International collaboration on a sustainable forest management OER online program - A case study

ABSTRACT

Forestry education has always had to adapt to global changes and accommodate students and society’s needs. To address the issues of the day, forestry education has cultivated human capacity to understand the complexity of ever-changing environments, master resource management technologies, and engage in global issues. Educational technology and online learning are important in providing flexible, accessible, and effective forest education at the rate and scale needed within the forestry sector. The transition during the COVID-19 pandemic further illustrates the role of online learning in worldwide education. In this context, this paper shares a case study from the Sustainable Forest Management Online Program led by the Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia (UBC) and Partner Universities. This study shows that appropriately integrating educational technologies into an internationally developed and recognized high-quality curriculum is an effective way to create accessible and affordable forestry education in meeting the demand of evolving societal and environmental conditions. © 2020, North American Business Press. All rights reserved.