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Archives for April 2020

Openly Licensed Learning Material

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FSA Member & BCIT Librarian, Lin Brander. Lin is the Open Education Librarian at BCIT. She is Co-Chair of BCIT’s Open Education Working Group and Chairs the BCOEL (BC Open Education Librarians)

This is an ideal time for faculty to consider licensing and using open educational resources (OER). Using OER can save faculty time and effort as openly licensed materials can be adopted as they are or adapted to suit class learning objectives. Students will benefit from low or zero textbook costs (ZTC).

A Few Advantages of Using OER

  • OER is shared in digital format so it is easy to add openly licensed materials to online learning management systems.
  • Using OER means that you do not have to start from scratch. Open licenses give you various permissions that usually allow you to do the following with the materials: retain, reuse, revise, remix, redistribute.
  • OER encompasses a wide range of materials, including textbooks, presentation slides, handouts, videos, images, and much more.

If you are looking for OER, you can start here and you can contact your liaison librarians via email for help.

Openly Licensing Learning Materials

Creators of open educational resources retain the copyright for their work. While their intellectual property is protected, the authors have chosen to release their work using an open license which gives non-exclusive, worldwide, indefinite permissions for others to use the work without contacting the author. Creative Commons is the organization that has created the licenses, and legal way, for you to do this.

BCIT’s Open Education Publishing Program Pilot

BCIT Library is running an open education publishing program pilot over the next several months. If you have digital learning materials that are suitable for conversion to PressBooks and that you want to license openly, the library will do that conversion for you.

Library Materials

This is also a good time for faculty to explore the BCIT library databases for learning materials to use with students to help keep student costs low – there are thousands of fully online books, journals articles, training videos, and much more online.

You can contact your liaison librarians via email for help; or, chat with a BCIT Librarian 11-3 weekdays through AskAway.

3D Ear Savers for Health Care Workers

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MediaWorks and our colleagues in the School of Health Sciences and the School of Energy have been doing some amazing work to support front-line health workers with the COVID-19 crisis. With the freed up 3D printing capacity,  MediaWorks, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology Dept., and the Biomedical Engineering Technology Dept. have been able to print “ear savers” which make wearing masks more comfortable for health care workers. They are able to produce approximately 100 ear savers per day, 2,144 which have been delivered via SoHS to BCW, RCH, ARH, SMH, VGH, and BCIT SoHS students.

Huge kudos to Richard Te, Treena Cardiff, Anna Chou, Jeff Dyck, William Han, and Mohammed Alnaeb for their initiative and support for this effort.

3D printer in action

All boxed up for delivery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ear Saver in use

Happy recipients!

COVID-19 : Instructors Can Now Pick up Material From the Library

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Instructors please first contact your liaison librarian for recommendations on eResources that support your programs. If you don’t know the name of the liaison librarian for your program you can refer to this link https://libguides.bcit.ca/?b=s

In the event that librarians are unable to find eResources for your program you can make arrangements to pick up materials from the Library.

Borrowing procedure

Instructors please submit your requests by 4:00 pm Wednesday to libcirc@bcit.ca .

Requests should include the following information:

  • Liaison librarian’s name
  • Title of the materials to pick up
  • Call# of the materials
  • Your name & A#

Materials will be available for pick up on Thursdays.

Delivery methods

Burnaby Campus Library:

  • Instructors will be able to pick up their materials between 10:30 – 12:00.
  • Please bring a bag with you to place your library materials in.
  • Enter the library lobby from the north side entrance doors.  These doors will be propped open so you do not need to touch anything.
  • Let our staff member know your name.  They will sign the book you’ve requested out to you.
  • Please give our staff member at least 6 feet of distance to safely approach the table in the lobby.  They will place your book on the table.  When the staff member has left the area, you may go to the table and pick up your book and put it in your bag.
  • There will be a bottle of hand sanitizer on the table.  Please sanitize your hands after placing the library materials in your bag.
  • Please exit the library through the same doors you came in.
  • We recommend that you wash your hands each time you handle the library materials for three days after pick up to avoid the transmission of any germs.
  • Instructors will not be able to make requests for additional items when they pick up materials.

ATC Library:

  • Materials will be signed out to the instructor and delivered to the instructor’s mailbox by 11 am.
  • Instructors will not be able to make requests for additional items when they pick up materials.

BMC Library:

  • Materials will be signed out to the instructor and delivered to the instructor’s office by 11 am.
  • Instructors will not be able to make requests for additional items when they pick up materials.

Due Dates

  • Borrowers can keep the materials to the due date unless we receive a request for the same materials then you will be required to return them.

Virtual Exam Jam : Spring 2020

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In light of the current situation, our in-person Exam Jam in the Library has been cancelled. However, exciting new events and tools can be accessed virtually. A guide with some online resources for time management and study skills as well as links to wellness apps and virtual events can be found in the link below:

https://libguides.bcit.ca/examjamonline

All resources are available now and continue into May. New sources are added on a regular basis so check back often.