The 2023-25 OER grant cohort is under way and has saved about 1900 students an estimated $290,000 since July 2023. The cohort represents 24 different projects to adopt, adapt, and create OER for courses at 15 institutions. Congratulations grantees!
Technical Mathematics
Morgan Chase, a part-time math instructor at Clackamas Community College, is very close to releasing the second edition of his open textbook Technical Mathematics. All content revisions have been made, and at the time of this writing he was working on the final layout of the print version, fiddling with image sizes and page breaks. The first edition of Morgan’s book is in use at colleges in at least five U.S. states and one Canadian province, as well as local high schools in the Oregon City area. Morgan’s next project idea is to contact CTE instructors at other Oregon colleges about adapting the OER for their needs.
Между нами
Lara Ravitch, an instructor in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at University of Oregon, presented at the Fall 2023 Confederation in Oregon for Foreign Language Teaching Conference. Her presentation, Designing OER with DEIA in Mind, highlights resources for finding diverse openly-licensed images. Lara’s grant creates ancillaries to accompany Между нами for second-year Russian.
The materials are being used as daily slides in Russian language classes to support comprehensibility, scaffold routines, and increase diversity and representation. Comprehensibility is supported by icons for classroom tasks, such as page numbers, or dialogue bubbles. Classroom routines for weather, day/date, and conversation are conducted through immersion using visual prompts. Representation is increased by images of diverse Russian speakers and learners.
10 Inventions that Changed the World
Tim Krause, ESOL Instructor at Portland Community College, writes:
Santiago and I completed our pilot of 10 Inventions that Changed the World last fall, and the materials are now published for others to use. Its STEM focus allowed us to really make a reading class more active and hands-on than ever — a reading laboratory, if you will! Even our final exams were in the form of a science fair. I don’t know that this approach would be possible in a commercial textbook, and so an OER gave us the freedom to experiment (pun intended) with the form and challenge expectations of what an effective and engaging reading textbook can be.
Santiago Gustin, ESOL Instructor at Portland Community College, concurs:
I’d just like to reiterate what Tim mentioned. This OER definitely allowed students to take a more active and engaging stance towards their development of reading skills. The hands-on approach that the textbook provides makes it fun and interesting for students to learn academic skills while learning content that is limited to mainstream classes or STEM courses in other departments.
#OnYGo
Stéphanie Roulon, faculty in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Portland State University, and GG Blattner, faculty in the Dept. of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature at Florida Atlantic University, launched a social media campaign to promote their OER: What can you do with #OnYGo. They presented their ongoing work on #OnYGo at the 2024 Language OER Conference sponsored by the Open Language Resource Center at the University of Kansas.
First Year Seminar
Melissa Kelly, faculty in the Department of Biology at Western Oregon University, writes:
This spring at Western Oregon, I will be revamping my FYS: 207 (First Year Seminar) class by including OpenStax College Success as part of our coursework. The class focuses on information literacy in science, but also has a large focus on how to be successful in college. This textbook will be the perfect framework for many big questions in college, such as how to study, and also harder-to-pinpoint issues like finding the “hidden curriculum” in a course, all without costing my students any money.
Mostly Harmless Statistics
Rachel Webb, faculty in the Fariborz Maseeh Department of Mathematics & Statistics at Portland State University, writes:
Embark on your statistical journey with confidence! I am thrilled to unveil my latest open-source text: Mostly Harmless Elementary Statistics – a comprehensive yet accessible textbook designed to make statistics engaging and understandable for all.
What’s Inside?
- ADA accessible and relevant content
- Aligned with the American Statistical Association’s GAISE guidelines
- Aligned with Oregon’s HECC’s STAT 243z course guidelines
- Packed with real-life examples for practical understanding
- User-friendly narrative style for easy comprehension
Free Resources Galore! Visit http://MostlyHarmlessStatistics.com to download your free copy of the textbook, formula packet, and accompanying student solution manual. Instructor’s manual and MyOpenMath problem bank for additional practice problems available by emailing Rachel Webb. Please provide website URL with your instructor credentials for instructor verification.
What’s New? This edition is tailored to meet the 2023 Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Committee’s transfer policy, featuring over 120 new homework questions and updated content. Whether you’re just starting your statistical journey or seeking a refresher, Mostly Harmless Elementary Statistics has got you covered. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to master the fundamentals of statistics in a fun and accessible way. Get your copy today and empower yourself with statistical knowledge!
