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What specific OER are you currently using? Two multi-touch digital textbooks (iBooks) that I wrote and illustrated – A-Plus Anatomy: The Life of a Cell ($3.99) and Mobile Learning Projects in the iOS Classroom (Free). Both books are available for purchase/download on Apple Books. The Life of a Cell, the first book in my A-Plus Anatomy series, covers the first unit of the BIOL 121 course. Why did you decide to make the switch to OER? Students have become increasingly unsatisfied with the required textbooks. The texts are over-priced and more challenging than necessary for a beginning pre-clinical student. The publisher’s digital resources usually require another purchase and additional log-in to another LMS, and they are often not well-matched to the text. I’ve always wanted to write and illustrate my own textbooks, and Apple’s book creation tools (iBooks Author, Pages, Keynote) make it easier than ever to write and publish interactive multi-touch textbooks (iBooks). I teach a section of A&P I that is 1:1 Blended with iPads/iPhones and writing a multi-touch textbook specific to the needs of my students was the next logical step. Describe other strategies you have used to minimize the cost of materials for students? I allow students to use older editions of the required textbooks and post a variety of free, interactive digital resources that I have created on my website at http://robswatski.virb.com/. Are you using OER as your primary text or as supplemental materials? Currently as optional supplements to the required textbook. Where do you find quality OER? Apple Books How did you evaluate the OER you selected? The two books that I use in my courses are ones that I wrote and illustrated specifically to the needs of my students based on my experiences teaching anatomy and physiology for over 20 years. Were there any challenges to using OER, as compared to traditionally published materials? No, I’ve had no trouble incorporating my books into my online course on iTunes U (Apple’s learning management system for higher ed), where I can easily link the course sections to the book’s chapters. The only issue is for students who like print textbooks. When you print a multitouch textbook, you lose all of the interactive features. What is your students’ feedback on the OER you have used? Their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Besides the inexpensive $3.99 price, they like the interactive diagrams, simpler illustrations, end-of-chapter review quizzes, and glossary. I am currently collecting their feedback in a formal evaluation since I have only used my text for one full semester so far (Spring 2019). What differences have you noticed in student learning, grades, or engagement when you used OER? I am still in the early phases of using my OER texts, but have observed an improvement in grades and engagement in the first unit of the Blended with iOS course. Students have told me how much the book has helped them understand the concepts and they really enjoyed the interactive study features. What advice do you have for colleagues who are interested in implementing OER in their teaching? I would recommend that they start small and explore the available free/low-cost OER texts published on sites such as Apple Books, OpenStax, etc. and offer one of them to their students as an optional supplement. They can then collect student feedback on their students’ experiences with the book and see for themselves whether OER has a place in their course. |
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