OpenStax Audiobook - Instructor Canvas Shell

[Henderson Barrick, Brian G]

Dear OER Leaders,

 

Last month I published an audiobook adaptation of the OpenStax American Government 3e audiobook.  This OER resource is especially helpful for auditory learners, students with disabilities, and students who speak English as a second language. Students can improve their comprehension by listening to the audio while simultaneously reading the text. 

 

An instructor Canvas shell is now available for you! 

 

It is incredibly easy to add this resource to your own Canvas courses.  The shell includes embedded audio players, sample syllabus language, and embedded OpenStax textbook chapters.  This resource will make a great addition to your Winter and Spring session courses.

 

This short YouTube tutorial highlights the contents and explains how to easily add this material to your courses.

 

YouTube Link:  https://youtu.be/iydDfPJKHHU

 

 

Please feel free to let me know if you need help adding this resource.  I would be glad to meet over Zoom to support.  The audio recordings also continue to be available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. 

 

Sincerely,

 

BRIAN BARRICK
Instructor, Political Science | Los Angeles Harbor College
1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington, CA 90744

 

 

 

 

From: "Henderson Barrick, Brian G" <HEND...@LAHC.edu>
Date: Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 3:45 PM
To: "cccoer-...@googlegroups.com" <cccoer-...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: American Government Audiobook

 

Dear OER Leaders,

 

I am pleased to share a new OER resource with you.  An audiobook adaption of the OpenStax American Government 3e textbook is now available for Political Science students and instructors.  This a very popular OER textbook that is widely used in Introduction to US Government courses throughout the country.  The audio recordings are now available on a number of platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and on our project website [https://www.openaudio.us]. 

 

I would be grateful if you would share this resource with Political Science instructors at your institution. 

 

 

Background:

I use the OpenStax American Government textbook for my Introduction to US Government courses.  As an auditory learner myself, I have personally learned a tremendous amount from podcasts and audiobooks.  This gave me the idea to combine my interests in higher education, political science, and emerging technologies and produce an audiobook adaptation of the text for learners throughout the nation.  This textbook may be especially helpful for students with disabilities, auditory learners, and students who speak English as a second language.  Many students listen to the audio while simultaneously reading the text. 

 

Engagement:

As of today, the project has received the following levels of listener engagement:

 

• Podcast Downloads/Streams: 2,600+
• YouTube Views: 8,400+
• YouTube Hours Streamed: 2,877

 

Listener Feedback:

Below are comments from real students using this audiobook resource:

• “This audiobook was so helpful! I have a learning disability and learn better when I read the text while also listening to it. I hate having to use text-to-speech [software] because of how it sounds. However, this was amazing. Thank you!”
• “Thank you so much for making this! I am a student who works 12 hour shifts. Having this allows me to listen to the text and then go home and read it. It has helped me immensely and my grade shows it! I wish I had this same opportunity in my other classes!”
• “Great voice. Great textbook. Outstanding audiobook. Thank you!”

 

Instructor Resources:

Students can already access all 17 chapters of high quality audio recordings.  An instructor Canvas shell is currently being developed, making it easier to incorporate the recordings into Canvas.  The Canvas shell will be available by the end of this year, and will be posted to Canvas Commons and the OpenStax Instructor Resources page.  Thank you to CC-ECHO for providing the funding for this project.  

 

 

I would love to see increased adoption of this resource as instructors begin planning for their Winter and Spring semester courses.  I am glad to discuss the project with anyone who may wish to connect. 

 

Respectfully,

 

BRIAN BARRICK
Instructor, Political Science | Los Angeles Harbor College
1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington, CA 90744