We are incredibly proud to be celebrating our twentieth anniversary this year. Two decades ago, the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills launched BCcampus’ collaborative approach to developing online learning resources with B.C. post-secondary institutions. Since then, BCcampus has developed a reputation for excellence by providing learning and teaching experiences for all. We do this through open educational resources, innovative and inclusive approaches to learning and teaching, and support for educators to develop resources that enhance the student experience in B.C.
Of course, we haven’t achieved all this on our own; we owe much of our success to the folks in the community who work with us. Here are a few wonderful things they’ve said about us over the years.
“When you consider the great leaps made across the B.C. post-secondary sector over the past two decades — in terms of innovative pedagogies, educational technologies, open educational practices, Indigenization, capacity-building, and collaboration — you can draw a direct connection between these advancements and the quiet, consistent leadership and support provided by BCcampus. It is only when you step outside the province that you begin to realize just how much B.C. is the envy of the post-secondary sector in the rest of Canada (and beyond) — and just how much of this is associated with the support of BCcampus.”
Dr. Rajiv Jhangiani, PhD
Associate Professor
Vice Provost, Teaching and Learning
Brock University
“For 20 years BCcampus has been empowering B.C. post-secondary institutions to continuously embrace and implement new innovations in higher learning that have transformed the lives and communities of a generation of learners. It is heartwarming to know this is only the beginning of inspiring the next generation.”
Neil Fassina
President
Okanagan College
“I was tangentially involved in a few BCcampus projects before 2013. That’s when I started preparing open educational resources in support of Canadian history courses. At the time I was still casting about for a sense of what might come under that umbrella, and in the process of writing contextual and interpretive material, it was proposed I should attempt a whole textbook that would be available in the creative commons. It was an enormous challenge. Historians these days tend to plough a narrow furrow, not a wide field. Reading, synthesizing, and reconsidering the classic accounts and new revisionist positions took me into territory I was unfamiliar with. I knew, however, I wanted it to be a volume that invited and enabled criticism and revision by educators and students, so structure was very important. I worked long hours on the first book, Canadian History: Pre-Confederation (now in its second edition), and I would probably still be working on it today if it wasn’t for the enormous support, patience, and innovation from BCcampus.
John Belshaw
The book was published in 2015 and immediately replaced the hard copy textbooks in many classrooms across B.C., saving undergrads close to $300. We started using it at Thompson Rivers University, first in Open Learning courses and then on campus. Students and faculty applauded the open textbook platform and its versatility in format, and its use quickly spread to post-secondary institutions across Canada. A second volume (Canadian History: Post-Confederation) soon followed, and a little later, Sarah Nickel, Chelsea Horton, and I wrote Histories of Indigenous Peoples and Canada. The Canadian history open textbooks inspired Sean Kheraj (York and Toronto Metropolitan universities) and Thomas Peace (Huron University College) to pull together a collection of documents and analyses called Open History Seminar: Canadian History.
All these resources are available free of charge online. As the Kheraj and Pearce book shows, the leadership of BCcampus resulted in others creating free resources for students and instructors. The BCcampus model was copied in other provinces, and the resulting resources can be shared across the sector and around the world.
BCcampus showed real leadership and imagination, envisioning educational resources that had open-ness at their core. The technical support, innovation, and engagement was nothing like I’d experienced elsewhere. I have never had an opportunity to thank the BCcampus team for a real career-capping project, something I am very proud of and that will be a lasting legacy for years to come.”
Open Learning faculty member,
Thompson Rivers University
“I have had the pleasure of working with BCcampus in a variety of capacities — as an educator, dean, and VP Academic — and I have admired its contribution to ‘openness’ in education. The open textbooks made possible the Zed Cred initiative at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. We launched North America’s first four-year degree with zero textbook costs, making use of open educational resources produced, curated, and made available through BCcampus. These initiatives have so far saved students more than $3 million in textbook charges. This is an important step in making post-secondary vastly more affordable and accessible. It would not have happened on an institution-by-institution basis — only with the leadership and vision of BCcampus.”
Diane Purvey
Dean of Arts
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
“The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills congratulates BCcampus on its 20th anniversary! Over the past two decades, BCcampus has added value to B.C.’s post-secondary system as a system convenor, supporting post-secondary-institutions as they adapt and evolve teaching and learning practices.
Ben Ferrel
BCcampus plays a vital role in open education, learning and teaching, and collaborative projects in B.C. Through the organization’s support for open educational resources and open textbooks, BCcampus has made education more affordable and accessible.
The 20th anniversary of BCcampus holds great significance for the B.C. post-secondary system. The anniversary highlights the collective achievements and efforts of institutions, educators, learners, and BCcampus in advancing education. It serves as a reminder of the collaborative spirit and shared commitment to enhancing teaching, learning, and access to post-secondary education in B.C.”
Executive Director
Post-Secondary Digital Policy and Programs
Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills
“The British Columbia Federation of Students advocates for accessible and affordable education.
Melissa Chirino
The cost of textbooks creates a barrier to access in post-secondary education. BCcampus has helped so many students across the province, saving more than $34 million on textbooks.
We are excited to continue collaborating with BCcampus and having student voices be part of important discussions that affect them. We appreciate the continued work toward the innovation of teaching and learning in B.C.”
Chairperson
British Columbia Federation of Students
“BCcampus has consistently led the provincial post-secondary sector, fostering innovation, professional development, resources, and countless other critical strategic needs. But more than its organizational excellence, it has modeled inclusiveness, the urgency of Indigenization and decolonization, openness, and a true spirit of collaboration. My relationships with peers at other B.C. institutions are more cooperative than competitive, and the passion and commitment BCcampus has shown over the past 20 years is a huge reason for that spirit.”
Brian Lamb
Director, Learning Technology and Innovation, Open Learning
Thompson Rivers University
“Congratulations to BCcampus on reaching its milestone 20th anniversary. Over the past two decades, BCcampus has contributed in numerous ways to the advancement of post-secondary education in B.C. Its innovative approach to providing resources has engaged educators throughout the province, providing an avenue for development. One area that has provided sector-wide benefit (and beyond) is the work BCcampus has done to develop and promote the use of open educational resources. It would be impossible to overstate the positive impact of BCcampus on post-secondary students in B.C. through supporting open educational resource adoption in our classes. This is just one of the many projects and initiatives led by BCcampus to support teaching and learning in our institutions. I look forward its continued support of post-secondary education in B.C.”
Brian Chapell
Dean, Science and Tech
Douglas College
“BCcampus has played an essential role in supporting collaboration across teaching and learning centres in B.C., leading to what we believe is one of the most engaged cross-institutional teaching and learning communities in Canada. BCcampus has been instrumental in providing opportunities for faculty, educational leaders, and academic staff to connect through professional development such as conferences, symposiums, and regular meetings. BCcampus has provided leadership in inclusive, accessible, and equitable teaching and learning approaches, open educational practices, and educational technology that has helped grow institutional capacity in these areas. Without the support of BCcampus, the British Columbia Teaching and Learning Council would not have thrived the way it has. As co-chairs and teaching and learning leaders, we are grateful for the work BCcampus has done for our sector for the past two decades and look forward to another 20 years and beyond of partnership.”
Melanie Meyers and Laura MacKay
Co-chairs
British Columbia Teaching and Learning Council