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Open Education Resources and New Textbooks: Update from BCcampus
The latest from The BCcampus Open Education team, Lauri Aesoph, BSc, Manager, Open Education New textbooks Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science – Book 2 This new work (Book 2) joins Book 1, published in 2016. Knowing Home attempts to capture the creative vision of Indigenous scientific knowledge and technology that is derived from an…
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VIU Students Saved $483,000 in Textbook Costs Since 2015
Open Textbooks Remove Some Barriers for Students to Learn Over half of B.C. students do not buy the required textbooks for a course, and over a quarter of potential learners choose not to register for a class due to excessive textbook costs.* Since Fall 2015, 21 Vancouver Island University faculty members have been using open…
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University Faculty Members Visit Grade 8-12 Classes: Building Connections
In an effort to promote a stronger connection between local high schools and Vancouver Island University, a Grade 8-12 Classroom Visit Initiative was created and piloted in October and November 2018. The idea arose out of conversations with university faculty keen to observe the learning environments from which their students came. The idea was supported…
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Creating a More Seamless Transition for High School Students Entering Higher Education
Breaking Ground: Connecting Learning Experiences from K-12 to Post-Secondary On October 19, 2018 nearly 90 educators from eight K-12 school districts, North Island College and Vancouver Island University (VIU) came together to engage in collaborative dialogue about the student learning journey. Hosted at VIU, the professional development day included discussions, learning and planning next steps…
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New Content Creation Experience Coming to VIUBlogs!
You have likely seen the notice on your VIUBlogs Dashboard announcing “ A new, modern publishing experience is coming soon.” If you have not yet seen that message, or if you have yet to click the blue Try Gutenberg button to see the new editing interface in action, we strongly suggest doing so now. The…
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Holding space: How VIU students are shaping the dialogue around Indigenous perspectives
by Kathleen Bortolin I step off the elevator onto the fifth floor of the library, hot coffee and security fob in hand. It’s June and quiet on campus, students and faculty retreating to other pursuits now that classes have ended. I don’t expect to see anyone on the fifth floor, especially students, so I’m surprised…
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Congratulations!
Congratulations to Belinda Williams, Carla Tilley, and Marilyn Funk, recipients of the Recognition of Achievements in Teaching and Learning! This year marked the inaugural round of applications to the program, which is an opportunity for faculty at VIU to reflect on their activity in one of four categories, and gain VIU-wide recognition for the work that…
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NEW – VIULearn quizzes now save automatically!
As of October 19, 2018, you no longer need to manually save your answers when taking a quiz! As you complete each question on a quiz, your responses will now be automatically saved. Below, we’ve put images showing the old version (with the save button) next to what it will look like when a question…
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The 2018-19 Teaching and Learning Leadership Council
The Teaching and Learning Leadership Council is a body of teaching faculty members chosen by their Faculties to lead institutional initiatives on teaching and learning. Now entering its 5th year, the Council is deepening work begun last year on embedding VIUs Graduate Attributes within the culture and practices of the institution. Council members come together…
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Tao of Marking: Caring For Students through Unmarking Your Courses
Photo by David Emrich on Unsplash The Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Learning at Vancouver Island University is putting on a series of activities this year about marking and grading. We are asking faculty to examine their marking and grading practices, and consider how best to align these processes with perspectives and techniques that make caring for…
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Introducing VIU’s Open Education Working Group
Photo by James Sutton on Unsplash The VIU Open Education Working Group (VIU-OEWG) brings together key stakeholders from across the institution to provide advice and support for VIU’s open education initiatives, which include the creation, adaptation, and adoption of open educational resources while embracing innovative open pedagogies. Email maxwell.stevenson@viu.ca if you wish to join this meeting. Meetings happen…
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Student Digital Learning Experience: Requirements for Learner Success at Vancouver Island University
Digital technologies are an essential part of student learning. The student digital learning experience encompasses the required technology services, supports, infrastructure, access and learning tools for ensuring graduates of post-secondary institutions have the necessary digital skills, knowledge and abilities to thrive in the world. Students need a robust, reliable, flexible, and accessible digital learning experience for…