 Amazing to be here with you all and thanks for choosing to come here. We've had some fantastic sessions this afternoon. Whilst I get started, I'm going to invite my colleagues, Judith Derucci and Joe to come up onto the stage if that's okay. Because for most of this session, it's not going to be me, I'm sure you'll be glad to hear talking. It's going to be some of our fabulous Goji Enners. So my name is Beck Pitt. I'm a member of the Goji En team, the Global OER Graduate Network team. This session really is about looking back and looking forward, and membering community reflections as we celebrate our 10th anniversary of the network this year. Oops. What we're going to cover is, we're going to have a little bit about what Goji En is. I'm sure I think hands up in the air if you're already familiar with Goji En and the network. A few hands in the air. For those that are online and perhaps don't know in the room as well, we'll very briefly tell you a little bit about what we do, and the network, a little bit about our fantastic 10th anniversary and the activities that we've been doing prior to OE Global. So some of you may be aware that we've had our 10th anniversary workshop, so we've been bringing people together, and I'll tell you a little bit about that. Then going to talk a little bit about our co-creative publications as well, and then open it up to our fabulous Goji En as that are on the stage, and they're going to share some of their reflections and experiences of the network. So what is Goji En? So Goji En stands for Global OER Graduate Network, and the aim of the network is to raise the profile of research into open education, and more specifically, our focus is on doctoral students and offer support and enable those researchers and support them in their doctoral research journeys. We also have a strong focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion that my colleague Karina leads on as part of our work, and we're also very much focused on developing openness as a process of research, sorry, and open research practices and encouraging and supporting those within the network. As I mentioned, I'm a member of the Goji En team, which we should see some pictures appear in a moment, okay? So you can see we've got the team in the room as well, so we've got Martin and Rob down here, and Karina there over at the back as well, and Kylie of course there as well, so the full team in the house, so please go and talk to everyone as well as me if you've got any questions about us going forward. The network currently has around 100, almost 170 members, so Goji En came to the Open University where myself and colleagues are based a few years ago, and since then we've increased the number of members and also alumni in the network as people have kind of gone through their doctoral journey and completed their studies, so we've had a 221% increase in members and alumni since 2016, and around just under a third of our membership is based in the global south. We do lots of different things. I'm gonna talk a little bit about our face-to-face workshop that we've had a couple of days ago in a moment, but here's some fantastic pictures of other wonderful things that we've been doing over the past few years, including at the last OE Global in Nantes, on the bottom right hand side, there's a picture of everybody there as well as in our London event at the OER conference prior to that, so we hold kind of events and workshops fairly regularly once or twice a year to kind of bring our doctoral researchers from around the world together, to kind of share research and experiences, to kind of work together and spend time face-to-face and participate in conferences like this, and we've got a lot of our Goji and members speaking at OER Global throughout the next couple of days, so please do go and find out more about the fantastic work that everybody is doing. As I mentioned, Gojian is 10 this year, so we're celebrating a decade of Gojian. We held a special workshop recently where we brought around about 30 people from around the world, from 13 different countries and five continents together here in Edmonton, working over two days to kind of share ideas, talk more about our research, and then also work on some co-creation activities as well. You can find out a little bit about what folks have been doing on our hashtag for the workshop here, and also some lovely pictures, there we go, of the activities that people have been involved in, so we did spend the second day of our workshop working together on co-creating one of our forthcoming publications, which builds on the suite of resources that we've got available so far, so please do go and check these out. If you're not already familiar with some of the outputs here, we've got our research methods handbook, our conceptual framework handbook, we've been doing annual reviews of research, and we also have our EDI guidelines as well. I know Carina and Paco are presenting this morning about some of that work and will be presenting again later on in the conference. So you can see some pictures of people in a second, oops, just there from the workshop. Apologies for the slightly temperamental slides. Wonderful, so enough from me. I'm gonna now pass over to some of our fabulous Gojianas to talk a little bit more and tell you a little bit more about the network and how their experiences of Gojian and how they, as we kind of look forward, obviously the focus of the presentation is also looking forward as well as looking back to tell us a little bit more about how they also might see the future of Gojian as we kind of move into our 11th year. So I'm gonna first of all hand over to Joe to tell us a little bit more. Thanks Joe. Hi everyone. My name is Johanna Funk and I come from Vancouver but I work in Northern Australia. Where that beautiful mangrove flicking back and forth is from. So very, very just very briefly, my PhD was a work-based project-based PhD so I didn't take any coursework. I was employed as a research assistant and I wrote up my PhD and then did my analysis based on the work I was doing. So the technical support that I got from the network in terms of the fellowship that I was given as well, Paco gave me some amazing skill development that I didn't get during the course of my PhD. So we all get familiar with certain methodologies and theoretical and conceptual frameworks and I gained a lot of skill support just in the one-to-one support that I got from the team. Socially and community-ly. It's been an absolute life affirming and God send to have such a wonderful, supportive network and to keep growing it. Every time we all get together, my mate Nick says it's like seeing a bunch of puppies playing in a room together because we're all so happy to be learning together and from each other. So socially that's kind of something we don't always get at our home institutions. And just to be in a room too or to be recognized and to have that recognitive experience of people seeing what you're doing as valuable. Again, this is sometimes our work is seen as subversive and disruptive. So it's really, really nice to have that recognition for doing work in a good way. I see more in the future of bringing people along that's happening in the present too. Every person we've talked to at this conference and during our time here, we've mentioned the network and we just seem to be keep gathering more people and bringing them along with us and that's something I've always learned from some of my best teachers, including the people in this team is that they hold no hoarding of power. It's all bring everyone along with you. We can apply some of this to more than just education. I know that Rob's been doing that in the business sector as well, but there are a lot of ways that we can apply open practices to different research sectors and applications and working with different sectors other than education. So really good policy work can be done. And yeah, that would lead to more capacity building across the sectors and it just kind of keeps rolling on like the tides, up and down, breeding lots of lovely dragonflies and yeah, that's in Rapid Creek where I live in Darwin. So I thought it might be appropriate to share that image. Thank you. Oh, thanks so much, Joe. I'm gonna hand over now to the Rookshi. Okay, okay, I just made a high informal slide because I really wanted to share my real experience. How many of you know where Sri Lanka? Not my Gujian crowd, but the rest. Okay, because I come from Sri Lanka and when I was doing my PhD in 2015 to 2020, I was like a remote isolated person that never got into the world. I come from a computer science background and none of my people in the department speak about the language of ed tech or educational technology, open education. They were all about technology. So I had to have this support from somebody where I went to the Y world and then found this network called Gujian and I'm really grateful for that because how Gujian has helped me, actually being with that crew actually helped me to learn up different methodologies, how you can do ed tech research, open education research because I started my PhD research on massive open online education. So I come from a data science background but how do we bring lively experience to the technology is something that I didn't know what methodologies to use. So Gujian, I have to mention Chrissy, Chrissy just went because when we interact within our Gujian workshops, there were really great methodologies discussed in the workshops, such as phenomenon, phenomenology, it's really difficult. So some things like ethnography, grounded theory, I remember Jenny Hyman was kind of bringing how ethnographic perspectives can be articulated based on observations and taking notes and stuff like that. And then, and also I remember one of the workshops I got direct input from Martin, which is like, I think that was the time that I was about to defend my thesis so I didn't know what kind of questions and what kind of position that I will be in a situation. So the support and the confidence that I got as a feedback. I actually did a small session with them so that I could get many feedback before I get put myself into the stage in Sri Lanka. So I think those are experiences that I could not get from any other networks, which is fantastic. And after this, and I'm really proud that there's another colleague of mine who's already joined Anuradha. She's also doing the same thing. So I'm pretty happy that we are populating the support who really needs this network coming from far away, oceans and oceans. So thank you very much for Gorgian and I really, really encourage if you are in this network, there's many, not just the knowledge but also the connections and then the, it's like a family for me now. Yeah, thank you so much. Thank you so much Dorekshi. And I'd like to hand over now to Judith as well to share her. Thanks Judith. Thank you very much, Peck. And hi everyone, my name is Judith. I'm from Kenya. I work for Tangaza University College as a senior lecturer and also coordinate a program on service learning. And well, my story for Gorgian ideally is one of the things that I love telling. And even if I'm called in the middle of the night, tell us about Gorgian. I will narrate the story without hesitance. This journey has been one of its own kind, a beautiful journey that pulls you off. And I say Gorgian ideally is a great path to PhD completion and of course, personal growth for all because we are all here. It doesn't matter where you come from, what you do and so long as your research is on the open place, Gorgian is the place for you if you want to complete your PhD. Now, how did Gorgian support my research? In a number of ways. And most of them, my colleagues have mentioned here, but I will be very specific as someone who comes from the global south where ideally, even thinking a thought of a PhD could just be a dream that will never come true. But when I landed on the Gorgian, access to divert the experts, those who really understand how PhD works and PhD in the open works, such research has really helped so much. So I got exposed to a wider range of experts and researchers and scholars from different backgrounds and disciplines who ideally built up, first of all, my self-esteem on a global research and two, doing a research in the global, which is quite important for some of us. So that diversity provided fresh perspectives and insights to what I was writing. And in this area, I would say I was the most beneficiary when it comes to issues of technical support, social support, and all around that I needed. Now, the exposure, which is basically international, was quite helpful. I gained a lot of exposure when it comes to my work during the PhD study. And this was very helpful for my research, especially in coming with the focus of my research, what I wanted to achieve with it, which therefore has also given me an opportunity to interact with so many people, providing and mention the opportunities for me. And most of them, I'm very happy to have come across and I'll be able now to give very good presentations in international conferences, talks in various universities with a lot of confidence and more importantly, publish in most prestigious journals and access to wider audience of people who are doing research in the open. All of these are not only meant for my academic development, but also personal growth. Well, mentorship and guidance is really something that you will never miss in Goji. That's why I always say, please, if you want to complete your PhD, join Goji. If you want to have a journey which is full of fun and penguins, join Goji. If you really have a future for research in the open, Goji is home. So I got a network that is connecting me with experienced researchers who provide mentorship and guidance at every stage. You may be facing certain challenges. You see valleys and you see dark corners, but then Goji gives you that support. From all corners, how are you doing COVID? All the time email is sent. How are you doing? Tell us a story. What is happening? Where do you find such kind of a network? It is only in Goji, I guess. Please, Goji and really give me advice on research strategies, career development and navigating that academic landscape that has made me who I am today. So it's a home for me that I will never forget. And something also that I really realize happens in Goji and once a Goji member, forever you are, even after you graduate. Now access to data and fieldwork is amazing. You have a lot. Facilitation of access to local resources, contacts of relevant people can support you when you really need it. And indeed, assistance in navigating local customs and regulations, very, very crucial. This is the network. Access to funding, to move from place to place to go and express yourself, present your sections of your PhD and indeed ensure that you publish some of them as articles that will also build your profile. I'm known out there. You are able to read from me. See what I do because of Goji and network. So it's a beautiful network, friends coming. Career opportunities also is quite enhanced. Now the future of Goji and this is where I think all of us are. Yes, I would say that there's a lot of rationale for this network. And ideally, it holds a great promise. Especially by the fact that we have the ongoing advancement in technology, shifts in academic landscape and the increasing connectedness of the world. And I would urge those from the global south, those who come from my continent, to consider a network like Goji and this is home for completion. It is a home that will guide you towards starting and finishing your PhD where all the dark corners are worked on and surfaces and gives you that opportunity to build friends who matter. Friends who build you and friends who ensure that you smile all the time. And that is home for me. Thank you. Thank you so much, Judith. And thank you to everyone, Joe, Judith and Dorukshi for sharing. It's really, really appreciated. And I think gives you a much better sense of the impact of the network and what we're about than I could explain and other people in the room as well. I'm aware there's a number of other Goji and members in the room as well. So yeah, please do chat to those folks as well. So you might be thinking, how can you get involved in the network? We are celebrating our 10th anniversary and you can send us a postcard. We've got some fantastic Penguin imagery. If you were in the session early, you may have seen Kathy's presentation as well by Brian Mather's of Visual Thinkery. So yeah, feel free to use our openly licensed imagery and also send us a postcard and tell us and send us your greetings from wherever you are in the world. You can get involved in Goji N if you're obviously a doctoral student working on open education. But we also have a wider friends and experts network as well. Thank you. A wider friends and experts network which is open to anyone to join. We hold regular webinars. Everyone is welcome to join those. They happen once a month. So yeah, please do get involved and find out more and join in the celebrations and our activities. So thanks so much for listening and yeah, your time today. Thank you. And thanks so much especially to our... I think there's a couple of minutes for questions. So two minutes for questions. So if anyone has any questions then please. Please. That's a great question. Thank you. So some of the work that my colleague Karina has been doing with and that Judith and Vivian as well have been doing has been focused on better understanding how Goji N can connect with and support doctoral researchers working in different areas. So the work Judith did in Africa and the work that Vivian did in Latin America and the work that Karina is doing as part of our latest phase of Goji N is all kind of building into building a better picture of how we can connect and support doctoral students in different regions. And part of that is kind of about looking at Goji N not just being in the English language and how we can do that better. So yeah, thank you. That's kind of ongoing work. Thanks. Perfect, so I'm not seeing any other hands. So yeah, thank you so much for coming to this session and for your attention. Thank you and thanks to everyone online and to our fantastic speakers. Thank you.