British Columbia Institute of Technology
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

BCIT’s program development process ensures the development of high quality programming which meets the needs of our diverse stakeholders and ensures our credentials are recognized, well regarded, and of appropriate rigour. The process is guided by criteria set out by the British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training and BCIT’s Policy 5401 Program Development and Credentials, and the associated procedures. With this, the programs in development must align with BCIT’s Strategic Plan.

In the Strategic Plan, BCIT has articulated three Commitments that represent our primary areas of activity and accountability. We are intent on being a people-focused organization that delivers future-proof applied education, amplifying our impact through globally relevant connections. Key initiatives align with these commitments to create a framework for action and decision making. Interwoven in much of the Strategic Plan, and highlighted in our core values, sustainability is explicit in—and integral to—these initiatives:

• Process and system redesign: redesign processes, systems, and structures to enhance our agility and effectiveness and to embed sustainability.


• Augmented and sustainable environments: cultivate exceptional learning environments and communities through technology and sustainable campus development.


• New models of collaboration: reinvent how we work with industry and peers to drive economic, social, and environmental prosperity in British Columbia and beyond. 

Together, these confirm our intention to embed sustainability in our education and applied research activities, across our campus operations and facilities, and in our interactions with stakeholders beyond BCIT.

Our sustainability strategies leverage existing strengths and activity at BCIT, in each case articulating a clear direction and outlining a roadmap for progress. All strategies derive from our definition of sustainability as “enabling people to lead socially just lives within ecological limits”. One of the strategies towards delivering future-proof applied education is renewal and development of curriculum and credentials that integrate sustainability across BCIT programs.

Supporting academic staff to proactively consider the interconnections between Indigenization, well-being, equity, universal accessibility, and sustainability in course and program development and/or change and review enhances the overall experience for both instructors and learners.

Based on BCIT’s Sustainability Vision, academic staff are encouraged to prioritize Indigenization and equity efforts before delving into broader aspects of sustainability (i.e. fair and equitable access to resources, distribution of costs and benefits associated with economic activities, and protection of natural habitat including climate stability and ecosystem regeneration).

These considerations align with BCIT’s commitment to support learner success as outlined in the Strategic Plan and three of BCIT's values:

• championing diversity and inclusion


• engaging with respect and


• pursuing collaboration 

They also align with the Learning and Teaching Framework; Indigenous Vision, Anti-Racism Framework, and Sustainability Vision. The Learning and Teaching Framework promotes continual improvement in learning and teaching practices across the Institute. As a collaborative effort among BCIT stakeholders, it provides ideas for how schools, programs, and academic staff can support BCIT education principles in practice. The framework has four principles:

1. empowering faculty to reach their potential as instructors;


2. creating active, student-centred learning;


3. designing learning environments that promote creativity and growth; and


4. developing curriculum aligned with workplace needs.

BCIT provides incentives for academic staff who are developing sustainability courses and programs:

• Academic staff who excel in implementing sustainability into the curriculum are eligible for an Employee Excellence Award in Sustainability.


• Professional Development leaves or releases from teaching to work on expanding sustainability offerings. This includes leaves for self-study review of existing programs and how they align with the Sustainability Vision, Indigenous Vision and Anti-Racism Framework.


• Sustainability-focused and sustainability-inclusive courses are offered free of charge to employees by waiving the tuition fee. If there are additional material or instructional costs incurred, employees may access these courses through Professional Development/Educational Assistance funds to pay the course fee.


• Professional Development funding can be used for tuition, registration fees for courses, seminars, workshops or conferences, and diplomas, certificates, or degrees where they are related to the employee’s current position or related career goals.


• Funding to support teaching initiatives that embody the principles of the Learning and Teaching Framework and reflect the spirit of a polytechnic “learning-by-doing” methodology is available through the Learning and Teaching Innovation Grant.