Open Space Technology

Open Space Technology is a way to create inspired, self-facilitated, and self-directed seminar sessions that allow participants to work together to get their needs met and contribute to their colleagues. It is a form of advanced differentiation, and relies on each participant to engage and get what they need.

In UVEI Open Space seminars, interns create and manage their own agenda of parallel working sessions around the competencies, issues from their placements, or issues of teaching/learning more broadly. Sometimes these may be organized around a theme, such as “legal and ethical obligations” of teaching, and other times they may be more open.

While Open Space is known for its apparent lack of structure and welcoming of surprises, in fact Open Space seminars are actually very structured -- but that structure is more closely fit to the people and the work at hand, and often goes unnoticed in its proper role of supporting (not blocking) best work.

We never know exactly what will happen when we open the space for interns to do their most important work, but we can promise the following:

  1. The issues that are MOST important to the participants will be raised.
  2. The issues raised will be addressed by those participants most qualified and capable of getting something done on each of them.
  3. We will keep a record of the sessions held at open space sessions
  4. You will have an opportunity to request staff sessions at upcoming open space sessions

There are Four Principles and One Law which serve as guides. The principles are:

▪ Whoever comes are the right people.

▪ Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.

▪ Whenever it starts is the right time.

▪ When it is over, it is over.


The one law is: “The Law of Two Feet.” Briefly stated, this law says that every individual has two feet, and must be prepared to use them. Responsibility for a successful outcome in any Open Space seminar resides with exactly one person -- each intern.