MEET LYRYX LEARNING
Advocates for Access and Affordability
1996
Technology Evolution
Claude Laflamme and Keith Nicholson, Professors of Mathematics at the University of Calgary, identified the potential for online homework to offer authentic subject questions, immediate grading and formative feedback. What began as a research project developed into educational software that provided students with immediate, personalized feedback on their assignments, similar to the way traditional assignments are marked by experienced instructors.
2000
Lyryx Learning
Lyryx Learning is established to further develop its educational software and make it available to other institutions. The key principled defined in these early days was to create affordable educational materials and high quality online homework, both to support instructors and to guide students’ learning.
2001
Lyryx Partnership
Lyryx branches into other subject areas in Business and Economics. Partnering with McGraw-Hill Ryerson in Canada (now McGraw Hill Education) to provide content and sales channels for these new subject areas, Lyryx continues to focus on creating high quality interactive materials and online homework.
2006
Open Textbook Evolution
Lyryx partners with other publishers and educational businesses in the United States and Canada, continuing to provide quality online homework solutions to partners’ educational products. This leads to a collaboration with one of the first open textbook publishers providing products with Creative Commons open licenses.
2011
Exclusive Products
Lyryx launches its own independent online homework products supporting mathematics courses in Linear Algebra.
2013
Exclusive Products
Recognizing the value that Open Educational Resources (OER) offers for content development and potential savings to students, Lyryx commits to developing high quality educational resources and services under the new “Lyryx with Open Texts” brand name. Lyryx with Open Texts launches full-service OER for Mathematics, Macroeconomics, and Microeconomics introductory courses.
2016
Steady Growth
In the Fall 2016 semester alone, Lyryx is supporting over 10,000 students using OERs, a 25% increase in just one year. Lyryx continue to expand its library of open textbooks into both Business & Economics and Mathematics & Statistics areas, seeking authors in these and other subject areas.
2017
Intermediate Accounting
OER Expansion
Expanding its partnership with Athabasca University, Lyryx is developing intermediate accounting open texts to be released for Fall 2017.
2018
Another OER Release
In conjunction with W. Keith Nicholson, Lyryx releases “Linear Algebra with Applications” as an open textbook. Lyryx continues to furhter expand its offering and support instructors and students across Canada and the United States.
2019
Counting on Accounting
With the successful completion of a U.S. GAAP adaptation of their Introduction to Financial Accounting, Lyryx released online assessment for OpenStax’s Principles of Accounting (Financial & Managerial) open textbooks.
The Lyryx team
A small group of passionate people making a big impact to access and affordability in higher education.
Claude Laflamme
Founder and President
Claude Laflamme is a professor of Mathematics at the University of Calgary. Besides remaining active in research, Claude is a dedicated instructor and has been involved in software development projects for many years. Thus, it was natural to blend this expertise in creating tools to better support an ever increasing number of students; from which Lyryx was eventually born. In addition to these pursuits, Claude is an avid backcountry skier and mountain biker.
Tamsyn Murnaghan
Managing Director
Prior to joining Lyryx, Tamsyn developed her operations, client experience and marketing skills in diverse business environments. She is a highly driven leader and principals a number of departments within the organization. Armed with BMgt and MA (Leadership) degrees, Tamsyn is focused on driving continuous improvement in all facets of the business. Outside of the office, she manages her home team of two boys (and husband) and enjoys playing on a number of sports teams
W. Keith Nicholson
Editorial Advisor and Board Member
Keith Nicholson is also a professor of Mathematics at the University of Calgary, recognized within the Mathematics field both as an academic and a technical writer. It is the latter skills that brought him to partner with Dr. Laflamme in developing content for an online Linear Algebra project that paved the road for Lyryx and collaboration with McGraw-Hill Ryerson. Keith continues to serve on the board of directors.
William Todor
Business Advisor and Board Member
William D. Todor began his studies in Chemical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, obtained an MBA from the University of British Columbia and Ph.D in Organizational Behavior from the University of California, Irvine. William served as a professor in the Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University for 26 years focusing his research on leadership and employee turnover. Ryerson. Keith continues to serve on the board of directors.
Bruce Bauslaugh
Board Member (formerly Chief Technical Officer)
With a Ph.D. in Mathematics, Bruce Bauslaugh joined Lyryx from his earlier position as a computer science instructor at Mount Royal College. With his strong mathematical background and deep knowledge in computer systems and algorithms, Bruce designed and implemented a powerful engine to deliver and support Lyryx products; in particular, providing the most authentic assessment in the business.
Now retired, Bruce remains an integral part of the Lyryx team by serving on the board of directors.