First in the World: Open Campus™ at BPCC

ABSTRACT

This case study focused on the Open Campus™ initiative at Bossier Parish Community College (BPCC). Open Campus™ is the nation’s first free, online, non-credit, developmental, cross-curricular course portal. The courses are self-directed and can be utilized by anyone with an internet connection, regardless of the Bossier Parish affiliation. In the process of implementing this initiative, the BPCC underwent an extraordinary amount of change with little resources. For a program with a small fiscal footprint, Open Campus™ went on to provide a unique approach to the developmental education problem facing many open-access institutions. This innovation has not gone unnoticed. In 2015, Open Campus™ was recognized with a $1.8M U.S. Department of Education grant to expand, mobilize, and gamify the open-source course design. In addition, the team leading the Open Campus™ concept openly welcome other institutions to learn from and utilize their platform to battle the under-preparedness many community college students struggle with. This case study reviews the concept of Open Campus™, why it was needed at BPCC, and how it infiltrated all areas of student services at the institution.