Hot Off the [Open] Press!
December 2024 Newsletter
Welcome to the First Edition of the TRU Open Press Newsletter!
We are thrilled to bring you the inaugural issue of the TRU Open Press newsletter, your go-to source for updates, insights, and stories about open education and publishing at Thompson Rivers University. Our mission is to foster innovation and collaboration in open educational practices, empowering students, faculty, and the broader community to share knowledge and create impactful learning resources.
In this first edition, you’ll find highlights of recent projects, upcoming events, and opportunities to get involved. Whether you’re a faculty member looking to adopt or adapt open resources, a student interested in learning about open publishing, or a community member passionate about the open education movement, this newsletter is for you.
Join us as we celebrate the power of open education and work together to create a more accessible and equitable future for learning.
Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for being part of this exciting journey with TRU Open Press!
Callouts
Calling All OER Creators:
Share Your Ideas for 2025-2026!
Have a great idea for an open educational resource? We’re now accepting project submissions for the 2025-2026 year! Whether it’s a textbook, website, toolkit, video, or other innovative OER, we want to hear from you!
Visit our Call for Proposals page for details and submission guidelines. Let’s collaborate to make learning accessible and impactful for everyone!
Deadline: March 7, 2025
Future Earth Journal:
Accepting Submissions NOW!
We invite undergraduate and graduate students to submit their original work for consideration in our inaugural issue. The journal strongly encourages faculty members to submit the best student papers from their courses (with students’ consent) or invite students to submit their work. Research presented at the TRU Undergraduate Research Conference, as well as UREAP reports are also welcome.
- Publication Frequency: Biannual – Spring/Fall
- Our first inaugural issue will be published in February 2025!
- Access: Open and free of charge.
Submission Guidelines: Future Earth publishes high-quality research articles, case studies, opinions, commentaries, review articles, book reviews, creative non-fiction and literary works, such as stories, poems and fine artworks. Indigenous perspectives and research related to sustainability practices in Indigenous communities are particularly encouraged. Submissions must be well-researched, scientifically rigorous, and innovative. Please visit our Submissions page for more information on submission procedures and guidelines.
Submission Deadline: For the first issue, we are accepting submissions until the end of January.
Editorial Board: Our editorial board consists of leading experts from all Faculty and School at Thompson Rivers University. The Editor-in-Chief is Dr. Peter Tsigaris.
We look forward to your contributions and establishing Future Earth as a valuable resource in sustainability and the environment.
For any inquiries, please contact ptsigaris@tru.ca
Project Showcase
Welcome to our Project Showcase! In each newsletter, we’ll be highlighting a handful of remarkable projects that showcase the creativity and dedication of our project developers and the OP team. While it’s impossible to choose just a few because all of the projects are outstanding we’re excited to share some of the great work happening across our community. To explore all the amazing projects in their entirety, be sure to visit our Projects page on the website.
Simulated Client Records
By Pinder Nagra and Devon Graham
Faculty of Nursing
Heuristics & Cognitive Biases in Social Reasoning
By Katia Dilkina
Faculty of Arts
Essential Chemistry for Biologists: Decoding the Language of Life
By Natasha Ramroop Singh
Faculty of Science
BC Plumbing Apprenticeship – Level 2
By Skilled Trades BC
Faculty of Trades
Coming soon!
February 2025
Upcoming Events!
Learn about OER with TRU Open Press – January 8, 2025 | 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
The TRU Open Press team will be in Old Main during the first week of classes on January 8, 2025! Stop by to learn more about our exciting projects, including our work on open-access publishing, student-led journals, and innovative educational resources. Whether you’re curious about what we do, interested in getting involved, or just want to explore how we contribute to the TRU community, we’d love to chat with you. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover how TRU Open Press supports learning, collaboration, and sustainability!
21st Annual Teaching Practices Colloquium – February 18, 2025, 10:20-10:50 AM | OM3612 Hybrid
Save the date for the 21st Annual Teaching Practices Colloquium, happening on Tuesday, February 18, 2025! This year’s event will center around the theme of Engagement in Postsecondary Education, exploring innovative strategies and practices to foster meaningful learning experiences. Subthemes include Engaging Local Learning, Applied and Experiential Learning, Engagement Through Inclusion, For the Love of Learning, Leveraging Technology to Enhance Engagement, and Assessment and Feedback Practices. Presenters are encouraged to review the program format and abstract submission guidelines for details on how to contribute to this exciting event.
Open Education Talks – Every Wednesday, March 12, 19, 26 | 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
Open Education Talks is a series of engaging lightning talks that spotlight open education in post-secondary institutions. This collaborative initiative, aims to foster accessible and meaningful conversations about open education. The talks will take place virtually every Wednesday in March, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM Pacific Time (12:00 PM to 1:30 PM Mountain Time).
Ongoing support for ISP initiatives
The TRU Open Press team has been proud to support several key Integrated Strategic Plan (ISP) initiatives and remains committed to continuing this work:
- TRUEnviroCollab: Designed the website, faculty pages, a hotspots graphic, and provided copyediting.
- PLAR Decolonization: Converted three guides into accessible Pressbooks aligned with decolonization principles.
- Knowledge Makers: Designed Volume 9 in InDesign, handling layout, images, and print specifications.
- Arts Cohort: Helped students create a Lunch and Learn website and provided WordPress training.
- Honours College: Supported course redesign and will continue assisting students with webpages and learning materials.
We’re excited to continue advancing innovation, open education practices, and collaboration in these initiatives!