In our session, we will reflect on the journey of our Open Education (OE) initiative at the University of Groningen as it reaches its first lustrum. We will provide an honest self-assessment, tracing our steps from its inception five years ago to the current state, and outline our vision for the future of Open Education at the university. Our story is characterized by a transformation from a "build it and they will come" mindset to a more utilitarian approach of introducing Open Education primarily as a solution for our audience’s educational challenges.

We will discuss how we have experimented with various approaches and outreach intensities over time, adapting to internal and external circumstances, and facing declining interest and competing priorities of our target audience - university teachers and educationalists. This session will highlight the importance of pragmatism, flexibility, and responsiveness in developing Open Education services. These newfound values took the shape of looking for and giving space to the innovative educators already breaking new grounds, as well as employing more low-threshold, continued, and innovative communication strategies.

The key transformation in our OE promotion strategy has therefore been supporting innovation in the classroom without making open educational resources (OER) the central goal of the conversation with teachers. In the further development of our services, we started by accepting Open Education as the established norm and shared value, positioning it as a natural part of the educational landscape at the University of Groningen. From there, we utilized OER and open practices as a powerful and relevant tool for achieving key educational goals in the classroom: providing accessible quality education to students by implementing active and blended learning, fostering diversity and inclusion, and dealing with new disruptive technologies like AI. Additionally, we connected with other support services at the university to further normalize the use of Open for their own (support) purposes, attaching open educational practices to the already existing strategy and frameworks. By aligning OE with existing goals rather than presenting it as an additional one, we have been able to avoid the perception of Open Education as being yet another (top-down mandated) box that needs to be checked, in favor of the approach showcasing its utility for achieving the ideals and goals with the highest priority.

We hope the session participants gain relatable lessons from our experience, learn about the different approaches we have experimented with, and understand the significance of knowing and following their audience. Through our story, we aim to inspire attendees to reflect on their own institutions' journeys and consider which strategies might be most beneficial for developing OE services in their contexts. By sharing self-reflective perspectives and encouraging the audience’s reflection, we hope to foster a collaborative environment where ideas for advancing Open Education can be generated and shared.