Hot Off the [Open] Press!
October / November 2025 Newsletter
Your go-to scoop for everything Open Press at TRU
Photo by David Zhang from Wikimedia Commons
← Visit the December 2024 Newsletter
From the Open Press Team
As we move through the fall season, we’re excited to share some significant milestones and celebrations from across TRU Open Press. This year, our work received remarkable international recognition at the 2025 OE Global Awards, where TRU emerged as the most represented institution worldwide—a testament to the creativity and dedication of the many students, staff, and faculty who develop and support our projects.
We’re also proud to announce the publication of the Plumbing Apprenticeship Level 2 resources, now in use across British Columbia and supporting trades learners province-wide. TRU Open Press has now completed more than 50 projects since our launch in March 2023, an impressive accomplishment considering our slow start during the first year. This success is due in no small part to the extraordinary work of our team members. We would like to extend special recognition to Jessica Obando Almache, our production master, whose technical expertise and creativity have significantly shaped the look, feel, usability, and accessibility of many of our resources. We also acknowledge the exceptional contributions of Kaitlyn Meyers, whose meticulous copy editing strengthened the clarity, consistency, and overall quality of our publications. Their dedication will have a lasting impact on the excellence of Open Press projects. None of this would be possible without the talent and energy of the students who help bring these projects to life. Our Co-op students, Research Assistants, and student collaborators continue to shape the innovation and accessibility of the resources we produce, and their contributions remain one of the greatest strengths of our model. As we enter the final stretch of the Open Press initiative, concluding in March 2026, we look forward to making the most of this last chapter—celebrating what we’ve built together, completing the projects still underway, and continuing to champion open education at TRU.
TRU Wins Open Education Awards for Excellence 2025!
We’re excited to announce incredible international recognition for TRU Open Press! This year, our team received 17 nominations for the 2025 OE Global Awards—an amazing testament to the innovation and dedication behind our OER projects. From these, five TRU Open Press projects were shortlisted as finalists, representing five of only 48 finalists worldwide. These finalists were selected from 196 nominations across 42 countries, reviewed by an expert panel of 31 past OE Global Award winners and OEGlobal Board Members. Most impressively, out of the 24 winners internationally, TRU Open Press earned three awards, making TRU the most represented institution among all nominees, finalists, and winners. This is a remarkable achievement—one that highlights not only our global impact, but also the strength, creativity, and vision of our students, faculty, and staff who are advancing open education at TRU.
What We Share
- Ethical Educational Leadership: Untangling Ethical Dilemmas and Imagining Alternative Futures: recognized as an OER. Led by Alana Hoare, Bukky and Rumana Patel
- PASSchem – Platform Adapted Strategic Solutions: Comprehensive Solutions for General Chemistry Practice Questions: recognized as a STEM OER. Project led by Sharon Brewer and Lindsay Blackstock.
- Simulated Client Records: recognized as an OER. Project led by Bhupinder (Pinder) Nagra and Devon Graham.
People in Open
Leticia Kanywuiro: recognized as a Student, Utamaduni Bora (website).
How We Share
TRU Open Press: recognized for Open Collaboration.
OER Spotlight
BC Plumbing Apprenticeship Level 2 Now Available!
Free, open-access resource supports trades education across BC
The TRU Open Press is proud to announce the publication of BC Plumbing Apprenticeship Level 2, a new open educational resource (OER) freely available to instructors, apprentices, and trades educators across British Columbia.
Designed with accessibility and hands-on learning in mind, this resource aligns with the Industry Training Authority (ITA) curriculum and features clear modular organization, defined learning outcomes, updated provincial and national plumbing codes, multimedia elements, and integrated assessment tools.
This release follows the successful publication of the Level 3 and Level 4 OERs—already hosted on the BCcampus website—and represents another step toward a fully open suite of plumbing apprenticeship resources. The Level 1 resource is currently in development and will be released in 2026, completing the full four-level series available at no cost to students.
Explore the new Plumbing Apprenticeship Level 2 OER on the TRU Open Press website and help us advance accessible, high-quality trades education across BC.
You can find each of the four blocks of the Level 2 Plumbing Apprenticeship OER in the links below:
OER Project Showcase
Welcome to our OER Project Showcase! In each newsletter, we highlight 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 our website.
LINKAGE: LInking Nursing Knowledge And GEnomics
By Sarah Dewell, Noopur Swadas, Trina Walker
Faculty of Nursing
The Marketing Map
By Liam Dumouchel
Faculty of Business
Launching Your Career
By Jamie Noakes
Career and Experiential Learning Department
PASSchem
By Sharon Brewer and Lindsay Blackstock
Faculty of Science
Exciting Updates
Future Earth: A Student Journal for Sustainability and the Environment — Accepting Submissions!
The TRU Open Press is proud to support Future Earth: A Student Journal for Sustainability and the Environment—an exciting student-led publication showcasing research, creativity, and innovation on topics related to sustainability and the environment.
Developed in partnership with Dr. Peter Tsigaris as Editor-in_Chief, and with support from Erin May at the TRU Library/BC ELN, the journal is hosted on the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform—an open-source publishing platform developed by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP) to make scholarly publishing more accessible, sustainable, and community-driven. TRU Open Press provides editorial and production support, including hands-on training for student authors, editors and reviewers, copy editing, and the creation of polished online and PDF publications.
We’re thrilled to announce the publication of Volume 1, Issue 1 (2025): “First Steps: Student Research,” and the Summer 2025 Special Issue, “Explorations in Art and AI: Reimagining Sustainability Through Student Vision,” both now available online via the OJS platform.
Empowering Student Scholarship Through Open Publishing
Future Earth follows a continuous publication model, accepting submissions year-round. TRU students are invited to submit research articles, creative works, or interdisciplinary projects for upcoming issues, with Volume 2, Issue 1 scheduled for Winter 2026. Faculty are also encouraged to recommend exceptional student work submitted for course assignments; our editorial team will collaborate with these students to prepare their work for publication in this faculty-reviewed journal. As submissions grow, the journal aims to publish two issues per year, further expanding opportunities for student authorship and engagement.
Call for Submissions
We welcome submissions of student research papers, book reviews, creative writing, poetry, visual art, and multimedia work. TRU students are encouraged to submit, and faculty are invited to recommend outstanding student authors and projects for consideration. Let us know if you have work—or know of work—that belongs in the next Future Earth Journal. Help us showcase the creative and scholarly talent of our TRU community as we explore what’s possible for our shared future. Or, if you’d like to get involved as an article reviewer or editor, contact Peter Tsigaris, Editor-in-Chief (ptsigaris@tru.ca).
With an ISSN for the journal and DOIs for each article, Future Earth ensures that student work is discoverable, citable, and part of the enduring scholarly record.
Join us in celebrating and sharing the voices of emerging scholars shaping a more sustainable future!
Plan Your Path: A New Interactive OER to Support Student Success!
What started as a quick way for Sarah Gibson, Assistant Teaching Professor, Cooperative Education, and Lindsay Blackstock, Assistant Teaching Professor, First-Year Science Cohort Coordinator, to present their research findings at an international conference has grown into something much bigger: Plan Your Path, an interactive Open Educational Resource (OER), designed to help TRU students plan their academic journey from their first year through to graduation.
Developed in collaboration with Sarah and Lindsay by Samar Khajuria, TRU Open Press co-op student, Plan Your Path will be rolled out in January 2026 as both a website and an interactive activity. It allows users to map out their courses, extracurricular activities, co-op opportunities, and more, providing a clear framework to help them understand their academic goals and make informed decisions. By encouraging intentional goal-setting, the OER supports students in building the skills, habits, and mindset needed to align their university experience with their aspirations.
In addition to academic planning, Plan Your Path features a curated collection of essential TRU resources—from academic support to wellness services—ensuring students know where to find help and guidance throughout their studies.
Celebrating Student Collaboration at TRU Open Press and Welcoming Our New Co-op Students
At TRU Open Press, students are at the center of everything we do. Guided by the principles of Open Pedagogy, which values learners as creators, collaborators, and contributors, we actively engage students in hands-on roles across our projects—offering rich learning opportunities in open education and publishing.
Since January 2024, we’ve had the privilege of working with 9 co-op students, 24 research assistants, and over 60 student authors and contributors, with 45+ students receiving honoraria for their work on Open Educational Resources (OER). Students have contributed in a variety of roles—from research and writing to media production, editing, reviewing, acting, and content development—helping shape the open learning landscape at TRU.
Highlights of student engagement include:
- 8 of 11 adjudicated projects for 2025-2026 featured active student roles
- 13 research assistants supporting OER projects
- 1 fully student-led project, recognized with an OE Global Award!
- 32 student roles spanning reviewers, actors, and content developers
To date, 11 co-op students have been hired directly through Open Press, with 77+ students paid as co-authors or developers, and over 155 students involved in open education initiatives overall.
Since our last newsletter, we’ve welcomed four new talented co-op students to the team! We are so lucky to be working with these exceptionally skilled, talented and innovative students and we’ve even managed to learn a thing or two from them!
Divya Chandak
3rd Year, Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing
May–December 2025
Copy Editor / Marketing and Promotion (Co-op)
Divya brings a vibrant mix of creativity, curiosity, and community spirit to the TRU Open Press team this summer! She has quickly become a vital part of OP’s community and social media outreach, impact assessment, and OER promotion and awareness efforts. Her background as a Resident Advisor and Orientation and Transitions mentor gave her the perfect foundation to engage with people across campus—whether she is gathering insights from project leads, crafting compelling evaluation summaries, or contributing her signature clarity and warmth to everything she touches. Divya’s commitment to making education more accessible through open educational resources (OER) is evident in every task she takes on. She approaches each communication challenge with care, professionalism, and a deep sense of purpose—grounded in her own lived understanding of the importance of affordability and inclusion in post-secondary education. Divya’s marketing mindset and sharp communication skills are helping us amplify our projects in powerful ways!
Samar Khajuria
3rd Year, Bachelor of Computing Science
May–August 2025
E-Learning Support Technician (Co-op)
Samar joins TRU Open Press as a skilled and driven E-Learning Support Technician for the Summer 2025 term. He brings a dynamic blend of front-end development experience, technical documentation skills, and a passion for accessible, user/student-centered design. With accessibility and usability as core goals, Samar’s thoughtful approach to structured content, version control, and long-term web publishing really shines through. His previous co-op experience as a Media Analyst with TRU IT Services demonstrated his initiative and reliability in high-impact environments, and this reliability has been proven again and again in various Open Press projects. Samar’s proactive mindset, eye for detail, and collaborative approach make him a valuable addition to the Open Press team. We’re thrilled to have his skills and energy contributing to our open education initiatives—and we look forward to seeing how his work will enhance the tools and resources we offer to students and educators across TRU!
Daniel Abdulai
3rd Year, Bachelor of Computing Science
September–December 2025
E-Learning Support Technician (Co-op)
Daniel joins TRU Open Press with a strong foundation in front-end development and a growing portfolio of independent projects in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React. A third-year Computing Science student and Dean’s List honoree, he combines technical skills with leadership experience gained as President of the TRUSU Restoration Club and Digital Media Coordinator for the Afro-Caribbean Student’s Association. Daniel brings expertise in event organizing, digital media, team management, and problem-solving, alongside strong communication and adaptability. We’re excited to welcome him to the team and look forward to seeing how his creativity and technical knowledge will support TRU Open Press OERs and open education initiatives. Daniel also enjoys playing chess online: chess.com/member/danielabdulai.
Kobe Shimoyama
4th Year, Bachelor of Computing Science
September–December 2025
E-Learning Support Technician (Co-op)
Kobe joins TRU Open Press with a strong background in digital publishing, web development, and stakeholder communications. A fourth-year Computing Science student, he previously worked as a Brand and Marketing Designer at Vivacity Technologies, managing website maintenance, business reports, and design projects. Skilled at translating technical concepts into accessible language, Kobe excels in dynamic environments requiring adaptability and clear communication. With proficiency in WordPress, Figma, and various programming tools, he is eager to apply his expertise to support TRU’s open education initiatives. We’re excited to welcome Kobe to the team and look forward to seeing his creativity, problem-solving, and technical skills enhance TRU Open Press resources.
Students Learn About OER With TRU Open Press — September and October 2025
In September and October, the TRU Open Press team connected with students in Old Main to share insights about open educational resources (OER), open-access publishing, and student-led journals. Students had the opportunity to explore how Open Press supports learning, collaboration, and sustainability at TRU, and to learn how they can get involved in creating innovative, accessible educational resources.
Upcoming Events!
Showcasing Open Press Innovations — Open Education Talks 2026 (Every Wednesday in March 2026 from 12:00 PM MT to 1:30 PM MT)
The annual Open Education Talks invite educators, students, and professionals to share 15-minute lightning talks or digital posters exploring the many facets of open education — from open pedagogy and emerging technologies to student-faculty collaborations and the future of OER. This free, virtual event runs every Wednesday in March 2026 and aims to spark dialogue, innovation, and community building across the open education landscape.
The TRU Open Press team will be submitting proposals to present our work and highlight the impact of student-led publishing, open educational resources, and collaborative practices at TRU. We’re excited to join the conversation and showcase how our projects are helping advance accessibility, sustainability, and creativity in higher education.
Putting People First! — 22nd Annual Teaching Practices Colloquium (TPC) (February 17, 2026)
The Teaching Practices Colloquium (TPC) once again brought together educators from across disciplines to share ideas, foster collaboration, and celebrate innovative teaching. This year’s theme, Putting People First! Human-Centred Learning and Pedagogies of Belonging, invited participants to explore how care, connection, and inclusion can shape learning environments where all students feel valued and empowered.
Sessions and posters highlighted creative approaches to course design, assessment, mentorship, and community engagement—all centered on the human experience in teaching and learning. The TRU Open Press team will also be submitting proposals to share our work in supporting human-centred, accessible education through open publishing and collaborative OER development.
Making a Splash! Plumbing Apprenticeship Program Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) celebration with BCcampus (Spring 2026 – details TBD)
Coming Spring 2026, the Plumbing Apprenticeship Level 1 open textbooks, developed by TRU Open Press in collaboration with Skilled Trades BC, will be released as the final step in creating a Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) pathway for plumbing apprentices across British Columbia. With BCcampus leading the development of Levels 3 and 4 and TRU already completing Level 2, every plumbing student in the province will soon have free, open access to all four levels of their training materials—saving hundreds of dollars per learner. We’re excited to celebrate this incredible achievement alongside our partners at BCcampus and Skilled Trades BC this spring!