Open Education 2017

The Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) is Canada's leading public safety educator. With 3 schools, 13 divisions and 45 programs, JIBC educates and trains public safety officials ranging from frontline social workers to police officers. Our students are lifelong learners who have numerous points of entry or return to our institution. Learners may enter our programs before employment, as part of their training once employed in the public safety sector or for continuing education and further professional accreditation. Our programs are truly integrated with our frontline worker and first responder communities where we work closely with them to design, develop and delivery our learning. For over five years, JIBC has used our unique student trajectory to design and implement open solutions for course delivery and life-long learning resources.



Open courses and resources are a valuable and practical solution to the numerous training issues and problems that arise when working with in the public safety sector. For example, rather than exclusively looking at learners who are currently in our programs, we look at designing for the long-term. An open resource website that allows policing students to access the legal elements of common criminal offences will also greatly benefit them when they are on the police force. Open design allows us to consider and explore the application of the resource inside and outside of the classroom.



In this session, using the JIBC student trajectory, we'll look at six key design considerations for open within the context of public safety post-secondary education, including:



1. Frequently changing regulations, standards and legislation

2. Widely-distributed learners

3. Mobile accessibility of resources

4. Sensitive material

5. Reducing costs to students

6. Reducing development cost