Hi:

I’m Paul Stacey, welcoming you to a first of its kind event - Dare2BDigital!

Dare2BDigital uses reality television and online social network ideas to create a "virtual open house" that brings together BC public post secondary institutions, faculty, students, sponsors, and a live online public audience to take on challenges exploring learning online.

I took my first online course in 1995 on Enjoying Wine. Over eight weeks this course took us through the process of smelling, looking and tasting wine. Each week we’d tackle a different aspect starting with champagne, then white wines, red wines and finally dessert wines like port. Now that’s what I call homework! In taking this course I realized that it’s possible to engage not just the mind but all of our senses in an online course. I also discovered how wonderful champagne with popcorn is on a hot day!

Since then I've gone on to help create the Technical University of British Columbia (now SFU-Surrey) and BCcampus where I work to provide online services in support of educators across all of BC's public post secondary.

In 2004 I signed up for a graduate program called Adult Learning and Global Change. This fascinating 100% online degree program involved a collaboration between the University of British Columbia (Canada), Linköping University (Sweden), University of the Western Cape (South Africa) and University of Technology, Sydney (Australia). Students enroll in the program at all four universities and courses are taught by faculty at all four universities. Throughout the two year program I got to know my fellow cohort of students really well as the online coursework involved extensive discussion and team work. Some of the students have become lasting friends. This coming summer all students who have ever taken this program are invited to Sweden to meet each other and exchange experiences - I'm definitely going! Bart Sullivan and I created a case study profile of this program including student and faculty interviews which we invite you to explore. I'd like to extend a special thanks to Bart for his work on this profile and to all the students and faculty in this program.

In 2007 I was invited to co-develop and co-teach a course on International and Global Distance Education for Royal Roads University's MA in Learning and Technology. This added a deep appreciation for the effort and skills required for online teaching.

All of BC’s public post-secondary institutions offer online services, courses and programs, either fully online or mixed with traditional campus based activities. We hope Dare2BDigital inspires you to try them.

Through Dare2BDigital BCcampus provides a showcase to celebrate BC's public post secondary institutions, system wide, and the creativity of its' faculty and students. Dare2BDigital is designed to showcase and highlight:

• Institutional or inter-institutional programs or courses representative of what is happening across BC public post-secondary
• What really good educational technology supported courses/programs look like
• People who are using educational technology and their success stories
• Processes and methods of development and implementation, and
• The modeling of, and uses for, new technologies

Leading the creation of Dare2BDigital has been a huge team effort and there are many to thank. Thanks to all of you for so enthusiastically daring to be digital. I hope you all enjoy Dare2BDigital and have fun interacting with each other, cheering for teams, and learning about online learning.

Paul Stacey

Director of Development
BCcampus
555 Seymour Street, Suite 200
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada, V6B 3H6
phone: 604-412-7736
e-mail: pstacey@bccampus.ca