We are very pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Open Education Resources (OER) Excellence and Impact Awards.
The OER Excellence and Impact Awards recognize outstanding work by faculty who materially advance the use and impact of open educational resources in credit courses at UBC.
Recipients were selected based on their overall excellence in creating, revising or using OER in teaching and learning; the impact of their OER work on students, including addressing the affordability of educational materials; and their contribution to the greater open education community at UBC.
UBC Okanagan: Individual award
Dr. Ramon Lawrence
- Dr. Ramon Lawrence, Computer Science, Faculty of Science
Dr. Ramon Lawrence, Professor of Computer Science at UBC Okanagan and a recipient of a 2020 Killam Teaching Prize, has been a passionate leader in Open Educational Resources (OER) since 2006. His OER materials have saved students over $500,000 in textbook costs, directly benefited more than 3,000 learners, and are adopted by instructors at UBC Okanagan.
He has integrated open educational resources in his courses since he joined UBC in 2006. His work exemplifies the principles and practices of accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and his efforts in developing and scaling OER have made significant contributions to student engagement and learning outcomes.
In addition to course content, his innovative open-source projects, such as the HelpMe AI support platform and PrairieLearn deployments, are improving student support and assessment, advancing accessible, engaging education at UBC and leading the integration of artificial intelligence in learning.
Dr. Lawrence’s tireless efforts to develop, refine and share OER have made significant contributions to student engagement and advanced the mission of accessible education. Through his innovative OER platforms and resources, mentorship, and collaborative spirit, he continues to strengthen the UBCO community.
UBC Okanagan: Group award
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Team Lead: Dr. Claire Yan
Dr. Claire Yan, Professor of Teaching, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
- Dr. Casey Keulen, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
- Dr. Amir M. Dehkhoda, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
- Ali Doustahadi, Master’s Degree, Department of Materials Engineering
- Hariharan (Hari) Umashankar, Graduate Research Assistant and PhD Candidate, Department of Materials Engineering
Project team: Dr. Casey Keulen (top left); Dr. Amir M. Dehkhoda (Top right), Ali Doustahadi (bottom left) and Hariharan (Hari) Umashankar (bottom right).
The Introduction to Engineering Thermodynamics open textbook and problem bank have transformed how foundational engineering concepts are taught, making high-quality, interactive content freely available. Through the development of accessible, innovative resources, the team has fostered a culture of inclusivity, empowered student engagement, and achieved substantial cost savings for learners.
Led by Dr. Claire Yan, Professor of Teaching, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC Okanagan, the project team includes Dr. Casey Keulen, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science; Dr. Amir M. Dehkhoda, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science; and teaching assistants Hariharan Umashankar and Ali Doustahadi.
Designed with Universal Design for Learning principles and freely accessible worldwide, this resource features interactive H5P questions and programmable problem sets that foster inclusivity, engagement, and practical skill-building. Adopted by courses at UBC and Arizona State University, it supports over 750 students annually, saving them an estimated $32,500–$48,700 in textbook costs. These openly licensed resources, shared via GitHub and open repositories like UBC cIRcle, OER Commons, and LibreTexts, continue to inspire and empower educators and learners globally.
This work exemplifies the power of OER in enhancing student learning and advancing educational innovation. The team is proud to advance equitable access and pedagogical innovation in engineering education at UBC and beyond.
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