s School of Medicine. Cailin is the lead creator of the SPATIAL Project, a world-first openly licensed resource that allows anatomy students around the world to access high-resolution 3D images of the human body… for free (yes, free!). In a discipline where learning materials can set individual students back hundreds of dollars for a book, and cost institutions tens-of-thousands of dollars for equipment and subscription fees, the SPATIAL project is revolutionising anatomy education. Cailin shares stories about how he did it, how it’s shaping learning, and the impact the experience has had on him as a teacher. Cover image: This episode’s artwork is an AI-generated illustration created using ChatGPT, based on a cross-sectional image from the US National Library of Medicine’s Visible Human Project. The original data is public domain and freely usable with attribution to NLM. The illustrated version reinterprets the source image to make it appropriate for general audiences while remaining recognisable as anatomical cross-section imagery Corrections: After recording this interview, our guest requested the following corrections to content mentioned during the interview: The company referenced as “IMOS” is actually IMAIOS. Pricing is $209.99 USD/year, roughly $145 USD/year (not the figure stated in the episode). Complete Anatomy pricing is $119/year for students and $149/year for professionals (with a $59 first-year student discount), which is higher than the estimate given in the episode. Moore’s Clinically Orientated Anatomy costs $162–$184 AUD per student (no figure was given during the conversation; added here for context). Anatomedia costs $99 USD/student and $297 USD/professional per year (not covered with pricing during the conversation). Links: Access the OER via Deakin Research Online: https://dro.deakin.edu.au/collections/The_SPATIAL_Project/8030365/1 View Cailin Mellberg at Deakin: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/40756-cailin-mellberg 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.c.8030365 Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

    Cailin Mellberg’s OER Story: The SPATIAL Project

  5. Jul 31

    Jacqui McGregor's OER Story: Neonatal Care Essentials for Nursing and Midwifery

    ‘Neonatal Care Essentials for Nursing and Midwifery’, published in 2025, is an openly published and first-in-Australia resource for student midwives and nurses. It aims to provide an entry level understanding of the role of the nurse/midwife in the neonatal environment and is uniquely structured around the key concepts of warm, sweet, pink, and calm. In this conversation, Jacqui shares her stories of creating the book, how it’s impacting students’ learning, and how it’s shaping her own teaching practice. Guest bio: Jacqui McGregor is a long-time lecturer in Deakin’s School of Nursing and Midwifery. Jacqui is a dual registered Nurse and Midwife with extensive clinical experience and has both a Master of Advanced Nursing-Neonatal and a Post graduate qualification in Neonatal Intensive Care and Higher Education Teaching and Learning. Links: Access the OER via Deakin Open eBooks: https://deakin.pressbooks.pub/neonatalcareessentials/ View Jacqui McGregor at Deakin: https://experts.deakin.edu.au/63369-jacqui-mcgregor Connect with Jacqui McGregor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqui-mcgregor-81b89334/ 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.30907220 Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

    Jacqui McGregor's OER Story: Neonatal Care Essentials for Nursing and Midwifery

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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
  • 11 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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