BC Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks Adapted and Created by BC Faculty
The BCcampus Open Textbook Project contributes to the development of an open future for teaching practices and educational resources.
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OGETHER, WE ARE TRANSFORMING HIGHER EDUCATION
The Open Textbook Network (OTN) promotes access, affordability, and student success through the use of open textbooks.
We believe in the power of open education to transform higher education. Open textbooks not only contribute to student academic success, but also offer faculty the chance to reclaim their courses based on their expertise.
The leadership, actions, and results of our network members drive this transformation, and OTN connects these efforts to pool expertise and promote best practices. Be a part of our community of schools, universities, and institutions making a difference in higher education. Learn about the benefits of membership, get in touch to join, or visit the Open Textbook Library (OTL).
Proponents and practitioners of the open web also bear responsibility for the missed opportunities in higher education. In retrospect, temperamental preferences for DIY culture, relentless tinkering and experimentation, and indulging the delightful paradoxes of ill-structured problems has not served to promote the adoption of open online tools in the wider culture. Whereas innovators and early adopters tend to have a relatively high tolerance for chaos, higher education as a whole does not (and arguably cannot). Railing against the academy's failure to embrace a perceived risk can be dismal fun for many of us, but an honest appraisal of our own missteps has to be in the mix.
A very capitalist take on moocs and open education. Yes a lot that is significant has happened very fast. But Bezos and Gates are not universally regarded as forces for good. Money is not everything.
A grassroots online newspaper exclusively for, and by, those who understand higher education best, The EvoLLLution is the only place where you can find detailed opinions, news and research about the impact of non-traditional programs on the higher education industry and society-at-large.
Higher education has never been primarily about learning actual things or actual skills. It has always been (and I mean all the way to the first universities) about peer acceptance for the graduates and meeting the requirements of the institution for the students. That’s not to say that a lot of people don’t learn lots of useful things while attending university. But if that was enough lawyers wouldn’t need the bar, doctors wouldn’t need their residency and university teachers would not have to learn everything all over again when they start teaching a new subject.
Mills continued his conscilience by saying that he is skeptical about a lot of university instruction. But I think that is the wrong approach to take. University instruction has always been just abominable. The vast majority of classes most university students have attended throughout history were taught by drones more or less competent in their subject sometimes reading out of a textbook sometimes cracking a joke. If that really mattered how would have we ever gotten to where we are now? Massive innovation and erudition as far as the eye can see. Even those we disagree with (like the neocons and creationists for me) cannot really be accused of a lack of intelligence or erudition. We talk about the need for better historical education but some of the worst political decisions have been taken by people who studied history meticulously (and it’s no good saying “if they had only read that one paper I wrote on that issue”). We talk about the need for better science education but some of the best innovations have come out of school drop outs who flunked the foundational STEM subjects. Why on earth would we think tinkering around with instruction would make a dent in any of that?
Our tourism related courses are unique- they are a combination of materials which have been developed and delivered to students over a number of years with the research and tourism industry experience of the floofl facilitators.
All courses are offered for FREE and provide you with an opportunity to develop a more in-depth understanding of the global tourism industry.
In addition, our researchers can guide you towards other FREE online resources that might further help you develop and then FLY up the career ladder!
In this post I'm going to try to set down my current thoughts about the evolution of academic publishing. This is very much a work in progress so please excuse me if it's not entirely coherent. I came back from Science Online London fired up and this is the next stage in me grokking the tools discussed there such as Figshare and ORCID.