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EXPLORE the 52 courses that have 1-7 free and open etextbooks aligned with the course content. These courses have a common ID number indicating that the course content and learning objectives shared for the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California.

  • Every etextbook has quality evaluations by CCC, CSU, and UC faculty with expertise in the appropriate discipline. The California OER Council developed the evaluation rubric which was used by all faculty reviewers.
  • Every etextbook has a comprehensive accessibility evaluation conducted by the CSULB Center for Usability in Design and Accessibility.

 

Arts

Survey of Western Art from Prehistory through the Middle Ages

Survey of Western Art from Renaissance to Contemporary

Music Appreciation

Music Fundamentals

Media Aesthetics and Cinematic Arts

Business

Financial Accounting

Managerial Accounting

Introduction to Business

Business Communication

Legal Environment of Business

Business Law

Business Information Systems

Microeconomics

Principles of Macroeconomics

Education

Child Growth and Development

Introduction to Education

Humanities

Public Speaking

Argumentative Writing and Critical Thinking

Introduction to Literature

United States History to 1877

United States History from 1865

Introduction to Mass Communications

Introduction to Reporting and Newswriting

Introduction to Philosophy

Introduction to Logic

Introduction to Spanish

Mathematics & Statistics

Introduction to Statistics

College Algebra for STEM

Precalculus

Calculus I Early Transcendentals

Single Variable Calculus II

Introduction to Linear Algebra

Science & Technology

Human Anatomy and Physiology

Human Physiology with Lab

Organismal Biology, Ecology, Evolution

Organismal Biology

Cell and Molecular Biology

Introduction to Chemistry

General Chemistry for Science Majors Sequence A

Quantitative Analysis (Chemistry)

Organic Chemistry for Science Majors Sequence A

Computer Science Programming Concepts and Methodology

Introduction to Physical Geography with Lab

Physical Geology

Algebra/Trigonometry-Based Physics A

Social Science

Introduction to American Government

Introduction to International Relations

Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Human Sexuality

Introduction to Sociology

Social Problems


Course and eTextbook Selection and Evaluation

The CA-OER Council's survey of faculty across CCC, CSU, and UC identified the major concerns about OER for faculty included the authority, reliability, and peer review of OER textbooks. The CA-OER Council identified 50 highly-enrolled courses that had a common ID number across the three segments and then identified free and open etextbooks that were aligned with the course content and learning objectives (as defined by the CID). Faculty from the three higher education systems were invited (and paid) to perform quality evaluations of the selected etextbooks. All of the peer reviews are available, including the faculty's name and institutional affiliation. The following information describes the process by which the courses and etextbooks were selected and evaluated.

  1. Selection of the 50 courses: for the criteria to select the 50 courses, see Course Selection Criteria.
  2. Selection of OER Textbooks: OER textbooks to be reviewed in conjunction with each of the 50 courses were selected based on the following criteria: 1) Creative Commons license (CC-BY), if possible; 2) free or low cost ($30 or less); 3) able to be re-mixed, if possible 4) updated regularly; 5) offered in at least 2 different formats (e.g., online/pdf); and 6) maintained in an easily accessible and sustainable environment with a persistent URL.
  3. To recommend an OER Textbook that fits the above criteria fill out this Google Form.
  4. How to Become a Reviewer: Fill out the faculty survey and indicate that you'd like to review for this project (the last question in the survey). Faculty were contacted with a request for more information. Selected faculty were provide access to all of the textbooks, the review rubric, and a stipend for their reviews ($250/textbook with a minimum of 3 textbook reviews).
  5. Selecting Review Panelists: Panelists are drawn from faculty across CCC, CSU, & UC. These reviewers are self-identified based on response to the faculty survey. The selection of reviewers is competitive but is based on a balanced criteria: 1) 1 panelist from each of the 3 segments (CCC, CSU, UC); 2) balance of experience with OER materials; 3) balance of place in the career. The resulting reviews are public along with names & institutions of each faculty member. The reasons for making the reviewers' identities public is discussed in the Reviewer's Bootcamp video.
  6. What's Involved in Being a Reviewer? Watch this Reviewer's Bootcamp Video. Take a look at a sample Review Rubric.
  7. What if I'm the author of one of the OER Textbooks that has been reviewed? If you have any questions about the review or you have revised/updated your OER textbook since the published review, please contact cool4ed@cdl.edu.

ADD Free eTextbooks You're Using or Created Into MERLOT

Are you using free eTextbooks in your teaching or your learning? Have you created free eTextbooks? We invite you to catalog these resources in MERLOT. Your colleagues and students around the world will thank you!

IT'S EASY!

First: Become a member of MERLOT (It will take about 2 minutes and it’s FREE).

Second: Fill out the online form to Contribute a Material. (It will take about 4 minutes the first time and step-by-step instructions for contributing materials (PDF) to MERLOT are available).

 

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