Irwin DeVries is committed to making higher education more accessible using open learning methods. His experience and research interests include distance education, instructional design and open educational practices. He has worked in professional and higher education settings, in both practice and leadership roles. Most recently Irwin was Director, Curriculum Development and interim Associate Vice President, Open Learning at Thompson Rivers University. He is currently Associate Faculty with Royal Roads University and Adjunct Faculty with the School of Education at Thompson Rivers University. Irwin has a PhD in Education from Simon Fraser University.