LoyalistLibrary: Arts and Science: Open Educational Resources

What are Open Educational Resources?

"Open Educational Resources, or OER, refer to any teaching and learning materials that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license, such as a Creative Commons License or GNU General Public License, that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution with no or limited restrictions".

(Source: The OER Toolkit, Colleges Library Ontario)

Where can I find OERs for my course?

There are a variety of sources for OERs! This is only a small selection. For more, check the Library's OER Research Guide.

AMSER (Applied Math and Science Education Repository)
"AMSER (the Applied Math and Science Education Repository) is a portal of educational resources and services built specifically for use by those in Community and Technical Colleges but free for anyone to use." -- website
B.C. Open Collection (formerly BC Campus OpenEd)
"The B.C. Open Collection is a curated selection of open educational resources (OER) that can be accessed by educators in B.C. and beyond to use in the classroom, in an institutional learning management system, or on other teaching and learning platforms. All materials are openly licensed. This means they are free to use, customize, and share. The collection includes courses and textbooks, and new resources are being added all the time." -- website
Directory of Open Access Journals
"DOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals." -- website
eCampus Ontario Open Textbook Library
"In partnership with BCcampus, and in the footsteps of other provincial online learning centres like OpenEd Manitoba, eCampusOntario has created this new virtual Open Textbook Library, established to offer learners a repository of resources which are licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed." -- website (A link to eCampus is also available at LoyalistLibrary.com, under the Collections tab.)
OER Commons
"OER Commons offers a comprehensive infrastructure for curriculum experts and instructors at all levels to identify high-quality OER and collaborate around their adaptation, evaluation, and use to address the needs of teachers and learners." -- website
Open Educational Resources Research Guide
The Loyalist Library has its own guide to open educational resources. This guide acts as a starting point, with background information, links to OER's, and more.
Open Textbook Library
"Textbooks in the Open Textbook Library are considered open because they are free to use and distribute, and are licensed to be freely adapted or changed with proper attribution." -- website

Selected OERs: Arts and Science

Biology 2e "Biology 2e is designed to cover the scope and sequence requirements of a typical two-semester biology course for science majors. The text provides comprehensive coverage of foundational research and core biology concepts through an evolutionary lens." -- website
Blueprint for Success in College and Career "Blueprint for Success in College and Career is a students’ guide for classroom and career success. This text, designed to show how to be successful in college and in career preparation focuses on study skills, time management, career exploration, health, and financial literacy." -- website
Canadian History: Post-Confederation "This textbook introduces aspects of the history of Canada since Confederation. “Canada” in this context includes Newfoundland and all the other parts that come to be aggregated into the Dominion after 1867. Much of this text follows thematic lines. Each chapter moves chronologically but with alternative narratives in mind. What Aboriginal accounts must we place in the foreground? Which structures (economic or social) determine the range of choices available to human agents of history? What environmental questions need to be raised to gain a more complete understanding of choices made in the past and their ramifications? Each chapter is comprised of several sections and some of those are further divided. In many instances you will encounter original material that has been contributed by other university historians from across Canada who are leaders in their respective fields. They provide a diversity of voices on the subject of the nation’s history and, thus, an opportunity to experience some of the complexities of understanding and approaching the past. Canadian History: Post-Confederation includes Learning Objectives and Key Points in most chapter sections, intended to help identify issues of over-arching importance. Recent interviews with historians from across Canada have been captured in video clips that are embedded throughout the web version of the book. At the end of each chapter, the Summary section includes additional features: Key Terms, Short Answer Exercises, and Suggested Readings. The key terms are bolded in the text, and collected in a Glossary in the appendix." -- website
Canadian History: Pre-Confederation "Canadian History: Pre-Confederation is a survey text that introduces undergraduate students to important themes in North American history to 1867. It provides room for Aboriginal and European agendas and narratives, explores the connections between the territory that coalesces into the shape of modern Canada and the larger continent and world in which it operates, and engages with emergent issues in the field. The material is pursued in a largely chronological manner to the early 19th century, at which point social, economic, and political change are dissected." -- website A second text, Canadian History: Post-Confederation, is also available.
Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking "This is an introductory textbook in logic and critical thinking. The goal of the textbook is to provide the reader with a set of tools and skills that will enable them to identify and evaluate arguments. The book is intended for an introductory course that covers both formal and informal logic. As such, it is not a formal logic textbook, but is closer to what one would find marketed as a “critical thinking textbook.”" -- website
Introduction to Professional Communications "No matter what your field is, having professional communication skills are essential to success in today's workplace. This book covers key business communications topics that will help you in your career, including intercultural communication, team work, professional writing, audience analysis and adapting messages, document formatting, oral communication, and more." -- website
Introduction to Psychology: The Full Noba Collection "This textbook represents the entire catalog of Noba topics. It contains 90 learning modules covering every area of psychology commonly taught in introductory courses. This book can be modified: feel free to rearrange or remove modules to better suit your specific needs.Please note that the publisher requires you to login to access and download the textbooks." -- website
Introduction to Sociology, 2nd Canadian Edition Introduction to Sociology adheres to the scope and sequence of a typical introductory sociology course. In addition to comprehensive coverage of core concepts, foundational scholars, and emerging theories, we have incorporated section reviews with engaging questions, discussions that help students apply the sociological imagination, and features that draw learners into the discipline in meaningful ways.
Introductory Chemistry - 1st Canadian Edition
"The goal of this textbook is not to make you an expert. True expertise in any field is a years-long endeavor. Here I will survey some of the basic topics of chemistry. This survey should give you enough knowledge to appreciate the impact of chemistry in everyday life and, if necessary, prepare you for additional instruction in chemistry." -- website
Introductory Statistics "Introductory Statistics follows scope and sequence requirements of a one-semester introduction to statistics course and is geared toward students majoring in fields other than math or engineering. The text assumes some knowledge of intermediate algebra and focuses on statistics application over theory." -- website
It’s About Them: Public Speaking in the 21st Century
Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology "This textbook is a collection of chapters on the essential topics in cultural anthropology. Different from other introductory textbooks, this book is an edited volume with each chapter written by a different author. Each author has written from their experiences working as an anthropologist and that personal touch makes for an accessible introduction to cultural anthropology. British Colmbia contributors include: contributing author Logan Cochrane, UBC, (chapter 16: Seeing Like an Anthroplogist: Anthropology in Practice) and peer reviewer Bob Muckle, Capilano University." -- website
The Process of Research Writing - http://www.stevendkrause.com/tprw "The Process of Research Writing is a web-based research writing textbook. . .suitable for teachers and students in research oriented composition and rhetoric classes. It's published/maintained by . . .Steven D. Krause." -- website
Reading and Writing Successfully in College: A Guide for Students This textbook provides students with guidelines for understanding writing tasks as intellectual work using Bloom’s Taxonomy and for treating the writing process as a set of variable activities that move along a trajectory from idea or assignment to a finished product. The book also includes chapters on strengthening reading strategies and on finding, evaluating, and using sources effectively.

Applied Sciences
"Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access journal on all aspects of applied natural sciences." -- website
Biology Direct
"Biology Direct is an open access, peer reviewed journal devoted to the biochemistry, genetics, cell, molecular, and computational biology of organisms and cells. It deals with all aspects of life sciences that have relevant biological and medical implications." -- website
BMC Biology (formerly the Journal of Biology)
"BMC Biology is a broad scope journal covering all areas of biology. Our content includes research articles, new methods and tools. BMC Biology also publishes reviews, Q&A, and commentaries." -- website
International Journal of Communication
"The International Journal of Communication is an online, multi-media, academic journal that adheres to the highest standards of peer review and engages established and emerging scholars from anywhere in the world. . . he International Journal of Communication is an interdisciplinary journal that, while centered in communication, is open and welcoming to contributions from the many disciplines and approaches that meet at the crossroads that is communication study."

What is a MOOC?
MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, are online courses, often offered for free or at minimal cost. Many MOOCs include audio or video lectures, assignments, readings, quizzes, and interactive forums and discussion boards. Many MOOCs are offered by large institutions, and some will offer course credits for completed MOOCs, usually for a small fee.

(Sources: MOOC.org, "Massive Open Online Course", from Wikipedia)

Career Planning: A Pathway to Employment (University System of Georgia via Coursera)
"This course is designed to foster creative approaches to launching a new career. You will articulate best ways to make a first impression and analyze your strengths by creating a personal statement. You will identify appropriate elements to make your resume stand out from the crowd. You will also identify the most effective ways a cover letter can answer a job description, and how to best leverage social media in your job search. In short, this course will help you to prepare for a new job. You will learn how to apply, network, leverage social media, interview, follow-up, and evaluate options through research and with the help of experienced faculty and talented professional." -- website
Introduction to Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity Specialization (Rice University via Coursera)
"In this 3-course specialization, you will learn to see nature the way a biologist does. You will gain an understanding and appreciation for the incredible diversity of life and the interdependence of all living things. You will explore what we know about the origins of life and how biologists have advanced the science of evolution since Charles Darwin's lifetime, as well as the many applications of evolutionary biology to our everyday lives; you will examine the characteristics, functions, origins, and the roles of each major group of living things. You will also consider humans, including our origins, how we are impacting the natural world, and our future as a species." -- website
Math Prep: College & Work Ready (University of North Texas via Coursera)
"This MOOC will cover four main categories: Number Sense, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, and Geometry and Statistics. The purpose of this course is to review and practice key concepts to prepare learners for college and the workforce." -- website

Source: Shetty, A. (2018). How education helped me rewrite my life. [Video]. TEDTalks. https://www.ted.com/talks/ashweetha_shetty_how_education_helped_me_rewrite_my_life

Biology Bits (Arizona State University)
"Biology Bits stories are a great way for you to learn about biology a little bit at a time. We’ve broken down information into pieces that are very tiny—bite-sized biology cards. Cutting out the cards will let you organize them however you want, or use them as flashcards while you read and study different biology topics." -- website
EDP Open
"EDP Open is a newly developed bespoke open access platform that will provide all the modern functionality required for easy search/find/location of relevant and related content published in an open access (free) environment." -- website EDP Open includes open journals and eBooks.
National Science Digital Library
"The National Science Digital Library (NSDL) was created by the National Science Foundation to provide organized access to high quality resources and tools that support innovations in teaching and learning at all levels of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. NSDL is a digital library of exemplary resource collections and services, organized in support of science education at all levels." -- website
Science Open Research
"ScienceOpen is a discovery platform with interactive features for scholars to enhance their research in the open, make an impact, and receive credit for it." -- website

Arts and Science: Open Educational Resources

What are Open Educational Resources?

Where can I find OERs for my course?

Selected OERs: Arts and Science

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