This monthly status report is to share progress each month for the the Business ZTC Project and to outline plans for the coming month.
Overview
This section will be highlights from the last month. High level budget info. Can include a video snapshot of features for example.
This month we are providing the first monthly status report for the Business ZTC project. More information about previous activity and timelines for the project can be found on the Business ZTC Charter Wiki page. This status report will provide a snapshot of the latest activity and current information.
Activity Last Month
Goals that were met, decisions made, milestones met, etc.
After over a month of focus on supporting institutions with the pivot online due to Covid-19, activity for the Business ZTC project as fully resumed. Melanie sent the Business Advisory Group an update by email. Melanie attended the Tourism Articulation Committee meeting and was provided the opportunity to present and discuss open education as well as the pivot online. The Economics Articulation Meeting that was scheduled for end of April has been postponed until September 2020.
There are currently four OER projects underway for Marketing programs and one project for Tourism. The following is a summary of the activity on these projects:
1) Tourism
The Tourism Articulation Chair, Wendy Anderson, reached out to BCcampus for support with updates to the Intro to Tourism textbook. The book is nine years old and requires updates. Melanie met with the group which includes around 12 authors and Josie provided an introduction to Pressbooks as well as created a version of the textbook to work in. The authors will be working on the updates over the summer and BCcampus will be providing $7500 to the articulation group to provide stipends to the authors. A grant of $3000 will also be provided to the Wendy for leading the project. The group is also interested in doing more substantial updates to the book including H5P development in the future.
2) Consumer Behaviour
Andrea Niosi has already created a draft of her textbook. Melanie was able to meet with Andrea, review the work so far and provide some feedback. Andrea is using the draft textbook with a current cohort of students to make improvements. This project is well on track.
3) Developing a Marketing Plan
Melanie met with Mike Walmsley about his project – the work was delayed due to Covid-19 and the pivot online. Mike is now in the process of drafting content and will provide an initial chapter to Melanie for feedback and guidance.
4) Digital Marketing
Rochelle Grayson has reported that she has started work with the team at Langara and although they are delayed due to Covid-19 and the pivot online they are confident that they will be able to catch up.
5) Principles of Marketing Question Bank
Michael Orwick is making progress on the question development for Principles of Marketing. Michael is developing questions using the Respondus assessment platform and questions will be easily imported into any LMS (or copied from the word document).
Planned Activity
Goals for next month – what we’re looking forward to/excited about. Includes development, meetings, communication, etc.
We are looking forward to being able to put out a call for proposals for an institutions to develop a ZTC for Marketing. With the work that is already underway to develop OER in for Marketing and the existing OER that already have been or can be adopted, the possibility for a ZTC will be a reality for a number of institutions. The funding will be provided so program areas can update curriculum and develop or adapt OER as required. The call for proposals is being prepared for a mid-June announcement.
The following is a summary of upcoming Business ZTC work for June:
- Put out call for proposals for a Marketing Program ZTC ($60K)
- Schedule 2nd Advisory Group meeting
- Present at Douglas College Business Department meeting
- Meet with Tourism OER group for update
- Check-ins with project leads
Risks and Issues
| Risk/Issue | Level | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Timelines for projects may be impacted as a result of Covid-19 related delays. | Low | Currently Business ZTC projects are underway. Continuing communication with project leads about timelines and providing support with Pressbooks will assist in keeping on track. |
| Work on Business ZTC projects will likely extend beyond the end of fiscal 2020/21. While existing funds will be distributed to institutions on time, they will require from BCcampus beyond March 31s, 2021 | Medium | Project Manager roles will continue until Sept 2021 to provide that level of support. |
Lessons Learned
List of things that went well and what improvements could be made.
The Tourism Articulation Committee have demonstrated how successful a cross-institutional collaboration can be in sustaining OER in a program area. It is encouraging to see the commitment that faculty and institutions have to open even during challenging times such as these.
A second meeting with the Business Advisory Group has proven to be a difficult to make happen. Again, schedules for all faculty members are extremely challenging at the moment but the hope will be to meet in late June or early July.
Links and Resources
Include links to useful/related info such as slides from an update meeting, related projects or other resources of interest.