A message from Andrew Szeri, Provost and Vice-President, Academic, UBC Vancouver
I am pleased to announce that Larry Bouthillier has been appointed Executive Director, UBC Extended Learning (ExL) effective March 1, 2020.
Currently Senior Director of Digital Learning Initiatives at Brown University, Mr. Bouthillier is responsible for the planning, design and development of digital learning initiatives, programs and products, and for leading the Online Innovation Team.
Mr. Bouthillier’s previous roles include Director of Online Learning at New England Institute of Technology; Director of Educational Technology & Multimedia Development at Harvard Business School; and Course Designer/Developer at the Harvard Extension School, where he remains an Adjunct Professor teaching Computer Science.
As the new Executive Director, Mr. Bouthillier’s focus will be to continue to develop ExL’s portfolio of programs and support services aligned with Strategy 13: Practical Learning of the strategic plan, Shaping UBC’s Next Century and to ensure UBC and ExL are well positioned to deliver the innovative programs that learners are demanding throughout various phases of their careers and lives.
A key part of ExL’s mandate is to collaborate with and support Faculties to develop programs and courses for non-degree learners. Collaborations already underway include the 11 proposals funded through the inaugural Online Learning Advancement Fund (OLAF) and, with the Department of Computer Science, the development of short courses for mid-career learners, through pilot funding from the Province of British Columbia.
For further information regarding UBC ExL, please visit the UBC Extended Learning site. You can learn more about the 11 OLAF funded projects here.
As we look forward to welcoming Mr. Bouthillier, I also wish to recognize and thank most heartily Dr. Simon Bates, Associate Provost, Teaching and Learning, for his dedicated support as UBC ExL’s interim Executive Director.