About Open Assembly
Our vision is to provide every educator and learner with a personalized education hub to accompany a lifetime of learning. To us this means giving every educator the opportunity to be a learner, and every learner the opportunity to become an educator.
We strongly believe that teachers and students deserve a truly simple and flexible tool for managing their content and courseware. ➞
From course materials and curriculum design to research, policy, and data, openness is transforming education. ➞
To realize their educational goals, learners and instructors need flexible tools that adapt to their needs as they move from one educational context to the next. Yet current learning management systems (LMSs) are failing them. ➞
As an adjunct instructor in a public college, I was challenged by technology that could barely support my teaching needs or engage my students, and by the fact that most of my students couldn’t afford textbooks. ➞
Jobs
Want to join Open Assembly? Look at our job listings to see what's open!
Advisors
Education Design Studio, Inc. (EDSi)
The EDSi model takes research into practice by blending the best components of an incubator, design studio, seed fund, and social impact company, and leverages the world-class faculty at the Penn Graduate School of Education. Its work is grounded in the practical research produced by GSE faculty, and enhanced by local, national, and international partnerships with technologists, educators, investors, and both non-profit and for-profit organizations.
Leslie Mitts, PhD (CEO)
Barbara "Bobbi" Kurshan, PhD (Chair)
Dennis Anderson, Ph.D.
Department Chairman, Management and IT Faculty, St. Francis College
Dennis possesses a serial-entrepreneur pedigree with a 30-year history of founding or managing tech startups and technology companies ranging from Internet technology to digital content and SaaS. He is a co-founder of RealNetworks and has also has a background in finance, IP licensing, and digital marketing. Temple University, U of Vermont.
Stephen Carson, Ph.D.
Board of Directors, MIT OpenCourseWare
Steve is a visionary and experienced advocate for the open-courseware movement, spanning a decade of dedication and forward-thinking initiatives. He led the OpenCourseWare Consortium as the first president for three years. Steve is currently serving as Director of External Affairs for MIT OCW, where his responsibilities include sustainability initiatives and strategic partnerships.
Anat Lechner, Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor of Management and Organizations, NYU Stern School of Business
Anat is also the recipient of the GE Teaching Excellence award. Her research focuses on how organizations can best structure themselves to develop innovation capabilities and outcomes. Her research includes the effective leverage of multidisciplinary teams, leading adaptive change, and the development of workplace environments supportive of creativity and innovation.
Donna Murdoch
Chief Academic Advisor, Open Assembly
Donna is passionate about adult learning, relevancy, and the way technology-driven innovation can help learners achieve their goals. Her research at Columbia University Teachers College focuses on how higher-ed faculty adopt new modalities of practice, and her background includes working with Apollo Education Group, Temple University, Classlink, and a number of education startups and incubators.
Mary Elizabeth Sun
Chief Advisor, Open Assembly
President, MS Capital, LLC
Mary has produced over $375 million in strategic partnerships. She is a founding shareholder and strategic advisor for many private companies, with extensive experience and expertise in building companies ranging from mobile gaming and technology to medical technology. Mary has a strong record of accomplishment for establishing and maintaining key relationships between not-for-profit and for-profit sectors.
