3/30 4:30pm Libraries workshop "Exploring Open Textbooks" + funded review opportunity

[Anita Walz]

Dear Colleagues,

Greetings from the University Libraries! If you or VT faculty colleagues are considering course materials for summer or fall courses, please join us and bring your questions to “Exploring Open Textbooks” via Zoom on March 30th 4:30-5:30pm Register here

About this session: 

Are open textbooks too good to be true?  The short answer is no. Fortunately, open textbooks are not too good to be true! 

While there is probably no such thing as a free lunch -- open textbooks are provided completely free of charge. Open textbooks are full, real textbooks, created and used by faculty across the country. They are licensed to be freely used, customized, and distributed. A growing number of faculty from around the world have chosen to adopt open textbooks. Others have decided to freely share their original course materials for use, customization and distribution in this way with other faculty, students, and the general public. Many view this as a service to their students and their discipline.

There is much to be gained by taking a further look at open textbooks. Take a look with us! 

Join Library faculty at “Exploring Open Textbooks” via Zoom on March 30th 4:30-5:30pm for an overview that will include:     

• Discussion of what you like / don’t like about current course materials

• Course material impacts on students

• What we mean (and don’t mean) by “open textbook”

• Creative Commons licenses

• VT’s Guidelines on Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Textbooks

• Other faculty reviews

• An invitation to write a short review of an open textbook - and get $200!*

Bring your questions! 

One place to find open textbooks is the Open Textbook Library which has over 850 open textbooks across many disciplines available for review.

Register here!

*The review stipend requires workshop attendance and completion of a written review of an open textbook. The open textbook must be related to a course you teach and available from the Open Textbook Library. Reviews are due via the review system within six weeks after the session. Funding is coordinated and provided by VIVA (the Virtual Library of Virginia). Graduate students are welcome to attend but are not eligible for stipends from VIVA.

Questions? Please contact Anita Walz arw...@vt.edu, Kayla McNabb kmc...@vt.edu or visit https://guides.lib.vt.edu/oer

Anita R. Walz

Associate Professor

Assistant Director for Open Education and Scholarly Communication Librarian
Library Liaison to Economics and Legal Studies

Virginia Tech | University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061
arw...@vt.edu | T: 540-231-2204 | Twitter: @arwalz

http://www.lib.vt.edu

Open Educational Resources Guide http://guides.lib.vt.edu/oer
Access to University Library Resources during virtual learning: https://lib.vt.edu/find-borrow/library-resources-covid19.html