OER Projects

Dr. Nikolay Kolev, Dr. Pierre-Philippe Ouimet, Dr. Olusola Fasunwon and Dr. Arzu Sardarli are developing a new open textbook on introductory physics for use in first-year physics courses offered at the University of Regina. The textbook will include a specific focus on the creation of Canadian content, with a special emphasis on Canadian cultures, such as Indigenous Peoples’ traditions.

Dr. Amber Fletcher is creating a new open textbook on research methodology and qualitative methods for second-year social science courses offered at the University of Regina. Clearly written with applied examples and practice activities throughout, this textbook will provide an easy-to-follow introduction to qualitative research methods for undergraduate students, as well as graduate students who are new to qualitative methods. The textbook is aimed at students in multiple social-science disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, psychology, gender studies, education and nursing.

This project is currently underway to provide students in the bilingual nursing program with access to the open textbook in French. It is expected that other Canadian French language nursing programs may adopt this text for their programs.

Monica Cliveti is developing a Virtual Tour and Tutorials to accompany the currently used open access material to enhance teaching and learning in related Geoscience undergraduate classes offered by the Faculty of Science. The Virtual Tour and Tutorials will feature short videos geoscience field research methods including site selection criteria, measurements, sampling and archiving of soils and sediments. These videos will demonstrate proper methods of study in the geoscience field and will enhance student field study experience and supplement required field experience if COVID protocol cancels the field work needed for the course. The videos and tutorials will provide the student an opportunity to conduct field studies vicariously. Several sites have been selected for filming in order to show students the wide variations in soil types and soil properties, Luvisolic soils (Gray wooded and gray near Kamsack), Black Chernozems near Yorkton and Melville, Dark Brown Chernozemic near Balgonie, Solonetzic and Brown Chernozems near Weyburn, Vertisolic soils in Regina and Regosolic soils in the Qu’Appelle and Assiniboine River Valleys.

Dr. Joyce McBeth and J. Armand are developing a Geology Laboratory Manual to accompany the currently used open-access material in this class. This supplementary resource will enhance teaching and learning in the Geology 201 undergraduate class offered by the Faculty of Science

Dr. John Barden is developing a new open textbookk from an existing set of open-access resources. The resource will be used by undergraduate students in a core Biomechanics course within the Human Kinetics major in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies. The open textbook will have the following content and aims:

• Provide students with a background in the Physics and Mathematics required in the program
• Provide additional background in anatomy/physiology required in the program
• Provide a highly interactive resource that will make considerable use of digital media

Dr. Arzu Sardarli and Dr. Andrei Volodin are developing an open textbook in Statistics for undergraduate students. This textbooks will be used by students in at least three Introductory Statistics courses at the University of Regina and federated colleges. The open textbook developed will have the following content and aims:

• Provide examples specific to Canadian context
• Provide examples with Indigenous content helpful for Indigenous students

Dr. Shannon Holmes and Dr. Melissa Morgan are developing a new open textbook from an existing set of open-access resources. The resource will be used by students in voice classes (offered in both the Music and Theatre Departments) to better work independently on their vocal skills away from the studio/classroom setting. This resource will provide instruction and practical exercises that keep a consistent standard regardless of who is teaching the class. This resource also allows students to access new skills when needed while reinforcing the concepts introduced in class. Additionally, this resource serves as a vital teaching tool in situations where the student is not able to be physically in class.

Dr. Jacqui Gagnon is developing a new open textbook that will be the primary textbook for Introduction to Financial Accounting. The main purpose of this textbook is to create a highly readable and engaging instructional tool that provides students with a solid accounting foundation. The proposed textbook scaffolds concepts by providing opportunities to engage the material in an interactive workbook-style resource. The resource is to be written in extremely accessible, conversational language. Students often find new accounting terminology and concepts overwhelming, a feeling this is compounded by the academic writing style of traditional textbooks. Students who speak English as an additional language are further disadvantaged. The high readability complements scaffolding in small increments to reduce overwhelm and demystify financial accounting concepts and practice. Lastly, the resource produced will be disability-accessible, equipped to adapt to those with both physical and cognitive disability.

Dr. Lindsey French is developing a Pressbook in Sound Studies and Sound Art to accompany the currently used open access material to enhance teaching and learning in related classes offered by the Faculty of Media Art and Performance (MAP). The goals of this project are:

• To compile contemporary practical guides for engaging listening practices with a focus on decolonial and feminist practices in Sound Studies and Sound Art, from a variety of contributors.
• To contextualize these guides with best practices for their use in the classroom, and to make them available and accessible to educators, students and practitioners.
• To become familiar with the Pressbooks format for this pilot project, to create a manageable resource that can be revised and built upon in future iterations.

Open Pedagogy Fellowship Project: Dr. Roz Kelsey is co-creating (with students) an open textbook exploring Diversity Issues in Kinesiology, Health and Sport.

Dr. Arzu Sardarli and Ms. Ting Zhou (Instructional Designer) will develop audio and H5P activities for the existing Cree Dictionary of Mathematical Terms textbook. The resource will be used by students in Cree 100, 105 and EMTH 215 at First Nations University of Canada. The project aims to make the content of this textbook more accessible and effective in actively engaging learners of differing learning preferences.

Dr. Omid Mirzaei and Mr. George Hartner will develop an Indigenous-related case studies repository in Pressbooks. The resource will be used in Economics courses by instructors in the Faculty of Arts to make the classroom environment more diverse and to raise students’ awareness of issues around economics and Indigenous peoples.

Dr. Cristyne Hebért is developing an open access WordPress website with OER videos that demonstrate assessment being done in the Saskatchewan classroom. The site will be used in Education Core Studies courses in the Faculty of Education. The main purpose of this website is to provide contextual information for pre-service teachers around how particular assessment methods are enacted and how particular assessment practices are used.

Dr. Taiwo Afolabi new open resource/workbook for Doing Socially Engaged Theatre in Community Context in Pressbooks. The resource will be used by students in Theatre Department within the Faculty of Media, Arts and Performance. The open manual will have the following content and aims:

•  Facilitate the opportunity for guided learning in theatre classes and enable students to access new skills on their own/time to better understand the concepts introduced in class.
• Each chapter will contain between one to two, 10-15 minute videos, an audio presentation and a workbook section.

Dr. j wallace skelton will oversee the development of a Slide Deck & Resources to support 2SLGBTQIA content. The resources will be used by faculty/instructors and students in Education Core Studies courses and EFDN 306 in the Faculty of Education, but will be published with an open license and accessible online.

The open educational resources will have the following content and aims:

• The resources will create greater understanding, support creating climates of welcome and celebration and making schools safer for 2SLGBTQIA students.
• The resources will provide made-in-Saskatchewan resources to support
  2SLGBTQIA+ students.

Dr. Fidji Gendron will oversee this Open Pedagogy Fellowship Project: This project involves a Wikipedia assignment through dashboard.wikiedu.org. Students from the Fall 2024, BIOL 100 course will practice editing and adding content to Wikipedia pages.  They will research health issues such as diabetes and tuberculosis with a special emphasis on Indigenous people, to find supporting documents for their posts.