Textbook Affordability and Open Educational Resources (OER)

It is rare to find any textbook, OER or otherwise that fits your class perfectly. However, unlike traditional textbooks, with OER you can do something about it! Adapting an OER may be as simple as excluding a chapter or adding content to better fit your class. Or it could involve rewriting, reorganizing, or even combining multiple OER to create a new product. Typically adapting involves taking a finished OER and republishing it in a similar platform. Things to think about when rewriting:

• Check the license before adapting and abide by it. Some CC licenses are more permissive than others
• Track your changes and consider providing a list of those changes so future adapters have an easier time telling your work from others. 
• Consider where the book will be published and stored. Is the same platform available to you or will you need to find a new option?
• Add alt-tags and other accessibility features to any new content, and any content missing this information. 
• Let CCC Library know you are adapting a book! 

CCC Library

Justine Munds (justine.tucker@clackamas.edu) is CCC's OER point person. Justine can advise you on where to find OER to adopt and adapt. She is also tracking all OER on campus, so please let her know if you are using OER in your classes.

Open Oregon

A fantastic set of resources, an extensive FAQ, and grant opportunities. See what other Clackamas instructors have accomplished.

Open Oregon offers support through a statewide Open Education Instructional Designer, Veronica Vold (she/her). Veronica is highly collaborative and centers on building meaningful relationships with instructors and teaching teams. Contact Veronica and Open Oregon.

​CCC course material adoption

Check with your department for their recommendations.

Financial support 

Apply for a CCC minigrant. Teams have had successful OER minigrant proposals that have made their projects successful.

Open Oregon Grant applications open up a few times a year, so be on the lookout for them.  These grants may be for authoring an OER from scratch, adopting and adopting OER, or reviewing OER. 

For other grant assistance contact amy.cannata@clackamas.edu. She may or may not be able to offer OER specific help at this time.

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