Claire Hay (left) and Martin Warkentin (right) in the UFV Abbotsford campus library. (Image Credit: University of the Fraser Valley)

By Fraser Valley Today staff

BCcampus recognition

Awards recognize efforts of University of the Fraser Valley staff to make education more affordable for students

Feb 7, 2026 | 2:42 PM

ABBOTSFORD — A pair of University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) educators are being recognized for their work to advance open education and reduce textbook costs for students. Claire Hay, a teaching and learning specialist, and Martin Warkentin, UFV’s collections librarian, have been recognized with the BCcampus Award for Excellence in Open Education.

The award comes following the pair’s work to support open educational resources and the UFV zero textbook cost initiative.

Hay and Warkentin were nominated for the award for their work of more than five years to support open educational resources and UFV’s Zero Textbook Cost initiatives. The university describes open educational resources as free teaching and learning materials that can be used, adapted and shared.

“Accessibility is at the heart of why I do this work,” Hay said. “When we remove cost barriers through open education, we open doors for students to fully engage in their learning.”

Warkentin’s leadership has come through the UFV library while Hay has worked out of the Teaching and Learning Centre. Their support for faculty to adopt and create open educational resources and expand Zero Textbook Cost courses has had a remarkable impact for the school.

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“You see the difference when students can start a course on day one without worrying about textbook costs,” said Warkentin. “That’s when the value of open education really comes to life.”

Through the efforts of the two, UFV has established an open education working group and is managing funding opportunities that have ranged from internal micro-grants to external BCcampus support.

Recently, UFV received a BCcampus Open Education Institutional Grant for the 2025-26 fiscal year to continue expanding its open education work.