The 2022–2023 BCcampus annual review is now live and available to everyone interested in reading about our learnings and accomplishments and what we did to support B.C.’s post-secondary institutions through the past 12 months.
Post by the BCcampus editorial team
The past fiscal year was one of growth and reflection, which helped us focus on supporting our mandate: providing teaching, learning, educational technology, and open education support to the post-secondary institutions of B.C.
Here are some highlights of the various components of the immense body of work we accomplished at BCcampus, but please refer to the annual review to find links to more information about the wealth of activities and knowledge in action.
Digital Teaching and Learning
BCcampus is working with the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills and the Digital Learning Advisory Committee (DLAC) to deliver open educational resources (OER) and professional development that reflect the provincial Digital Learning Strategy and the eight competencies in its Digital Literacy Framework. To support this, we shared valuable tools and tips through a blog series focused on interactive technologies and pedagogies, launched a podcast of curated content for educators, and continued to connect through the BCcampus Online Book Club.
Inclusion
Our focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) over the past year included significant introspection: looking at our own organization to see where we can improve and create an equitable, inclusive environment. We worked with a consultant to review some of our programs, which led to process improvements and consideration of new channels to connect with equity-seeking groups, and we sought ways to practice reconciliation throughout the year and approaches to decolonize our practices.
Collaborative Projects
We were able to support the Ministry as it launched programs and initiatives to enhance the post-secondary sector. This included work to align the curricula with standards of practices and competencies for the British Columbia College of Nurses & Midwives and the B.C. Health Care Assistants Core Competency Profile. We also wrapped up multi-year projects around mental health and wellness, new programs for early years professional development resources for deaf and hard of hearing learners, and other essential activities.
Open Education
We made the time to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the B.C. Open Collection, recognizing the contributions made and heralding the launch of a new website focused on improving access to open educational resources (OER). We filled gaps for B.C. post-secondary educators by providing necessary funding to support innovation, such as students’ access to learning. We recognized excellence in open education, and we wrapped up the open homework systems project. The focus on open remains strong at BCcampus, year after year.
Impact
The review includes an infographic of the significant accomplishments we were part of over the past year, such as $34+ million in student savings, 895 known faculty adoptions of open textbooks, 869 participants from 25 institutions and 24 sessions to focus on facilitating learning online, $200,000 in student training grants awarded, and more.
As well in the review, you will find information about the partnerships we enjoyed again this year, the multitude of events we hosted or facilitated, links to previous years, and a message from Amanda Coolidge, BCcampus interim executive director.
Notable Quote(s):
“BCcampus has built a reputation for excellence in the sector, and we will continue to push ourselves to provide exemplary learning and teaching experiences for all by focusing on creating open educational resources, sharing inventive approaches to digital learning and teaching, and finding ways for educators in B.C. to uncover the time and resources necessary to fill the gaps in today’s post-secondary education.”
– Amanda Coolidge, interim executive director, BCcampus