Submission for Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs Consultation
Loading...
Date
Author(s)
Citation for Previous Publication
Link to Related Item
Abstract
Description
Executive Summary:
The following submission responds to many of the questions from the Alberta 2030: Building
Skills for Jobs - Stakeholder Discussion Workbook and proposes that an important part of a
modern, innovative, competitive and cost effective provincial post-secondary education system
is a comprehensive strategy that incorporates the proven benefits of Open Education and Open
Educational Resources (herein OE/OER). An OE/OER strategy that includes funding of a
provincial, cross-institutional open education coordinating and funding body - which for the
purposes of discussion will be called Open Education Alberta (herein OEAB) - will result in
numerous benefits:
● Diminishing barriers to post-secondary education by reducing the cost of educational
materials and delivering proven cost savings to Albertan students and their families
● Eliminating the competitive gap with other major provinces (specifically Ontario and
British Columbia) which already have their own provincial OE/OER offices
● Recognizing the role OE/OER can play in facilitating knowledge mobilizing and sharing
not only across post-secondary institutions in the province, but also knowledge to
Alberta’s businesses, not for profits, and individuals across the province
● Providing opportunities for Alberta students to develop crucial skills related to a variety of
21st century skills and competencies including digital literacy, multimedia creation,
copyright and licensings along with disciplinary skills and knowledges, and
● Enhancing the quality of post-secondary education across the province
● A significant return on investment for every dollar spent
As discussed herein, investing in OE/OER with a coordinated, strategic approach via OEAB can
result in tangible benefits to the post secondary sector and entire province. Furthermore, it is
crucial that Alberta consider such an approach to stay competitive with other jurisdictions. While
some direct cost is involved in establishing OEAB, as demonstrated, there is the potential for
considerable cost savings to Alberta’s students and their families. This submission also
includes an Appendix ( Appendix I - BCcampus Governance Project: Discussion Paper on
BCcampus Governance Framework ) which provides further guidance on how an
implementation and governance model for a provincial strategy and body could be developed.
Item Type
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_93fc
Alternative
Other License Text / Link
Language
en