[Institutional Report] Thompson Rivers University

Contributed by Melissa Jakubec, TRU

Thompson Rivers University has been a busy place. At Open Learning, we just hosted another successful workshop for our Open Learning Faculty Members (OLFMs) in May. Each year, as our offerings and the number of OLFMs increases, so too does the conference. This year we hosted approximately 150 OLFMs. This year’s keynote speaker Donald Clark shared his views on emerging technologies, such as virtual reality, and speculated on the future effects of artificial intelligence on education, as well as other fields. Because OLFMs come from across the province and often teach face to face in their local institutions, we have the distinct advantage of being able to draw upon an inherent diversity of ideas, opinions and perspectives, creating a rich environment for sharing experiences. This year’s workshop optimized that diversity by including a number of presentations by the OLFMs themselves. All told, it was a wonderful weekends of reconnecting and sharing across and within disciplines.
In other news, Brian Lamb has assumed directorial oversight for a team that will combine TRU Open Learning’s Production and Curriculum Media Development Groups, as well as Media Production Services. Working with these teams, he hopes to amplify the possibilities brought forth by the BC Open Ed Tech Collaborative. We’re also happy to report that Irwin Devries will be continuing as Interim Associate Vice-President, Open Learning until June of 2017! Speaking of 2017, I will be serving as President of the Canadian Network for Innovation in Education for the coming year and am happy to report that we will be holding our annual conference in Banff, Alberta, May 17-19. Hope to see you there!