BCcampus Open Collection vs SkillsCommons

BCcampus Open Collection is a web collection of open educational resources, including courses and textbooks, for educators in B.C. and elsewhere. Materials can be used in classrooms, learning management systems, and other teaching platforms. Browse by subject or search using a B.C. institution course code. The collection includes textbooks, lesson plans, syllabi, assessments, rubrics, discussion topics, activities, and projects. Its openly licensed materials can be used, customized, and shared at no cost; users may edit, add, remix, or remove content. Downloads include PDF, EPUB, and Microsoft Word formats. Materials are reviewed for quality, accessibility, and inclusivity, with indicators for those meeting BCcampus accessibility criteria. Textbooks must have editable and PDF versions, meet accessibility criteria, and work as-is in a Canadian classroom. Courses receive instructional design review covering learning principles, accessibility, and representation. Anyone can submit a resource for review. The free plan costs nothing. Some school district networks or devices may have access issues.

SkillsCommons is a free repository of learning and program-support materials for job-driven workforce development. It aims to help individuals and organizations prepare people for employment, but it is not an LMS: it does not enroll students or provide course credit. Visitors can search and download materials without an account; institutions and organizations need an account to upload, individually or in bulk using a CSV of metadata. Contributors can embargo attached files until a specified date, after which requesters may ask the submitter for access. Courses exported from an LMS can be uploaded, with LMS-specific and IMS Common Cartridge formats recommended when available. Programmatic discovery options include keyword search, item METS data and OAI metadata harvesting. The interface supports screen readers, keyboard access, captions and Able Player; DocReader supports Word and PDF documents on devices without plugins. SkillsCommons says it works toward Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 accessibility and aligns its commitment with WCAG 2.0 AA. The support center offers guides and FAQs, and large uploads may require support planning for connection speed and bandwidth.