USG Teaching & Learning Conference 2016

ALG Panel Presentation

In this panel presentation Affordable Learning Georgia Grantees will discuss the following three projects and share their experiences in developing and using open and low cost textbooks and materials.


Use of Open Educational Resources in the Survey of Chemistry I Course (CHEM 1151) 

Estelle Nuckels

General, Organic, and Biology (GOB) textbooks and online homework systems are costly, causing many students to forgo purchasing either or both. In an attempt to lower student costs, we have opted to use the OpenStax Chemistry textbook, a free online resource, with Sapling Learning, a lower cost online homework system. In this talk, we will discuss using a Principles of Chemistry textbook for the Survey of Chemistry I course, challenges that we have encountered, and student feedback. Reorganization of the material and strengthening the course curriculum to better support students entering the nursing program has also occurred. Lecture design hybridizes typical lecture with a flipped-classroom approach, drawing from the strengths of both teaching styles.


A Look at the Use and Effectiveness of OER in an Upper-Level Psychology Course 

Judy Grissett

The purpose of this presentation is to describe one instructor's experience using open educational resources (OER) in an upper-level psychology research methods course (PSYC 4431: Experimental Psychology). The presenter will outline her experiences using an OER textbook and supplemental activities (e.g., homework and in-class activities), focusing on the 1) use and 2) effectiveness compared to a traditional publisher's textbook used the previous semester. Specifically, it will cover the selection and implementation of OER, a description of the materials used, and a report of students' grades and perceptions of the OER, such as their willingness to engage with the materials.


Teaching Calculus with OER, including WeBWorK 

Shaun Ault

As part of the Affordable Learning Georgia Grant, the author and co-PI, Sudhir Goel, developed and used free open-access materials for the course Analytical Geometry & Calculus I at Valdosta State University. Two pilot courses were run with no-cost materials in Fall 2015, and results collected. This presentation focuses on the OER materials chosen and created for the pilot courses, including a library of WeBWorK problems modeled on exercises in a free textbook called APEX Calculus (ver. 3).