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Meet the Professors who are making your education more affordable and accessible.
Each year we celebrate the remarkable contributions of UBC Faculty who champion Open Education Resources (OER). By embracing innovation, they not only enrich the academic experience but also empower students to thrive in a new age of teaching and learning.
Dr. Robin Young, Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Dr. Lauren Dalton, Senior Instructor, Oregon State University (OSU)
Heather Ng-Cornish, Primary illustrator and former UBC Okanagan student (currently a Master’s of Science Communication student at Laurentian University)
The open online Fundamentals of Cell Biology textbook, developed by Dr. Young and Dalton, was created to be accessible, authentic, and reduce student costs at UBC Okanagan and Oregon State University. Since its 2024 launch, it has saved about $100 per student, and reached more than 100,000 users across 24 institutions, with over 18,000 downloads. The text emphasizes scientific rigour, clarity, and accessibility for early-stage learners, while reflecting diverse student identities. Illustrations by undergraduate Heather Ng-Cornish are central to the text’s effectiveness, supporting comprehension of complex processes. The project prioritizes inclusive design, plain language, diverse representation, and reduced financial barriers.
Dr. Kayli Johnson, Associate Professor of Teaching, Chemistry, Faculty of Science
Dr. Simon Lolliot, Associate Professor of Teaching, Psychology, Faculty of Arts
Dr. Johnson and Dr. Lolliot have spent over a decade advancing open educational resources at UBC, focusing on interactive, research-informed learning and building educator capacity. Dr. Johnson co-developed eChIRP, an early H5P-integrated open textbook that helped drive broader adoption through BCcampus, supporting over 1,200 interactive activities across multiple texts. Dr. Lolliot has played a leading role in developing OER infrastructure at UBC, including major H5P initiatives. Together, they co-founded the UBC H5P Symposium, fostering a global community of practice. Internationally recognized as H5P Ambassadors, their work now extends to GRASP, using generative AI to scale adaptive, open learning and assessment.
Dr. Derrick R. Wirtz, Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Psychology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Since 2019, Dr. Wirtz has developed and integrated a suite of OER across high-enrollment psychology courses, demonstrating a sustained, strategic approach to open education. His open lab manuals and Pressbooks resources support over 3,600 students and have saved an estimated $622,000. Taking the approach that a central advantage of OER is not only affordability, but flexibility, his materials are designed to be modular and experiential, to build research and collaborative skills through project-based learning and student-generated content. Dr. Wirtz’s work emphasizes open pedagogy, incorporating student-created research into public repositories and positioning students as knowledge contributors.
Dr. Jon Beasley-Murray, Associate Professor, Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies, Faculty of Arts
Dr. Beasley-Murray has consistently advanced open educational resources through publicly accessible course materials and open pedagogy that positions students as active contributors to knowledge. His “full open course” model, spanning RMST 202 and SPAN 312/RMST 372, integrates videos, podcasts, blogs, and openly licensed textbooks that can be reused and remixed. Students engage with content independently, then contribute to public discourse through their own work. Dr. Beasley-Murray’s OER practice exemplifies a form of humanities scholarship that is not only digitally savvy but socially committed. His sustained, evolving approach demonstrates a clear commitment to accessibility, innovation, and the value of student voices in shaping shared knowledge.
Alexander Smith, Pharmaceutical Sciences
Runs PHAR 203 and PHAR 304 without extra student purchases by providing free software, manuals, notebooks, virtual textbooks, and other online tools.
Dr. Alfredo Ferreira, Vantage College / AEP
Wrote an open physics textbook that supports multilingual science learners by combining physics and language-focused approaches.
Dr. Arjun Chowdhury, Political Science
Uses fully accessible online readings in POLI 260 and POLI 360, with a focus on important texts in the field that students can access for free.
Dr. David Green, Vancouver School of Economics
Used openly available or self-written course materials in ECON 317 rather than requiring a paid textbook.
Dr. David Vogt, MET
Encouraged students to publish research on the ETEC 523 Blogs site, making student work shareable and useful for future cohorts.
Dr. Fernanda Tomaselli, Forestry / Forest Resources Management
Has long involved CONS 200 students in an open pedagogy project where they create and publish OER related to conservation.
Dr. Katie Burak, Statistics / MDS Vancouver
Developed an OER data repository with freely available datasets, including datasets related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Dr. Leah Macfadyen, Language & Literacy Education
Published an open textbook for Culture and Communication in Digital World and also keeps MET course readings accessible without extra cost.
Dr. Mark Turin, Anthropology / ICIS
Has led multiple OER projects and has been a strong advocate for open-access publishing in his field.
Nikos Harris, Allard Law
Authored The Fundamentals of the Law of Evidence on CanLII and contributed to an open-source AI Legal Aid Tool, both of which reduce barriers to legal education.
Dr. Peter Dauvergne, Political Science / IR
Creates a cost-free learning environment in POLI 375 and POLI 464 by using free materials and activities and selecting useful, thought-provoking readings.
Dr. Pheroze Unwalla, History / Middle East Studies
Uses accessible readings in MES 300 that give students a broad overview of the field and expose them to different perspectives and debates.
Dr. Vivienne Lam, Botany
Is leading implementation of an open textbook in BIOL 200 to replace a paid textbook and reduce student costs at scale.
Dr. Zorana Svedic, Sauder, OBHR
Uses a free open-source textbook in COMM 205, which reduces financial barriers and keeps the course materials accessible.
Dr. Bridgette Clarkston, Botany
Uses self-paced and strengths-based project design, multiple ways of accessing information, and inclusive perspectives in BIOL 209 and BIOL 320.
Dr. Erica Hill, Sauder Learning Designer
Advanced accessibility and technology innovation at Sauder by developing training resources and tutorials that support more inclusive course design.
Dr. Florian Gassner, CENES / Study of Religion
Designs multi-access courses that allow online or in-person participation and uses OER while maintaining a rigorous course structure.
Dr. Hagar Goldberg, Neuroscience / Psychology
Created MAPLE, a UDL-based initiative that helps students understand their learning profiles and use multimodal tools to support their success.
Dr. Isabel Machado, GRSJ
Uses a written contribution box in GRSJ 101 so students who are less comfortable speaking in class can still participate meaningfully.
Dr. Janet Um, Asian Studies
Used Student as Partners work to bridge heritage and non-heritage Sanskrit learners and applied UDL principles to improve the syllabus and course design.
Dr. Kathleen Hall, Linguistics
Records lectures, provides free readings, offers an oral online final, and sends post-class exam prompts to support different ways of learning and demonstrating knowledge.
Dr. Kuni Kamizaki, SCARP
Uses collaborative course design in PLAN 448E, including co-building assignments and grading approaches with students and creating alternative assessments where needed.
Dr. Laura Ishiguro, History / ACAM
Offers flexible participation in ACAM 300 through online and in-person options and provides text-based descriptions alongside audio and video resources.
Dr. Sara Barron, Forestry / MUFL
Exemplifies UDL through evidence-informed, interdisciplinary teaching and leadership, designing inclusive, low-barrier learning and wellbeing initiatives such as the Nature Snack concept that fosters student belonging and engagement.
Dr. Sofia Noori, Curriculum & Pedagogy
Uses compassionate, research-informed teaching and broader educator training work to support inclusive and multimodal learning for refugee and newcomer students.
Dr. Terri Givens, Political Science
Designs courses around clarity, flexibility, and student well being, with assignments that allow students to pursue their own interests within the course scope.