The Libraries proudly support faculty making their courses affordable for all students. Among other things, the Libraries offer a large collection of textbooks for student use and support making library-licensed e-content available to your students. We’re also ready to help you discover, use or even develop and publish your own open educational resources
If your course is covered by the criteria of the Libraries’ TextSelect program, make students aware that the textbook is available to check out at the Fenwick Library Information Desk.
Choose a textbook or articles where the library already offers free digital access. Place the item on ‘e-reserve‘ and then link to the item on your Blackboard site or include a link in your syllabus.
Choose an existing Open Educational Resource (see Finding OER to get started).
Developing and Publishing OER
Working with colleagues across campuses, the Libraries’ Mason Publishing Group has developed two avenues for faculty to develop open educational resources for their courses. First: the use of our our digital publishing platforms like Mason Journals to collect, review, and publish OER materials for use in the University’s mandatory English 302 course. Second: the creation of low cost textbooks available through print on demand services and placed on sale in the University Bookstore.
Mason English 302 Open Educational Resources
Mason Publishing hosts and supports the Mason English 302 Open Educational Resources site, a peer reviewed repsository of open educational resources for use in Mason’s English 302 classes. Led by Composition Program faculty and initially supported by a 4-VA Course Redesign Grant, the site allows faculty to easily search, reuse, and adapt the teaching materials developed by their colleagues.
Pathways to Public Relations
Mason Publishing has also published several low-cost textbooks. For example, Pathways to Public Relations is used as a standard introductory textbook for Mason’s Introduction to Public Relations course in the Department of Communication.
Support from the Libraries’ Teaching and Learning Team
The Libraries’ Teaching and Learning Team supports undergraduates in general education courses, as well as graduates, faculty, and community members familiarizing themselves with the Mason Libraries. As part of their overall portfolio, Teaching and Learning staff work collaboratively with Mason Publishing to help faculty identify appropriate OER materials for undergraduate teaching.
Other services offered include:
Classroom Instruction Sessions
Classroom Instruction provided by the Teaching and Learning Team facilitates the development of research and critical thinking skills.
In addition to by-request workshops, the Teaching and Learning Team offers regular workshops on the Zotero citation management software.