News
9 Canada
Access codes/assessment platforms
Senate endorses guiding principles for online assessment materials – August 8, 2019 (The Ubyssey)
Access code costs continue to burden students – October 11, 2018 (BCcampus newsletter)
Beyond textbook pricing, conversation about affordability expands to online assessment materials – June 15, 2018 (Ubyssey)
Accessibility
Publishers, universities struggle to provide timely access to accessible books – August 27, 2019 (University Affairs)
Inclusive design webinar series – March 12, 2019 (BCcampus News)
Our accessibility policy and forthcoming accessibility improvements – May 1, 2018 (Pressbooks)
Adoption
Ontario schools tally OER savings with new tool – July 9, 2019 (Campus Technology)
Adult Basic Education (ABE)
Open Education Stories: Adult Basic Education Zed Cred Ahead – January 24, 2019 (BCcampus)
Educators call on BC government to reverse cuts to adult ed– Sept 14, 2015 (Vancouver Sun)
Advocacy
This KPU professor brought open-education advocacy all the way to the UN – April 3, 2019 (University Affairs)
Canada OER group
Canada OER Group – 2019 update – February 19, 2019 (BCcampus)
Canada OER Group – June 30, 2016 (BCcampus newsletter)
Copyright
Supreme Court sides with York University in copyright tariff dispute – Sept 7, 2021 (University Affairs)
Federal Court of Appeal decision is mixed news for educators and students – April 24, 2020 (CAUT)
Copyright ruling harmful to creators and publishers, agency says – April 24, 2020 (Prince George Citizen)
cCalls for support related to the CARL Open Copyright Project – June 11, 2019 (CARL/ABRC News)
How foreign companies use Canada’s universities to steal away huge chunks of intellectual property – March 6, 2019 (Ottawa Citizen)
Authors Alliance submits briefs supporting reversionary rights in Canada – December 10, 2018 (Authors Alliance)
Canadian Government Commits $50 Million to Creative Commons Licensed Open News Content – November 26, 2018 (Michael Geist)
New NAFTA would harm Canadian copyright reform and shrink the public domain – October 1, 2018 (Creative Commons)
Canadian Alliance of Student Associations worries making changes to fair dealing could cost students – June 7, 2018 (The Runner)
Her student debt payments are eating up most of her $24,000 salary – October 30, 2017 (Globe and Mail)
The Cost of a Canadian University Education in Six Charts – October 19, 2017 (MacLeans)
What the TPP means for copyright law in Canada – December 18, 2016 (CBA/ABC National)
Kate Taylor: Kids will suffer if Canada’s copyright legislation doesn’t change – April 22, 2016 (Globe and Mail)
Debt
Also see Tuition fees on this page.
‘Most difficult year’ for UVic students hunting for housing as landlords stay on sidelines – August 29, 2021 (Times Colonist)
Students sound alarm on skyrocketing cost of living – August 28, 2021 (Halifax Today)
Borrowing and debt patterns of graduates tied to educational pathways – December 3, 2020 (Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission)
How Canadians go from student debt to default – August 17, 2019 (Global News)
Liberals write off $163 million in student loans feds will never collect – January 28, 2019 (The Star)
Provincial finance committee recommends zero-interest student loans, increased funding for student initiatives – December 6, 2018 (The Ubyssey)
Alberta post-secondary students accumulating debt at ‘alarming rate’, says expert – September 24, 2018 (Edmonton Journal)
Her student debt payments are eating up most of her $24,000 salary – October 30, 2017 (Globe and Mail)
B.C. students work more, owe more than other Canadian students – September 20, 2017 (Vancouver Sun)Word doc
Cash-strapped Alberta students leading a push for open textbooks – October 27, 2016 (Edmonton Metro)
The mental health impact of rising debt: Alot of students suffer silently – May 30, 2016 (Globe and Mail)
Canadians shouldn’t be complacent about our student debt – November 1, 2015 (Globe and Mail)
Average student debt difficult to pay off, delays life milestones – March 11, 2014 (CBC News)
Funding
New supports for post-secondary students this fall – July 15, 2020 (BC Gov News)
(B.C.) Provincial government pledges $3.26 million towards open educational resources – April 24, 2019 (The Ubyssey)
More open textbooks arriving on student bookshelves – April 17, 2019 (BCcampus)
Student advocates investing big in open textbooks – September 20, 2018 (BCcampus)
Funding boosts the B.C. Open Textbook Project – March 30, 2017 (BC Gov News)
Textbook lesson in savings for UBC students – February 10, 2017 (BC Gov News)
Grant to accelerate uptake of open textbooks – December 1, 2015 (BC Gov News)
B.C. to lead Canada in offering students free, open textbooks – October 16, 2012 (BC Gov News)
General
U of A leads project to open access to digital learning across Alberta – August 10, 2020 (folio)
New supports for post-secondary students this fall – July 15, 2020 (BC Govt News)
TRU becomes 1st North American school to offer international credential transfers for open learning students – June 9, 2020 (Kamloops Now)
Camosun to establish open education initiative with grant money – October 23, 2019 (Nexus)
Why universities are hiring “Wikipedeans-in-Residence” – October 3, 2019 (Macleans)
Open database of educational facilities – August 19, 2019 (StatCan Press Release)
$2.5 million in building code refunds, free codes on the way – August 14, 2019 (BC Gov News)
Wikipedian-in-residence takes up post at Montreal’s Concordia University – July 7, 2019 (CBC News)
University of British Columbia: Recognizing open in promotion and tenure – July 8, 2018 (Educause Review)
Libraries/librarians
Library publishers convene in Vancouver to discuss open platforms and open educational resources – July 15, 2019 (The Scholarly Kitchen)
CARL Brings together OER librarian leaders to identify priorities for action – September 10, 2018 (Canadian Association of Research Libraries: CARL/ABRC)
Licences and subscriptions
Commercial textbooks present challenges in a virtual environment – June 2020 (U of Guelph Library News)
U of S cutting subscriptions to almost 4,000 academic journals – August 8, 2019 (Saskatoon StarPhoenix)
The rising price of knowledge: University of Calgary cuts 1,600 academic resources – January 16, 2017 (Gauntlet)
U of C axes hundreds of journal subscriptions as ‘big 5’ publishers jack up prices – January 19, 2017 (CBC News)
Cancellation of subscriptions to 2,116 Springer journals – May 6, 2016 (Universite de Montreal)
Open educational practices (OEP)/pedagogy
German instructor works with students to produce open-educational resources that make learning tough languages easier. Klingt aufregend! – October 5, 2021 (University of Calgary News)
New report from CARL’s OEWG: Environmental scan of open education service and support in Canada – June 29, 2020 (CARL News)
Editors Canada releases new guidelines for the ethical editing of students’ work – March 5, 2019 (University Affairs/Affaires universitaires)
New study: Exploring faculty use of OER at BC institutions – January 18, 2016 (BCcampus OpenEd)
Open Education offers students and educators new learning experiences – March 6, 2015 (BC Gov News)
Open educational resources (OER)
UMSU releases 2021-22 budget recommendations: Open education resources tops list of priorities – March 9, 2021 (Manitoban)
AtlanticOER-RELAtlantique Launches, Bringing Open Educational Resources (OER) to the East Coast – February 9, 2021 (CAUL-CBUA News)
SSMU advocates for affordable textbooks and Open Education Resources – October 20, 2020 (The McGill Tribune)
CAUL-CBUA To Launch Regional Open Educational Resource (OER) Repository – July 15, 2020 (CAUL-CBUA News)
Grants to create open educational resources now available – May 7, 2020 (Daily News, McMaster University)
In the COVID-19 world, open source textbooks are the way of the future – April 22, 2020 (The National Post)
Introducing UPEI’s open education resource development program – April 8, 2020 (The Journal Pioneer)
‘A way to keep our language alive’: How the Atikamekw Nation uses Wikipedia to promote its language – December 10, 2019 (CBC News)
UMSU showcases open educational resources – November 5, 2019 (The Manitoban)
CanLiII seeks volunteer editor and writers for a BC litigation practice manual – September 4, 2019 (The CanLII Blog)
Developing a course using open educational resources at Durham College, Oshawa, Ontario – March 1, 2019 (Teach Online)
Free textbook for students: U of T Mississauga gets its first open access digital resource – January 23, 2019 (University of Toronto)
Wikipedia to get respect at Concordia University – January 16, 2019 (Montreal Gazette)
The future is open – November 29, 2018 (Dal News)
Halifax researchers create blog to bring science to a wider audience – August 9, 2018 (The Star Halifax); blog is called Think of the PLOSibilities
Developing open educational resources in French and English for students of organic chemistry at the University of Ottawa, Canada – May 25, 2018 (Contact North)
VP University Affairs advocates for open educational resources at McGill – February 6, 2018 (The McGill Tribune)
New pilot project encourages faculty members to go beyond the textbook – July 5, 2017 (University of Calgary)
Open textbooks
Cape Breton woman first student to publish book on CBU’s open textbook platform – March 7, 2021 (Cape Breton Post)
Improving access: These psychology instructors created a free textbook that has saved students thousands of dollars – October 15, 2020 (Dal News)
UPEI launches pilot program for free textbooks – February 11, 2020 (CBC)
Open source program to save U of R students $1.5M – January 7, 2020 (CKOM News)
Saskatchewan Government investment saves students money – January 7, 2020 (Saskatchewan Government News and Media)
Camosun to help advance the use of open textbooks – September 25, 2019 (BC Colleges)
The future is open – March 28, 2019 (The Silhouette, McMaster University’s Student Newspaper)
Open-access chemistry textbooks gain popularity – March 18, 2019 (Chemical & Engineering News)
Open education resources reduce cost to post-secondary – February 4, 2019 (Selkirk Sentinel)
Free textbook for students: U of T Mississauga gets its first open access digital resource – January 23, 2019 (U of T News)
The future is open – November 29, 2018 (Dal News)
Okanagan College professors’ approach to textbooks easing student costs – November 21, 2018 (Kelowna Now)
How to become an “eTextbook rock star” – November 21, 2018 (Daily News, McMaster U)
UPEI librarian pitches plan for more free textbooks – October 5, 2018 (CBC News)
Digital textbooks are making education more affordable and accessible for British Columbians – June 6, 2018 (Kelowna Now)
Open textbooks make education more accessible and affordable – June 5, 2018 (BC Gov News)
To combat soaring textbook costs, look to an open-source approach – January 2, 2018 (Globe and Mail)
The open educational resources movement is redefining the concept of online textbooks – April 4, 2017 (University Affairs)
Nearly all UBC math textbooks are available online for free – January 19, 2017 (The Ubyssey)
Cash-strapped Alberta students leading a push for open textbooks – October 27, 2016 (Edmonton Metro)
British Columbia university profiles to help you choose – October 18, 2017 (The Globe and Mail)
- see KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, “In support of students facing financial barriers, KPU participates in the BC campus Open Textbook Project, which provides free digital textbooks, as well as low-cost print textbooks. More than 180 titles are currently offered through this initiative, and KPU’s adoption rate of open-access textbooks has nearly doubled over the past year.”
B.C. works to deliver more free post-secondary textbooks – December 21, 2016 (Kelowna Now)
Cash-strapped Alberta students leading a push for open textbooks – October 27, 2016 (Edmonton Metro)
Open Textbook Project eases costs for students – October 1, 2016 (Times Colonist)
Camosun trades students use free open textbooks in class – Sept 28, 2016 (Camosun College News)
Camosun students save over $115,000 with free open textbooks – Sept 27/16 (BC Gov News)
Open textbook use on the rise at U of S – Sept 21, 2016 (University of Saskatchewan web page)
UPEI students save money using online textbooks – Sept 9, 2016 (CBC News)
Additional open textbooks available for students – November 10, 2015 (BC Gov News)
Open textbooks fill digital shelves – May 29, 2015 (BC Gov News)
Open textbooks: a great idea catches on – March 6, 2015 (BC Gov News)
B.C. leading the discussion on open textbooks – April 15, 2014 (BC Gov News)
Free, online textbooks coming for skills training – Oct 25, 2013 (BC Gov News)
More open textbooks for students underway – Oct 7, 2013 (BC Gov News)
Free, open textbooks available for students and instructors – Sept 9, 213 (BC Gov News)
Moving to the next chapter on free online textbooks – April 8, 2013 (BC Gov News)
Moving forward on free, open textbooks – February 18, 2013 (BC Gov News)
Policy
Developing open policy for higher education – April 15, 2016 (Creative Commons)
Publishers/publishing
How Ottawa’s Centre for Journalology is tackling the scourge of predatory publishers – March 20, 2020 (University Affairs)
How a university took on the textbook industry – October 24, 2019 (EdSurge) Rich Baraniuk is from Winnipeg.
Savings
Post-Secondary Students Save Millions Through Investments In Open Education Resources – December 8, 2021 (SK Gov News)
Saskatchewan Government investment saves students money – January 7, 2020 (SK Gov News)
Open textbook combines high quality with cost savings for students – October 29, 2017 (University of Regina)
Textbook savings continue to grow for post-secondary students – December 21, 2016 (BC Gov News)
Camosun trades students use free open textbooks in class – Sept 28, 2016 (Camosun media release)
Open textbooks provide big savings and benefits for Camosun students – Sept 27, 2016 (Saanich News)
Camosun students save over $115,000 with free open textbooks – Sept 27, 2016 (BC Gov News)
B.C. celebrates student savings through the B.C. Open Textbook Project – Sept 4, 2016 (BC Gov News)
Fighting Big Textbook: How students are trying to save money as prices keep going up – Sept 4, 2015 (Financial Post): this article includes a graph comparing the Cdn consumer price index against the rising cost of textbooks and school supplies
Students saving money with open textbooks – January 10, 2014 (BC Gov News)
Scholarship
Exploring tension and risk in open scholarship – November 20, 2017 (Open UBC)
Student societies/activities
UPEI student union plans to hold PCs, Greens to election promises – April 30, 2019 (CBC)
Candidate profile: Julia Chai, Senate – March 9, 2019 (The Ubyssey)
Students want more invested in open textbooks – September 12, 2018 (The Omega, TRU)
University students want profs to consider free options over textbooks – September 12, 2018 (CBC News, Kitchener-Waterloo)
B.C. Federation of Students presses province on open-source textbooks – September 4, 2018 (The Star Vancouver)
Students fight back against sky-high textbook costs – September 4, 2018 (OkanaganLife)
Hat trick for UVic students recognized for leadership – June 12, 2018 (University of Victoria/UVic News)
UVic students make push for open textbooks – January 9, 2017 (Saanich News)
Open educational resources may help students with textbook costs – October 15, 2016 (The Ubyssey)
UVSS presents to BC Governments Select Standing Committee on Finance – October 12, 2016 (University of Victoria Student Society)
BC students say they are textbookbroke – Sept 7, 2016 (CBC)
Student support
Students with kids press universities for more support – January 10, 2018 (University Affairs)
Tenure
University of British Columbia: Recognizing open in promotion and tenure – July 18, 2018 (by Brady Yano, Daniel Munro, and Amanda Coolidge in EDUCAUSE Review)
Textbook costs
Project aims to alleviate textbook costs for university students in Atlantic Canada – July 28, 2020 (CBC)
Commercial textbooks present challenges in a virtual environment – June 2020 (U of Guelph Library News)
UNB students pay as much as $340 per textbook – Sept 27, 2016 (CBC)
Open textbooks provide big savings and benefits for Camosun students – Sept 27, 2016 (Saanich News)
BC students say they are textbookbroke – Sept 7, 2016 (CBC)
How are you paying for post-secondary education? – June 28, 2016 (Globe and Mail)
Educators call on BC government to reverse cuts to adult ed – Sept 14, 2015 (Vancouver Sun)
Back to school 2015: How post-secondary students can fight ‘grim reality’ of rising textbook costs – Sept 4, 2015 (CBC News)
Fighting big textbook: How students are trying to save money as prices keep going up – Sept 4, 2015 (Financial Post)
Tuition
Also see Debt on this page.
Tuition fees for degree programs, 2019/2020 – September 4, 2019 (StatsCan The Daily)
Financial information of community colleges and vocational schools, 2016/2017 – December 12, 2018 (Statistics Canada)
Liberals write off $200 million in student loans feds will never collect – February 16, 2018 (taken from The Canadian Press, published in NationTalk)
The Cost of a Canadian University Education in Six Charts – October 19, 2017 (MacLeans)
University tuition fees in Canada rise 40 per cent in a decade – September 7, 2016 (Global News)
The cheapest and most expensive degree programs in Canada: StatsCan – September 6, 2017 (Global News)
Educators call on BC government to reverse cuts to adult ed – Sept 14, 2015 (Vancouver Sun)
Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) programs
Douglas to develop ZTC for General Business Certificate – January 11, 2021 (Academica Group)
No textbooks? No problem – May 3, 2019 (Royal Roads University News)