There aren't many people in design with economics degrees. Oddly enough, I changed paths because of an economics professor. He was an expert at communicating some of the most complex concepts succinctly, leaving me both impressed and disheartened. How could public discussion of economics improve if only professors with decades of experience and mathematical models could explain it effectively? I enrolled in SIAT because I saw an opportunity to use design and interaction to make complex subjects accessible. Two semesters later, I had done well in my courses and I felt like I was on the right path. I wanted to prove myself outside of the classroom. BCcampus seemed like an excellent place to do so, with the opportunity to work on larger projects and to learn how people use them. As well, helping to improve online education and new education delivery methods seemed parallel to my interests in communication...

All of us at BCcampus would like to wish you the best of the holiday season and an "open" new year in 2013. We will continue to bring expertise and resources to open educational technologies and programs. We will also be offering more workshops for educators wishing to create and use open textbooks and other open educational resources. For news about Open, keep an eye on our Opening Education site, including news related to our Open Textbook project...

BCcampus has been celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2012. We’ve come a long way, and there are more exciting times on the horizon! Here’s a brief look at what we’ve done and where we’re headed, with contributions from Executive Director David Porter, Director of Student and Data Exchange Services/Chief Information Officer Randy Bruce, and former Director of Development Paul Stacey.  All three were with BCcampus when it was created in 2003...

Our former colleague Paul Stacey, who is now with Creative Commons, has published a lengthy post: "An Exploration of Open Licenses and Financial Remuneration" today. As usual, the entire post is well worth a read, but in particular he explains the case for Creative Commons licensing in education in a compelling way. Here is an excerpt:...

It's a milestone for BCcampus: our first annual report in our 10-year history. Of course we've been accountable all this time - we've submitted regular reports with the ministry responsible for advanced education according to the terms of our annual funding letter. However, as a systemic service provider, we are equally accountable to those we serve: British Columbia post-secondary institutions. We've pledged to be open and transparent in everything we do, and we have chosen our tenth anniversary to present an annual synopsis of our activities and accomplishments...

Public post-secondary institutions across Alberta and British Columbia are making online learning a crucial piece of their long-term strategies, according to a new baseline survey. The results also suggest that colleges, institutes and universities are committed to building quality into all online learning experiences. Managing that process continues to be a challenge...

Please be advised that the following BCcampus websites will not be available on Thursday, November 22, 2012 from approximately 4:30 am - 8 am, Pacific Time, during our regular monthly maintenance:...

OER Forum 2012 - A Summary

Moving to a mindset of “Proudly borrowed from there,” rather than “No thanks, not invented here,” was the lasting message at the BCcampus-hosted forum for B.C. post-secondary and K-12 educators October 18. (We proudly borrowed that phrase from Cable Green, and the graphics from Giulia Forsythe.)...

Tis the season to apply to university and college. And to lend a helping hand, BCcampus will be participating in two key events later this month and in early December...

Since the British Columbia government announced an Open Textbook project October 16, we have fielded many questions about it. This is Part 2 of our attempt to provide the basic information on Open Textbooks and the project itself. ...