Leadership

Listen in for another episode in our series that introduces you to representatives from the OEGlobal Board of Directors for the opportunity to hear the voice of one of our newer board members, Robert Lawson, from NorQuest College.

You will hear Robert describe the value of open education at this Canadian community college in Edmonton, plus how he and NorQuest College became much involved with OEGlobal as the host of the 2023 OEGlobal Conference. The focus of NorQuest on meeting the needs of its students and incorporating Indigenous ways into its strategy was also evident in the conference vision of Two-Eyed Seeing and Braiding.

In this recording from June 19, 2025, Robert shared much more insight into the opportunities for open education and its significant developments at NorQuest College as well as his larger perspective on current issues globally that guide his role as an OEGlobal board member.

As we were at the time in the open nomination period for the 2025 Open Education Awards for Excellence, we asked Robert to provide a compelling reason to submit a nomination. While since the recording the award winners have already been nominated, Robert’s message is a good reminder to be thinking ahead to 2026!

Try to find something original, [do] not to be concerned about what others are doing, go ahead and try, make an effort. You never know, it could inspire people somewhere else. I know from some of the textbooks that we’ve published in Settlement Studies, or Medical Office Terminology — it’s always interesting to see the reaction of people in other provinces who say, “Wow, this is great! We can really use this, there’s not a Settlement Textbook in Canada. This is beautiful. This is like the first of its kind, we need to adopt this.”

The authors who’ve created these textbooks are pretty shocked when they see the analytics,– many people have adopted them and where they’ve adopted them.

Put your stuff out there for people to see, be open!

Robert Lawson on nominating for the Open Education Awards for Excellence

In This Episode

FYI: For the sake of experimentation and the spirit of transparency, this set of show notes alone was generated by the AI “Underlord” in the Descript editor we use to produce OEGlobal Voices.

Inclusive Education and Two-Eyed Seeing: A Conversation with Robert Lawson

In this episode of the OEG Voices Podcast, we talk to Robert Lawson from NorQuest College in Edmonton. Robert shares insights into the college’s focus on integrating Indigenous perspectives through the principle of Two-Eyed Seeing and their dedication to open education. He discusses NorQuest’s initiatives in sustainability, textbook publishing, and the significant impact of their inclusive approach on students and faculty. Robert also reflects on his journey into open education, his role on the OEGlobal Board of Directors, and his experiences hosting and attending the OEGlobal Conference. Additionally, Robert highlights an exciting project on documenting the settlement experiences of first-generation Canadian immigrants. Join us as we explore the innovative and inclusive vision at NorQuest College.

• 00:00 Intro Music and Opening Highlight Quote
• 01:20 Welcome to OEG Voices Podcast with Robert Lawson
• 03:30 Robert Lawson’s Journey in Open Education
• 07:36 NorQuest College’s Vision and Strategic Plan
• 10:21 Reflections on Hosting OEGlobal Conference
• 13:50 Current Projects and Future Directions
• 18:19 Challenges and Opportunities in Open Education
• 22:32 Joining the OEGlobal Board
• 27:05 Encouraging Nominations for Open Education Awards
• 30:40 Personal Insights and Closing Remarks

(end of AI generated show notes)

Additional Links and Quotes for Episode 88

One of the greatest things that came out of [hosting OEGlobal 2023] was the co-governance model between Curriculum Development and the Indigenous House of Learning, collaborating together on the theme of sustainability and Indigenous ways of knowing, I think this collaboration, including the motif of braiding, resonated with a lot of people at the conference.

I think [this] collaboration and cooperation really helped the college to move ahead in terms of decolonization. For [manu of] the people attending the conference, it was something really new. It opened their eyes to what is possible in terms of Indigenous ways of knowing and Indigenous culture, which I think was new for a lot of people attending the conference.

Robert Lawson on outcomes of NorQuest College hosting the OEGlobal 2023 Conference

•  Robert Lawson bio (OEGlobal Board of Directors)
• NorQuest College
  • NorQuest 2030: We Are Who We Include (College Strategic Plan)
  • Reimagine Higher Education: NorQuest 2030 “Reimagine Higher Education is the visionary and foundational work for strategic planning in the Academic portfolio at NorQuest College.”
  • Faculty Authored Open Textbooks
    • Canadian Settlement in Action: History and Future
    • The Language of Medical Terminology
• OEGlobal 2023 Conference (Edmonton, Alberta hosted by NorQuest College)
  • Robert Lawson, Program Co-Chair
  • OE Global 2023 Vision: Two-Eyed Seeing and Braiding
  • Diamond Open Knowledge (keynote by Cable Green)
  • The Provocations of Indigenous Cultures within a Conference: Using Métissage to Explore the In/Compatibility of Indigenous Ways of Knowing with Open Education (presentation at OEGlobal 2024 in Brisbane, Australia)
• Incentivize Cooperation (by Darrion Letendre & Robert Lawson published as part of the 23 Good Reasons for Open Education series)
•  Unfolding Histories Project (coming soon, see p33 of Norquest College 2025 Research and Innovation Showcase)
  • History in the Making “Documenting Stories of Immigrant and Refugee Students at Montgomery College”
  • City of Edmonton Anti-Racism Grants

We’re meeting our targets in terms of open textbooks as well. The thing that really has sustained my passion is the feedback from students who really appreciate it and are very happy with the textbooks that we’re producing, according to the instructors and authors who develop them and the faculty as well.

It’s in an age where textbooks are becoming more and more costly. It’s just something that really aligns with our inclusivity at NorQuest. And the other thing is that there’s a real social justice mandate with Open Education that really appeals to me.

Robert Lawson

Listen to more episodes like this from our OEGlobal Board Viewpoints series.

Our open licensed music for this episode is a track called Leader of Tomorrow by Cambo that is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license. Like most of our podcast music, it was found at the Free Music Archive (see our full FMA playlist).