About the Session:
This event is a part of the OER Production Series.
In open education, the goal is to increase access to education by changing the way we think about knowledge. Instead of bundling knowledge in an expensive textbook or putting it behind a paywall, open education sees knowledge as a public good that should be freely available to everyone to learn from, build on, and customize for their own purposes. In this session, we will explore open education as a philosophy and consider the benefits of open educational resources (OER). We will explore how to find, use, and share OER. We will discuss copyright and Creative Commons licences, look at examples of OER, explore OER collections, and identify ways to get started in using OER.
To view the other events in this series, visit OER Production Series.
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This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator:
Josie Gray (she/her) is the manager of open education at BCcampus. She has eight years of experience navigating the technical, legal, and practical elements of creating and adapting OER, including Pressbooks, accessibility, copyright, and open licences. Josie brings an equity-informed lens to the design and creation of OER, and her expertise is further bolstered by her Master of Design in Inclusive Design from the Ontario College of Art & Design University.
About the Session:
This event is a part of the OER Production Series and represents part one in our exploration of accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in open educational resources (OER).
In this webinar, we will introduce how to design OER that meets Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). We describe the principles behind WCAG, introduce assistive technologies, and explain how to create accessible tables, images, videos, audio, links, and math equations. By creating educational materials with accessibility in mind, we can ensure these resources are more useful, powerful, and accessible to all.
To view the other events in this series, visit OER Production Series.
Register now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator:
Arianna Cheveldave (she/her) is a coordinator on the Open Education Team at BCcampus. Since 2018, she has been dedicated to enhancing accessibility in educational materials. She finds joy in educating others on strategies to ensure educational resources cater to the needs of all learners.
About the Session:
This event, part of the OER Production Series, is the first of two sessions discussing how to use Pressbooks to create and share open educational resources (OER). We will introduce Pressbooks and show you how to create and share OER with students and fellow educators. Pressbooks is an online self-publishing tool available to all post-secondary faculty and staff in B.C. and the Yukon. Topics include how to create an account, how to create a book in Pressbooks, and an overview of the Pressbooks editor. The webinar will also introduce such topics as creating math equations using MathJax, importing content, H5P, and sharing books in multiple formats.
To view the other events in this series, visit OER Production Series.
Register now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator:
Harper Friedman (he/him) is the coordinator of Open Textbook Publishing at BCcampus, helping to create OER, primarily in Pressbooks. Through this work he has developed his knowledge of Pressbooks and LaTeX as well as accessibility best practices.
About the Session:
This event is a part of the OER Production Series and represents part two of our exploration of Pressbooks, an online self-publishing tool available to all post-secondary faculty and staff in B.C. and the Yukon. This webinar will explore various advanced features of Pressbooks. Attendees will get to see a Pressbooks web book edited in real time to demonstrate complex Pressbooks topics in a hands-on way. Topics included are basic H5P, LaTeX, adding users and user roles, internal links and anchors, footnotes, the glossary tool, importing content, and custom styles. To view the other events in this series, visit OER Production Series.
Register now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator:
Arianna Cheveldave (she/her) is a coordinator on the Open Education Team at BCcampus. Since 2019, she has contributed publications to Pressbooks, and has picked up some valuable skills along the way. Arianna enjoys sharing her expertise and addressing inquiries about Pressbooks through open@bccampus.ca.
About the Session:
This event in the OER Production Series is part two of our exploration of accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in open educational resources (OER). In this session, we build on what we know about technical accessibility to explore how to go beyond minimum accessibility requirements. We dig into concepts like the social model of disability and how UDL can be applied in the design of OER. We explore multimodality as well as the benefits, challenges, and considerations of digital versus print formats. The session will include concrete examples and opportunities to apply learning.
To view the other events in this series, visit OER Production Series.
Register now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator:
Harper Friedman (he/him) is a coordinator of Open Textbook Publishing at BCcampus, helping to create OER, primarily in Pressbooks. As part of his work, Harper has been learning and teaching about accessibility best practices in OER and making educational resources more accessible for a greater variety of students.
Session Description:
Join us for a short drop-in session to explore how alternative format textbooks and course materials are provided to students. You will also gain valuable tips on how to improve the accessibility of your classroom materials.
Agenda:
- Introduction to the Accessible British Columbia Act and how course materials are addressed in the education standards from other jurisdictions
- Presentation on the accessibility features of alternative format course materials
- Examples of common accessibility issues in course materials and how they cause problems for assistive technologies
- Question and answer period.
To view the other events in this series, visit Accessibility Bites.
Register Now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator
Your Facilitator for this session will be Jennifer Weldon.
Jennifer (she/her) is the accessibility librarian at the Centre for Accessible Post-secondary Education Resources BC (CAPER-BC). CAPER-BC provides accessible learning and teaching materials to students and instructors at post-secondary institutions in B.C. who cannot use conventional print because of disabilities. Jennifer is responsible for outreach activities, providing accessibility training to faculty at post-secondary institutions, and for overseeing special projects.
About the Session:
Educators have described their classes and institutions as “safe spaces” with increasing frequency and certainty since the 1990s. This certainty, implying that a safe space is somehow better for learning outcomes, has been widely adopted with little critical consideration of what it truly means and what is expected when an educational space is labeled “safe”.
Join this free one-hour Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) discussion, exploring “safe space” as an educational metaphor unconsciously communicating both explicit and implicit expectations about the nature of teaching and learning relationships.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Recognize “safe space” as an educational metaphor
- Explain their obligations to others when they welcome them to a safe space
- Identify the implicit promises others make when a place or situation is labeled a safe space
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This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO Friday Facilitator for this session will be Bhuvinder Vaid.
Bhuvinder Singh Vaid (he/him/his) is a philosopher of education and an educational developer at the Centre for Teaching Excellence at Capilano University. Bhuvinder’s nearly two decades of work in higher education and consultancy with subject-matter experts are informed by his recognition that teaching and learning exist as uniquely relational practices that are not easily standardized. This understanding has informed his work studying the positionality of seemingly straightforward educational concepts such as safe spaces, efficiency, free speech, and most recently, how to pedagogically engage with Coast Salish canoe stories. You can reach him at bhuvindervaid@capilanou.ca.
About the Webinar
Join us for an engaging 90-minute webinar to learn about newly developed resources to help prevent and respond to sexualized violence at post-secondary institutions. 
BCcampus collaborated with students, staff, and faculty, and a team of subject-matter experts in the B.C. post-secondary sector to develop these resources. The resources are intended to support graduate, international, and Indigenous students, and they provide foundational training on technology-facilitated sexualized violence. They were developed in partnership with the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills and funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada as part of the Intersectional Sexualized Violence Project.
Content Warning
This webinar deals with topics that may cause trauma, including discussions of sexualized violence. We encourage attendees to practice self-care and access support services as needed. A list of supports is available at the bottom of this page.
Register now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Speakers
Samantha Matute Arrieta (she/her) is the program lead of prevention services and communications at Ending Violence Association of BC (EVA BC). Samantha is an immigrant and first-generation settler on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, səl̓ilw̓ətaɬ territories. Sam’s work focuses on communications strategy, social media management, and visual design, and fostering safer workplaces through training, research, development, and delivery. Previously, she worked in the settlement sector in communications and structuring social and civic leadership training for newcomers in B.C. Sam brings a relational, anti-oppressive, anti-racist, and inclusive lens to her work. She finds enthusiasm by sharing space with and learning from people and groups who strive to find solutions for the issues our communities face and ensuring connections are built with purpose.
Catherina Blair (she/her/elle) is a Master of Arts candidate in Social Justice Education with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. She takes a praxis-oriented approach to sexual violence prevention, engaging in both research and community-centred action. Catherina’s research focuses on sexual and gender-based violence in higher education, consent education, curriculum reform, and stakeholder engagement. By engaging community and academia, Catherina’s work navigates the complicated spaces existing between policy and practice.
Robynne Devine (she/her/hers) has been a senior project manager at BCcampus for the past six years. Since 2019, she has managed projects related to sexualized violence, resulting in the release of several key resources. Recently, Robynne has been managing the Intersectional Sexualized Violence project, which is wrapping up in September 2024. Robynne also manages other projects to support the B.C. post-secondary sector.
Jewell Gillies (they/them) is an Indigenous advisor and a Two-Spirit member of Musgmagw Dzawada’enuwx. They are the daughter of Daisy Susan Gillies (née Webber) and Richard Gillies, and the granddaughter of Fanny Wamiss and Stan Webber. Their ancestry and lineage come from the Kwakwaka’wakw People, from Kingcome Inlet and Alert Bay, B.C.
Jewell attended the University of the Fraser Valley’s criminology and criminal justice program, and in 2006 was commissioned as a police officer for the City of Vancouver. Jewell’s passion for supporting historically excluded community members and seeking equity and social justice, centred on education and financial security issues, led them to change professions in 2012. They spent 10 years working in the education system, from K–12 to higher education, and most recently worked as the Indigenous student services coordinator for Okanagan College. They were the executive board chair for Strengthening Connections, the Indigenous student recruitment collective for higher education in B.C. Jewell is also an Indigenous advisor for provincial training programs, working with BCcampus on topics covering sexualized violence and mental health and wellness. Jewell brings a wealth of traditional knowledge from their community and the many Knowledge Keepers, community members, and Elders who have shared with them over the years.
Jewell considers their daughter one of their best teachers and coaches, leading with love, curiosity, and wonder for the world. It is these teachings that ground Jewell in their work.
Meaghan Hagerty (she/her/hers) is the programs manager for the Kamloops Sexual Assault Counselling Centre. Meaghan lives and works as an uninvited settler in Tk̓emlúps te Secwép.
Support Resources
If you need immediate support, please reach out.
VictimLinkBC: Information and referral for survivors of sexualized violence.
BC Mental Health Support Line: Provides support for mental health and substance use. Please call 310-6789 - no area code needed.
Help Starts Here: Provides over 2,600 service listings publicly-funded or not-for-profit mental health and substance use supports and many articles featuring easy to understand language and curated information about commonly searched topics.
Here2Talk: Connects students with mental health support and is available 24/7 via app, phone, and web.
KUU-US Crisis Line Society: Available 24/7 to provide support to Indigenous people in B.C. Please call 1-800-588-8717.
The First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Helpline: Available 24/7 to Indigenous people across Canada. Please call 1-855-242-3310.
About the MicroCourse:
Join us for this free one-week Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) MicroCourse offering you opportunities to reframe some of the pedagogical approaches that could be hindering your journey towards reconciliation. 
Each day will introduce a new approach or resource aimed at weaving Indigenous perspectives into our practice, fostering decolonization and expanding our teaching repertoire.
Learning Outcomes:
- Become acquainted with the B.C. Government’s distinctions-based approach.
- Reflect on what hinders us, and what motivates us, to do the work of decolonization and reconciliation.
- Share similarities and differences in our practice.
- Create visions for the future based on our individual contexts and collective aspirations.
While most of the learning will happen asynchronously, we have one optional synchronous session planned on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
To get the most out of this learning experience, participants should expect to invest 2.5 asynchronous hours each day to review and reflect on the course materials and resources.
Register now!
About the Facilitator:
Your FLO facilitator for this course is Dr. Carmen Rodriguez de France.
Carmen (she/her) is of Indigenous heritage from the Kickapoo Nation in Northeast México. She acknowledges the privilege and responsibilities she holds for living on the land of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation, and the lək̓ʷəŋən people from the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations in the province of British Columbia. Born and raised in Monterrey, Carmen is a member of the Department of Indigenous Education at the University of Victoria, where her teaching and research focus on social justice, anti-racist education, and the experiences of in-service and pre-service teachers. Carmen’s career in education spans almost 40 years, previously working as a teacher in Mexico. She is expanding her work outside academia as a consultant for a variety of organizations such as the National Film Board, Intercultural Association of Victoria, and the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of B.C.
Session Description:
Using plain language means communicating so your audience can understand your message the first time they read or hear it. Plain language makes your message accessible, ensuring people can quickly and easily find and use the information they need. This session will be a brief introduction to the principles of plain language writing and design. It will give an overview of what plain language is, why it is important, and suggest some tools and resources to help participants develop their skills.
To view the other events in this series, visit Accessibility Bites.
Register Now!
This session will be recorded, archived, and made available publicly on BCcampus.ca. By participating in this session, you acknowledge you are aware your participation will be recorded and the recording will be openly available.
About the Facilitator
Your facilitator for this session will be Melinda Workfolk.
Melinda (she/her) is grateful to live, work, and play on the traditional and unceded territory of the Lheidli T’enneh. She works at the Prince George campus of the College of New Caledonia (CNC) where she teaches Academic Upgrading English and heads the CNC Plain Language Project. She authored the BCcampus open textbook, Plain Language and Design for Post-Secondary. She has taught at CNC for over 20 years and passionately believes plain language communication is a social justice issue.