UFV launches institutional Open Education Strategy during Open Education Week 2026

The University of the Fraser Valley will mark Open Education Week (March 2-6) with a series of events highlighting how Open Educational Resources (OER) support access, affordability, and innovation in teaching and learning and launching UFV’s first Open Education Strategy. 

Hosted by the Teaching and Learning Centre and UFV Library, the week is designed for faculty, staff, and students who want to learn more about open education — whether they are just getting started or already integrating open materials into their courses. 

OER are freely accessible teaching and learning materials that can be used, adapted, and shared. They include open textbooks, assignments, and multimedia resources that help reduce textbook costs while giving instructors flexibility to tailor content to their courses. 

During Open Education week, UFV is launching its first Open Education Strategy. This strategy, supported by funding from BCcampus and the Office of the Provost, was developed through extensive consultation with faculty, students, and other stakeholders. This strategy commits UFV to the principles of open education: accessibility, openness, collaboration and sharing, learner-centredness, inclusivity and equity, and flexibility and sustainability to support student learning. UFV’s Open Education Strategy will be formally launched on March 5th during theOpen Education Celebration event. 

Interest in open education has been growing across UFV. In 2024, six faculty-led projects from every faculty area received support through the Open Education Microgrant program, helping instructors adapt, create, and review open materials while employing students as research assistants. 

“In Social Work, it’s important that our materials reflect current community realities,” says Dr. Leah Douglas, an associate professor of social work. “OER gives us the flexibility to update and adapt content, so it stays relevant and accessible.” 

Open Education Week begins with Open Education Basics on Tuesday, March 3 from 2:30–3:30 pm. This virtual session will introduce open education principles, Open Educational Resources, Creative Commons licensing, where to find quality open materials, and how instructors can adopt them in their courses. 

 Open Education Week is about making OER approachable,” says Dr. Luisa Giles, an assistant professor of kinesiology. “Many instructors are interested but can feel overwhelmed and unsure where to begin. This session offers practical steps and a chance to ask questions in a supportive environment.”  

On Wednesday, March 4 from 2:30–4 pm, Open Education Stories will feature faculty sharing real examples of how they’ve incorporated open resources into their classrooms and recipients of the most recent Open Education Micro Grants program will share their work in a virtual session. 

Recent micro-grant projects have included work to Indigenize and improve accessibility in health resources, expand open case studies in global development, support trauma-informed approaches in social work education, and develop open assessment banks in physics and workplace safety. Faculty from disciplines such as biology, mathematics, social work as well as projects developed by Centre for Career and Experiential Education and Academic Success Centre will share their open educational resources and talk about their impact on student learning. 

 “The ability to revise and refine course materials is incredibly valuable,” says Ian Affleck, Associate Dean of Science. “Open resources allow us to align content closely with our curriculum, respond quickly to changes, and add exercises, examples, and illustrations at any time.”  

Through the micro-grant program alone, dozens of students have gained paid, hands-on experience contributing to OER development while helping create resources that will be shared at UFV and beyond. 

The week concludes with the Open Education Strategy Launch and Celebration on Thursday, March 5 from 4–6 pm in A225 on Abbotsford campus. The event will formally introduce UFV’s Open Education Strategy and recognize initiatives such as the Open Education In-Action project, Faculty Fellows program, and the Open Education Micro-grant program — all of which have supported the growth of Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses at UFV. 

“Open education is about more than reducing costs,” Luisa adds. “It’s about accessibility, creativity, and ensuring students have access to the resources they need”. 

Members of the UFV community are invited to attend and learn more about how open education resources can enhance teaching and learning across disciplines. Event details and registration information are available through the Teaching and Learning Centre events page.