As part of the $3.26 million pledged toward open education in British Columbia by the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training in April 2019, we are pleased to announce that BCcampus is awarding an OER grant to Douglas College, who will be developing a Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) program for their General Business Certificate.
This certificate builds on the incredible work across British Columbia around the development of certificates, diplomas, and associate and bachelor’s degrees that rely solely on open educational resources (OER) and other free materials in an effort to save enrolled students money (for more on ZTC degrees in B.C., see From Zed Cred to ZTC: Clarifying what institutions really mean).
Over the next two years, Douglas College will be developing and adapting open resources for the following courses:
- BUSN 1200: Fundamentals of Business
- BUSN 1210: Management Essentials
- BUSN 3314: Ethical Management and Decision Making
- BUSN 3600: Project Management Essentials
Florence Daddey, business faculty member and project lead, noted that, in addition to making education more affordable, “creating these resources will enable us to increase inclusivity and diversity.”
Florence went on to say, “We plan to use stories, examples, and case studies from business owners who are Black, Indigenous, and other peoples of colour, as well as people of different ages and abilities, people who are LGBTQ2, and people representing other groups within the local business communities across the province and in Canada, thus making the learning richer for our students.”
This project is the first ZTC for Douglas College, and Debra Flewelling, open education and emerging technologies librarian, was keen to point out that “it will be the first of many at Douglas College.”
Debra continued, “We are doing well with OER adoptions at Douglas College, and this ZTC program will have a snowball effect, with each one building on the other. Equally important is that, not only will students benefit from reducing textbook costs, but it will also allow us to employ them in the development of OER, showcasing how students can be active participants in an open education framework.”
It is expected that Douglas College’s pathway will be ready for the 2022–2023 academic year.