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Important changes: VIULearn and time zones
British Columbia adopted permanent Daylight Savings time in March 2026. This means no more setting the clocks back each fall. While this is great news for our sleep, not all systems have been updated to reflect this change. That includes the VIULearn time zone labelled for Vancouver. What do you need to do? When you…
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Guidelines for faculty: protecting student personal information
Protecting student information is everyone’s responsibility at VIU. By minimizing data collection, using secure communication, and choosing VIU-approved technologies, faculty help protect student privacy and safety.
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Zero Textbook Cost at VIU
The VIU Students’ Union (VIUSU), the Office of the Registrar, the Library, the CIEL and institutional stakeholders are partnering on a collaborative effort known as the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) project. Share your feedback and thoughts in a survey!
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Changes to VIULearn student email communication
Starting August 1, 2026, Vancouver Island University (VIU) is streamlining how we communicate with students. Email sent to currently VIU students will now be sent exclusively to their MyVIU email address.
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Transform Your Classroom Curiosity into Research: Announcing the 2027 CIEL SoTL Fellowship
Have you ever tried a new teaching strategy in your classroom and wondered exactly how it impacted your students’ learning? Do you have a burning pedagogical question you’ve been dying to investigate, if only you had the time? The Center for Innovation and Excellence in Learning (CIEL) is thrilled to announce a unique, time-limited opportunity…
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Adding links in the New Content Experience
The New Content Experience (NCE) in VIULearn makes it easier to see places where content may not be well contextualized or accessible. One of the content types where this is most obvious are direct links to external resources. In this blog post I am going to look at best practices to make your links clear…
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New content experience is now available
Courses for the next academic year are now available to instructors in VIULearn. These courses will use the new content experience.
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Reminder: VIULearn, VIUBlogs and VIUTube Cleanup July 2026
As we wrap up the spring semester we want to remind you about the cleanup processes for VIULearn, VIUTube and VIUBlogs. In order to minimize the amount of student data kept in any of our systems, and to ensure that these platforms continue to be places for current and active course materials, we have implemented…
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BCcampus Roadshow Comes to VIU June 1st
The Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning (CIEL) is excited to welcome faculty and staff to an important professional learning opportunity this June: the BCcampus Regional Roadshow. On June 1, 2026, the Nanaimo campus will be the opening stop for the BCcampus Roadshow, a province-wide initiative that brings educators, instructional leaders, and learning designers…
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GenAI@VIU: In Conversation with Jerome Lesemann
In this podcast, we discuss the evolving role of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education with Dr. Jerome Lesemann, a professor in VIU’s Earth Science Department. Jerome reflects on his experience with AI in the classroom and how it can allow students to bypass the intellectual labour central to foundational learning. This shift may…
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Recording your classes: A guide for faculty
As an open access institution, VIU is committed to meeting our responsibilities to accessibility for all students. Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in student requests and approved accommodations to record audio from lectures. Accessibility Services and the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning have partnered together to offer faculty simple solutions to support student learning, meet accessibility needs, and protect privacy. Many students benefit from access to a recording or…
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Introducing the Student Experience Record
With job seekers, graduate school applicants, and scholarship candidates increasingly using AI to write their applications, it’s becoming harder for students to stand out and clearly demonstrate the authenticity and value of their experiences. To support our students, the Centre for Experiential Learning (CEL) has launched the new Student Experience Record (SER) through our online platform, Experience Hub. The SER helps VIU students showcase their participation in hands-on, real-world…