Metro Vancouver, B.C. - Imagine you’re a college or university student. Now imagine you can access your required reading at the click of a button or the touch of a tablet, on campus or at home - without paying a dime.
A student’s dream come true? Definitely. Cutting-edge? Certainly. Post-secondary textbooks can cost hundreds of dollars per year, and B.C. has become a leader in open education by promoting and developing the Open Textbook Project, which aims to get free - yes, free - openly licensed digital textbooks into the hands of students and faculty across the province.
Dr. Rajiv Jhangiani is a big fan of open textbooks. As a psychology instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), he is one of more than 50 faculty members across the province using open textbooks in his courses.
He has also reviewed two open texts and revised two others to create Canadian editions. He says open educational resources are all part of a shift to a more open learning philosophy, and there is potential for broad use in videos, tutorials, assignments and more.
"The cost savings to students are significant,” said Dr. Jhangiani. “Open textbooks are also more convenient, flexible and portable for students. As a faculty member, I am able to adapt an open textbook to fit my goals.”
As B.C. marks Open Education Week from March 9-13, there is cause for further celebration: the Open Textbook Project - announced in October 2012 - has already saved more than $600,000 for at least 4,600 B.C. students. There are more than 70 open textbooks available online covering the most highly-enrolled first and second year subjects in B.C., with more than 20 new textbooks for skills and trades in the works. The Province wants to help save students money and make it easier for instructors to adapt teaching materials for their classrooms.
As a Canadian leader in the development and adoption of open textbooks, B.C. is taking the initiative to develop new materials. In 2014, BCcampus—which coordinates the Open Textbook Project on government’s behalf—held its first textbook-development “sprint.” The event gathered faculty members and professionals together for an intensive four-day brainstorming session to write, edit and publish a textbook from scratch. This May, BCcampus will continue to encourage discussion on open education by hosting the annual Open Textbook Summit in Vancouver. The summit will bring together leaders in open education - including faculty, librarians and government officials from Canada and the U.S. - and it will feature the summit’s first-ever student-led keynote presentation.
As open education picks up steam, one thing is for sure—open textbook technology is creating innovative ways for faculty to deliver information while saving students valuable dollars toward education.
For more information about the Open Textbook Summit, please visit: open.bccampus.ca
Read the original news release in the B.C. Newsroom.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been serving the Metro Vancouver region since 1981, and has opened doors to success for more than 250,000 people. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs, including business, liberal arts, science, design, health, trades and technology, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 19,000 students annually have a choice from over 124 programs, including bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates citations and apprenticeships. Learn more at www.kpu.ca.
-30-
Media contact:
Hayley Woodin
Media Specialist, KPU
t: 604.599.2883
c: 604.364.1288
hayley.woodin@kpu.ca
For more KPU news:
@KPUmedia
kpu.ca/newsroom
Flickr