Working Together, Learning Together 

"My concern is that while we focus our attention on the bot in our classroom, chances are we are neglecting humans, which renders our busy efforts futile. One of the most effective ways to combat cheating is to build trust with your learners." 

— Helena Prins, advisor, Learning + Teaching, BCcampus

Learn more: An Educational Emergency: The Bot vs. the Human in Your Classroom

Learning Opportunities 

📅 FLO Friday: Elevate Your Online Presentation: Discovering Presentation Zen

July 21, 2023 | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. 

Join us for this dynamic workshop, where you will discover captivating online presentations that leave a lasting impact on your audience. In this one-hour session, we will delve into the art of presentation design and explore the philosophy of Zen simplicity and naturalness.

Learn more: FLO Friday: Elevate Your Online Presentation: Discovering Presentation Zen

📅 FLO Friday: Open Pedagogy as Critical Pedagogy

August 18, 2023 | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. 

In this session we will explore open pedagogy and its multiple meanings and concepts. Participants will be invited to engage throughout the session, sharing their own experiences, beliefs, and assumptions about open pedagogy. 

Learn more: FLO Friday: Open Pedagogy as Critical Pedagogy

📅 FLO Friday: It’s All About Relationships: Embracing Teaching in Digital Age

September 8, 2023 | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. 

In today’s rapidly evolving digital world, educators face both exciting opportunities and new challenges at the start of a new semester — more so now in the era of ChatGPT and other tools. Through this session we will explore practical and fun ways of cultivating meaningful relationships while promoting student engagement, motivation, and active participation. 

Learn more: FLO Friday: It’s All About Relationships: Embracing Teaching in Digital Age

📅 FLO MicroCourse: Musing Around with Artificial Intelligence and Pedagogy

September 19-25, 2023 | Asynchronous 

In this FLO MicroCourse, you will explore how using AI can enhance your teaching and your students’ learning. It’s a practical, action-focused invitation into the maze of AI options, with a guided exploration of AI tools. 

While most of the learning will happen asynchronously, we have two synchronous sessions planned for this course.

Learn more: FLO MicroCourse: Musing Around with Artificial Intelligence and Pedagogy

📅 FLO Lab: Drawn Into AI Angst: Can I really prove I am not a robot?

September 28, 2023 | 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. 

Are you feeling anxious about the rise of artificial intelligence tools in the classroom? Do you worry you might become obsolete in the face of this technological advancement? How often have you had to “prove you are not a robot”?

Through creating and sharing simple comics, we’ll delve into our honest wonderings and worries about AI. This workshop will be a playful way to address concerns and questions about the impact of AI tools on our work and the future of our careers. 

Learn more: FLO Lab: Drawn Into AI Angst: Can I Really Prove I am Not a Robot?

📅 Accessibility Bites: Assistive Technologies

September 28, 2023 | 12 - 12:30 p.m. 

This fall we are introducing a new series called Accessibility Bites. You often hear others talk about accessibility, but you’re not quite sure how to put it into practice (or maybe you just haven’t had a chance). These sessions are for you!

Our first drop-in session is designed to explore the assistive technologies and customization options available in the digital tools educators and staff often use. The goal is to explore these tools and identify what might make your work easier.

Learn more: Accessibility Bites: Assistive Technologies

A complete list of our upcoming events, archives, and resources are available on our website. 

Recommended Reading 

📘 Celebrating 20 Years of BCcampus 

This year we are incredibly proud to be celebrating our twentieth anniversary. 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.

Read on to explore what we have accomplished over the past 20 years. 

Learn more: Celebrating 20 Years of BCcampus

📘 An Educational Emergency: The Bot vs. the Human in Your Classroom

The launch of ChatGPT in December 2022 created an educational emergency similar in nature to the urgent pivot to online learning at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. As we did then, we seem to be learning, exploring, creating, and responding to artificial intelligence in the moment — while it evolves — without much time to plan or formulate well-thought-out policies that will protect the quality and integrity of curricula. 

Learn more: An Educational Emergency: The Bot vs. the Human in Your Classroom

📘 Sandbox Approach to Empowering Learners’ Aspirations

In the teaching and learning context, a sandbox approach is an educational approach where learners are placed in environments or situations that closely resemble real-life scenarios but without any risk. The sandbox emphasizes hands-on, experiential learning in a safe and controlled environment.

Learn more: Sandbox Approach to Empowering Learners’ Aspirations

📘 Getting Started: Licences and Permissions

In this excerpt from the Getting Started: OER Publishing at BCcampus, we provide an overview of what content you can include in your open resource and in what contexts. We also give a brief introduction to copyright as it functions in Canada, discuss how open licences work, and then get into the options and limitations around including content that is not openly licensed. 

Learn more: Getting Started: Licences and Permissions

Check out the latest news from BCcampus on our blog. 

Seeking Submissions

💻 Call for Open Content: Digital Literacy Project Phase 2

In partnership with the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills and the Digital Learning Advisory Committee, BCcampus is pleased to be leading the development of a collection of open materials to support digital literacy in B.C. post-secondary institutions. This collection will be made available to learners through an online repository.

We seek content submissions for inclusion in the collection that fulfill the requirements of the eight areas of digital literacy competencies identified in B.C.’s Post-Secondary Digital Learning Strategy. 

Learn more: Call for Open Content: Digital Literacy Project Phase 2

💻 Call for Proposals: ACE-WIL Conference Presentation

ACE-WIL is accepting conference presentation proposals for the 2024 ACE-WIL BC Conference: “WILful Together” taking place on May 27-28, 2024, at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster, B.C. Submissions are due October 15, 2023. 

Learn more: Call for Proposals: ACE-WIL Conference Presentation

💻 Call for Proposals: BCcampus Research Fellows for 2024–2025

We invite research proposals from B.C. public post-secondary educators who are committed to exploring and improving student learning and eager to conduct and share research with others.

Our current area of research focus includes:

• Learning and teaching design, strategies, and practices
• Open educational practices
• Student access, accessibility, and engagement
• Indigenous research and practices

BCcampus Research Fellowships have an 18-month term, and grants are up to $6,000 each. 

Learn more: Call for Proposals: BCcampus Research Fellows for 2024–2025

💻 Call for Proposals: Professional Learning in the Early Childhood Sector in B.C.

BCcampus is seeking experts in early childhood education and curriculum development to submit proposals and help develop professional learning for ECEs across the province.

Successful applicants will be offered contracts valued at up to $100,000 for their work. Payment will be tied to deliverables based on the service contract.

Learn more: Call for Proposals: Professional Learning in the Early Childhood Sector in B.C.

💻 Digital Literacy Project: Call for Resource Evaluators – Cohort 2

BCcampus is seeking expressions of interest from members of the B.C. post-secondary community to join Cohort 2 of the Digital Literacy Resource Evaluation Working Group. The purpose of the group is to help review and select high-quality, openly licensed materials for inclusion in an online repository that supports digital literacy in B.C. post-secondary institutions.

Learn more: Digital Literacy Project: Call for Resource Evaluators – Cohort 2

💻 Equity Sequence: Building Equality Better 

In partnership with the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, BCcampus is offering free access to Equity Sequence training to anyone in the public B.C. post-secondary sector. Space is limited and provided on a first-come, first-served basis. 

The Equity Sequence training takes place in an online, gamified learning platform and community. The learner encounters informative video content, engages in self-reflection and sharing with the community, and puts their new skill to use on case studies before applying the Equity Sequence to their own work.

Learn more: Equity Sequence: Building Equality Better

💻 Expression of Interest: FLO EdTech Sandbox Leader

BCcampus is launching the FLO EdTech Sandbox this fall, an initiative that provides a safe online environment for educators to explore and experiment with new tools for innovative teaching and learning in B.C. post-secondary settings.

We are seeking expressions of interest from B.C. post-secondary educators, edtech developers, and learning designers who would like to lead a FLO EdTech Sandbox session as part of this series.

The compensation for participation is $750 plus GST.

Learn more: Expression of Interest: FLO EdTech Sandbox Leader

💻 Job Opportunity: Coordinator, Project Support and Open Publication

The Coordinator, Project Support and Open Publication, provides coordination, support, and open publication for projects and strategic initiatives that advance effective and innovative collaborative leadership practices across the B.C. post-secondary system. The position reports to the Senior Project Manager and works with other BCcampus staff, higher education administrators, faculty and staff from partner institutions and community organizations, students, contractors, suppliers, as well as with representatives of the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills and other Ministries as appropriate.

Posting closes August 11, 2023.

Learn more: Coordinator, Project Support and Open Publication

💻 Survey: ACE-WIL - Sustainability of the Community Social Services Sector Through Institutional WIL Partnerships

We invite your participation in a research study that aims to understand more about the linkages between the BC Community Social Services Sector and post-secondary work-integrated learning programs/ courses.

Complete the survey: Sustainability of the Community Social Services Sector Through Institutional WIL Partnerships

BCcampus acknowledges the səl̓ilwətaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsleil-Waututh), Skwxwú7mesh-ulh Temíx̱w (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich) Peoples and the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) Peoples on whose traditional territories we are privileged to live, work, and learn. Through our work we are learning to incorporate Indigenous epistemologies into our actions and understandings, supporting decolonization, reconciliation, and Indigenization to advocate systemic changes in the post-secondary environment of B.C.