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https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/74470/overview	Online Communication Skills Quiz Overview This five-question quiz is designed to check students' understanding of the tutorial Communication Skills for Online Learning. Correct responses below: - Synchronous communication takes place live or in real time. - true - Your communication on discussion boards should be more formal than the language you use outside of class. - true - What does netiquette mean? - Rules of good behavior online - Online communication is more open to misinterpretation than face-to-face communication. - true - What are the three email principles that RAR stands for? - Respond, attach, re-read The following brief quiz is designed to check your understanding of the tutorial Communication Skills for Online Learning. The tutorial was published by California Community College Chancellor's Office, under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Please choose the one response that best answers each question. - Synchronous communication takes place live or in real time. - true - false - Your communication on discussion boards should be more formal than the language you use outside of class. - true - false - What does netiquette mean? - Standards for conduct in tennis - Rules of good behavior online - Network programming language - Online communication is more open to misinterpretation than face-to-face communication. - true - false - What are the three email principles that RAR stands for? - Read, address, revise - Respond, ask, review - Respond, attach, re-read - Read, act, respond Image above courtesy of California Community Colleges via Twitter	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:54.764309	11/09/2020	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/74470/overview", "title": "Online Communication Skills Quiz", "author": "Laurie Buchholz" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/82851/overview	Cinderella Tales: 10 International Versions of the Famous Tale Enchanting Readers With Revisionist Fairy Tales Heroic Journey PPT The Hebrew Bible As Mythology (1) Myth: How Our Stories Connect Us All Overview This resource is a lesson plan intended to introduce minoritized freshman and sophomore college students to the study of mythology and to its universal importance as the foundation of our common cultural heritage. The module may also be modified to accomodate high school level language arts courses. This resource will represent approximately three weeks of a typical 10 to 15 week World Literature survey course. Course Overview This module represents three units (or approximately three weeks) of a 10-15 week course. It is designed for literature and language arts instructors who may be teaching World Literature courses at the freshman to sophomore college level at HBCU or other minoritized serving institutions. The module will examine the application of mythology to cultural values and the relevance of mythical stories to our lives. Through this course, students will gain a basic knowledge of myth, its purpose, some of its most common stories, tropes, and archetypes, but most importantly, its relevancy to their own lives. The course will ask students to reexamine such commonly held beliefs as that "myths are stories that are not true," "myths are lies," or that mythology is "just a bunch of old stories from long ago that mean nothing for me." Through the course, students will gain insight into how mythology continues to form the very basic foundation of our culture, our popular entertainment, and our lives and communities. For minoritized students, in particular, it is important that students are exposed to the myths of their own cultures, but also, that they understand how to recognize the commonalities that their own myths have with much of the Western, or Greco-Roman myths that are most commonly studied in literature and language arts courses. This will help them to better understand what mythologist Joseph Campbell referred to as the universal pattern of all world mythology, and what Carl Jung referred to as the "collective memory." Audience: The audience for this module will be primarily instructors of undergraduate freshman and/or sophomore level HBCU students. Length of Course: This resource will cover three weeks of what may typically be a 10-15 week course in World Literature. Student Learning Outcomes Unit 1: Defining Myth: What It Is, What It Is Not, and Why It Matters Objective 1: Students will develop a working knowledge of what myth is and how it helps us connect with a culture's values. Objective 2: Students will be able to identify some of the most common misconceptions, or "myths" about myth. Objective 3: Students will have a basic mastery of the most common mythological tropes: The Heroic Journey, The Epic, and The Fairy Tale. Students will be able to connect these common tropes to their own cultural experiences. Unit Two: The Heroic Journey Objective 1: Students will read and gain basic mastery of at least three core texts that will exemplify these tropes. Objective 2: Students will learn to identify the stages of The Heroic Journey Objective 3: Students will utilize critical thinking skills to understand the differences between the "classic hero" and what we normally associate with the term. Objective 4: Students will learn how to apply Joseph Campbell's theories of The Heroic Journey to modern examples in cinema, television, and other forms of popular entertainment. Objective 5: Students will demonstrate the ability to apply the concepts of The Heroic Journey to real world applications within their own culture and communities. Unit Three: "Beware The Big, Bad Wolf! The Dark Underbelly of Fairy Tales: Objective 1: Students will be able to successfully identify the origins of fairy tales and the psychological role they play in human mythology. Objective 2: By analyzing both traditional stories and modern renditions and "re-workings" students will gain demonstrable understanding of fairy tale tropes and their implied or explicit meanings. Objective 3: Students will demonstrate basic understanding of the major differences between the original stories and often "sanitized" versions (Disney, etc). Objective 4: Students will demonstrate effective synthesis of these ideas by completing a creative project which will have them incorporate a classic fairy tale, a modern example of their own choice, and/or an original story they will create based on themselves. By mastering SLO #4, students will gain a better understanding of how fairy tales represent "collective memory." Technology In order to adequately teach the course, instructors will need a text or reader with an adequate selection of classic mythology, world literature, and folklore. A projector, computer, and Internet access and/or access to streaming will be necessary for the audio-visual component. Students will need computer and internet access (unless the course is taught in a traditional face-to-face classroom with built-in computer and audio-visual technology). However, students may still need internet and computer access for reviewing materials. Unit 1: What is the Role and Purpose of Myth? Content Recorded Lecture: Welcome To The Wondrous World of Myths & Stories! View Powerpoint Presentation: What is Myth? View Episode 1 of Myths and Monsters: Heroes and Villains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFhVxyO-2TM&list=PL0naAFWFozzuN9QjXCLwQxwGFuF_IBFPU View Episode 2 of Myths and Monsters: The Wild Unknown View Carl Jung: What Are the Archetypes? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wywUQc-4Opk Read selections from The Hebrew Bible (Genesis 1-25) View Powerpoint Presentation: The Hebrew Bible as Mythology Activities Class Discusson: What Does Myth Mean To You? The focus of this discussion should be an informal introduction to the topic of myth. Allow students to discuss whatever beliefs they have held about mythology prior to the course. Game: Which Wilderness Scenario Do You Fear the Most? Understanding humanity's relationship with nature and the environment is essential for not only gaining a basic knowledge of the origins of mythology, but for understanding where many of our subconscious fears and societal taboos arise. In this twist on the "Would You Rather...?" game, students are given a choice of four natural or wilderness environments-a deep, dark forest, a desert, an ocean, or a mountain range-and asked to consider such questions as which they would most fear to be stranded in, and which would they prefer IF it came down to a choice (and why). Where Would You Rather Be Stranded? The Forest? The Ocean? The Desert? The Mountains? Assignments/Assessments Students may choose between the following two assignments: Choice #1: Compare a Biblical story to a story from classical Greek, Roman,or Norse mythology. This assignment may be a written reflective paper, or presented as an acted skit or video. Students should focus on comparing how the Judeo-Christian God (which most students will universally recognize as "our god") compares in behavior, temperament, and image to the gods of other cultures and mythic traditions, or they may choose to focus on the common themes/archetypes of the stories. Choice #2: Using the stories of Acteon and Artemis, the Celtic fairy myths, and other tales as models, students will conduct a study of their own neighborhood or environment as a microcosm of "The Wild Unknown." In doing so, students should be asked to consider how, for example, certain locations may be deemed as "taboo" or that may present special fears, risks, or challenges. Students may either complete the task as a written paper or as a group presentation (the latter option may be a preferable way to encourage class or group discussion). Unit 2: The Heroic Journey: Everyone is On It Content View Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxrEdH1Evik View Joseph Campbell: Initiation Through Trials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzhIQqVL6Vc&list=PLR62HwYfMq9rYwI6AV9zW1C5m0i774lB0 View Hero's Journey: Step By Step: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uV_sqcbyIw&t=373s View Nietchez and Jung: Myth and the Age of the Hero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPWIhyreUdU View "Heroic Journey" Powerpoint Reading Material: The Hero's Journey: Is There a Hero in Me? OER Commons Resource (authors Molly Berger, Susan Smith, Lynn Olmos, Vance Jennings). https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/57718/overview View "The Hero's Journey-Joseph Campbell" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNPcefZKmZ0&t=50s View "PNTV: The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et_BHgP3M7E&t=323s Read Sundjata, available in various online pdf versions. View The Lion King (rental streaming available online) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsrtPvKey-U View clip from The Walking Dead: Season 1 Episode 1 ("Rick Leaves the Hospital"). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdjHJ4JC7sk Activities Class Discussion: Analyze and compare Sundjata and The Lion King Journey Map: Using Joseph Campbell's stages of The Heroic Journey, students will map out which stages we see the character Rick Grimes undertake in the first episode of The Walking Dead. Reflective Analysis: Using Activity 2 and 3 from The Hero's Journey: Is There a Hero in Me? as a model, students will consider what qualities make someone a hero based on their own experience and conception of the term, then will compare to the qualities of Gilgamesh, Sundjata, Simba, and Rick Grimes. Which of their qualities seem to align with the conventional perception of a hero? Which qualities seem most at odds with the idea of heroism as we more typically define it? Assessments Student Hero Project: Students will choose from ONE of the below three projects: Choice #1: My Heroic Journey: In this assessment, students will create a "life map" which details a major event/crisis of their life and how they managed to get through it. They should be able to relate each stage to the stages of The Heroic Journey as outlined by Campbell. Choice #2: Students will interview someone from their own community who they consider to be a hero. They must be able to summarize their findings and conclusions in a detailed written report that compares and contrasts their subject with either a classic or contemporary mythic hero from popular culture. Choice #3: Using the examples discussed in class as models, students will put together an oral presentation that analyzes a contemporary "hero" from popular culture in terms of the classic "Heroic Journey" trope. Regardless of which of the above projects students choose, successful completion of this assessment must demonstrate an understanding of classic heroism, the stages of The Heroic Journey, the purpose of the journey's undertaking, and how the journey can serve as a metaphor for our lives. Unit 3: Beware The Big Bad Wolf: Fairy Tales and The Collective Psyche Content Read selections from Fairy Tales: A New History by Ruth B. Bottigheimer, State University of New York Press, available as a PDF download from Academia.edu. https://www.academia.edu/37767098/Fairy_Tales_A_NEW_HISTORY_a_Fairy_Tales_A_NEW_HISTORY_a View Ancient Origins of Fairy Tales https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flJQxNqUWS0 View FAIRY TALES explained by Hans Wilhelm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yTR-LUV8VM View Transforming Our Understanding of Fairy Tales https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jit32hKZ-BM Read OER resource Enchanting Readers With Revisionist Fairy Tales by James Bucky Carter (this lesson plan can be modified for adult and young adult students). https://www.oercommons.org/courses/enchanting-readers-with-revisionist-fairy-tales Read OER resource Behind the Scenes With Cinderella by Carol L. Butterfield (may be modified for freshman or sophomore level students). https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/behind-scenes-cinderella View Disney's The Princess and The Frog, 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H22ui1JYvDM Activities The study of fairy tales will make clear at least two prevailing motifs: The manner in which fairy tales represent our collective, subconscious fears and impulses, and their importance to understanding cultural perceptions of gender (especially in regard to female roles). Class discussions should focus on these topics as students read, view, and consider the content sources above. Revisioning The Stories: On their own, students will research and find another cultural version of a familiar fairy tale. Websites such as this one linked to in "Section 4 Resources," Cinderella Tales: 10 International Versions of the Famous Tale, may be an excellent place to start. After completing their initial research, students will break out in small discussion groups to compare their findings. The activity should encourage students to consider how different cultural norms and expectations influence each version of the story (but also should note those common motifs' that appear to be universal). Disney vs. Grimm: Ask students to compare a Disney film to the original story. They may start with The Princess and the Frog but can also incorporate other choices. It is important, however, to guide students in their choices to ensure they are actually choosing true fairy tales (Pocohantas, for example, should not be used as it is not a fairy tale). However, this still leaves a vast library from which students may choose-Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, etc). In a reflective paper, ask them to discuss their comparison in light of what they have learned from the content covered.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:54.800226	Ethnic Studies	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/82851/overview", "title": "Myth: How Our Stories Connect Us All", "author": "English Language Arts" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/64578/overview	B-Buddhist Scriptures C-Psalm 104 D-Book of John selection E-The Koran selections Sacred Texts of World Religions Overview - Selection from the "Bhagavad Gita," inThe Mahabharata - Selection from the Teachings of Buddha - Selection from the "Book of Psalms;" The Holy Bible - Selection from the "Book of John;" The Holy Bible - Selection of surahs from The Holy Koran Sacred Writings of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam Simply put, the Humanities study human culture throughout the world from the first moment of human existence until the present. Because all of cultural history is such a vast subject, humanists often aim to study certain cultures at certain times and to investigate representative cultural production that seems to best capture the human spirit—those “true and beautiful” works that best make sense of who we are, where we have come from and where we are going. Attached you will find selections from the following sacred texts: Selection from the "Bhagavad Gita," inThe Mahabharata Selection from the Teachings of Buddha Selection from the "Book of Psalms;" The Holy Bible Selection from the "Book of John;" The Holy Bible Selection of surahs from The Holy Koran Contextualization of Religious Traditions with Local Culture - Curricular Unit Overview: “THE MYTHIC CENTRAL VALLEY: IDEAS OF EDEN AND BIBLICAL EXILE” Simply put, the Humanities study human culture throughout the world from the first moment of human existence until the present. Because all of cultural history is such a vast subject, humanists often aim to study certain cultures at certain times and to investigate representative cultural production that seems to best capture the human spirit—those “true and beautiful” works that best make sense of who we are, where we have come from and where we are going. For instance, all cultural traditions answer the perennial questions (“Who are we?” and “Where did we come from?” and “Where are we going?”) in ways that seem to strike us as true, wise or beautiful. In order to find different answers to these existential questions, we study the plastic arts, music, architecture, cinema, philosophy, religion, poetry, drama and literature from both a historical and a thematic perspective. Doing interdisciplinary research and demonstrating learning in the Humanities is also enriched by understandings of one’s “place” in both geographic and temporal ways. This curricular unit is intended for those who currently live and study in California’s Central Valley but could also serve as a model for other curricular investigations that involve “place” and religious traditions that seek to make timeless and mythic sense of the purpose and direction of life. The Central Valley is made up of individuals who practice many world religions yet there are also consistent elements that connect many belief systems—these are often archetypal or mythic structures of belief. One of the best ways to understand this underlying mythic similarity is to look at the practices of everyday life as ritual. When we look at everyday life as ritual we focus on predictable or repeated actions that are performed by individuals or groups with a coherent belief system, often with the aid of ritualistic tools. Examples of ritualistic tools include performing sacraments, music or chants as well as reading and discussing sacred texts. Monotheistic belief structures, in particular, attempt to employ reading and pondering sacred texts as rituals to emphasize the sacred embedded within the ordinary and every day. The purpose of this curricular module is to give an example of how important mythological and religious traditions—such as the Western monotheisms of Judaism, Christianity and Islam—use sacred text to transform lived experiences in “place” (both geography and time), particularly today in California’s Central Valley, into a timeless, mythic journey. This curricular unit asks students to find the “mythic” in our day-to-day lives by comparing our contemporary understanding of the perennial questions of existence—in contemporary fiction and non-fiction—to Biblical stories of paradise, exile and exodus. - Guiding Questions: Examples of mythic stories in sacred texts include Creation Stories (Enuma Elisha, Prose Edda, “Genesis”), Redemption Stories (“Matthew,” “Mark,” “Luke” and “John;” The Ramayana), and Destruction and Unveiling Stories (The Epic of Gilgamesh, “Revelation,” The Koran). This curricular unit—which could also be used to “wrap around” an existing course lesson related to mythological and religious texts such as the Enuma Elisha, Prose Edda, The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Koran or The Ramayana and even performative rituals of certain faiths--asks students to read selections of fiction and non-fiction related to California’s Central Valley in an attempt to identify the “mythic structures” of daily life in the Central Valley as they relate to patterns of paradise and exodus in The Holy Bible. This particular curricular example compares views of “Genesis” and “Exodus” in the Old Testament to the contemporary works of fiction and non-fiction that focus on life and daily living practices in California’s Central Valley. Guiding Questions: - What is the order of Creation according to “Genesis” and why is this ordering of creation important to a human sense of the presence of God in the world? How does the order of creation and the purpose of the Edenic world in “Genesis” compare to contemporary writings about California’s Central Valley? In contemporary fiction and non-fiction is the Central Valley most often portrayed as a) Eden; b) a place of exile; c) as a place to exodus to; or d) a place to leave? Why do you think this is so? - What are the overall effects of religion on the development of human civilizations and cultures? How can we observe and analyze the influence religion plays in cultural production as well as perceptions of meaning about the purpose and direction of life? - What role does a religious community play in forming personal and group identities? - Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to: - Analyze Biblical explanations, particularly in “Genesis” and “Exodus,” for the purpose of work, suffering, agricultural activity and migration. - Apply monotheistic (Jewish, Christian and Islamic) understandings of existential quandaries, garnered through the reading of sacred texts, to daily life in California’s Central Valley as explicated in contemporary fiction and non-fiction. - Background/Preparation Instructions: While human beings throughout time have found plenty to disagree about—politics, financial matters, family and neighborly feuds—perhaps there is no more contentious subject than religion. Religion, understood broadly as a system of beliefs and practices meant to venerate the supernatural. Religion is, at once, deeply personal and also communal in that its precepts are generally enacted in conjunction with a large community of fellow worshippers. Students should first read and discussion selections from “Genesis” and “Exodus” in the Holy Bible that deal with conceptions of Eden and the cause, purpose and resolution of experiences of exile. Reading selections: - “Genesis” and “Exodus” in The Holy Bible. Biblical accounts of Eden and exile and exodus in “Genesis” from the Old Testament: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/k/kjv/kjv-idx?type=DIV1&byte=1477 and “Exodus” from the Old Testament: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/k/kjv/kjv-idx?type=DIV1&byte=220736 Then students should read and discuss contemporary selections of fiction and non-fiction that portray Central Valley life—especially Edenic allegories and migration as meaningful exile—in Biblical terms. Reading selections: - Contemporary Fiction and Non-Fiction selections from: John Steinbeck’s “The Harvest Gypsies;” William Saroyan’s “Fresno;” David Mas Masumoto’s “Firedance;” Joan Didion’s “Notes from a Native Daughter;” James D. Houston’s “In Search of Oildorado;” Bill Barich’s “Prison Valley.” - Lesson Activities: After reading both Biblical passages from “Genesis” and “Exodus” as well as selections of contemporary fiction and non-fiction and discussing each separately, students should begin to “synthesize” how Biblical allegory is re-employed in contemporary fiction and non-fiction of California’s Central Valley. In addition to discussions—analytic, synthetic and evaluative in nature—students can apply what they have learned by talking of allegorical and symbolic parallels between sacred texts and contemporary writings by any number of activities. Recommended Activities: - Ask students to perform skits of “Eden,” “The Fall” or “Exodus and Return” but with Central Valley influences that might include dress, slang, setting and slight plot alterations. For instance, a skit on how a group of Hmong migrants to the Central Valley echoes the Hebrews and their struggles under Pharaoh and subsequent wandering “in the wilderness.” - Ask students to write and read their own works of fiction about Central Valley life that consciously employ Biblical parallels. - Ask students to prepare small group presentations with audio-visual supports that detail how living in the Central Valley might echo mythic structures of meaning and purpose related to living in agricultural (garden-like) communities and living in communities with large numbers of migrants from other places and cultures. - Assessment Students should apply what they have read and discussed to ultimately write an academic paper or work of fiction, perform a skit, or give a presentation that focuses on an understanding of how sacred texts can help give daily life new dimensions of understanding and meaning. In order to evaluate integrative learning in the Humanities, an understanding of what “doing” interdisciplinary work means. According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities: “Integrative learning is an understanding and a disposition that a student builds across the curriculum and co-curriculum, from making simple connections among ideas and experiences to synthesizing and transferring learning to new, complex situations within and beyond the campus.” According to the National Endowment for the Humanities: "The term 'humanities' includes, but is not limited to, the study and interpretation of the following: language, both modern and classical; linguistics; literature; history; jurisprudence; philosophy; archaeology; comparative religion; ethics; the history, criticism and theory of the arts; those aspects of social sciences which have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods; and the study and application of the humanities to the human environment with particular attention to reflecting our diverse heritage, traditions, and history and to the relevance of the humanities to the current conditions of national life." The attached “Integrative Learning Value Rubric” from the Association of American Colleges and Universities provides additional information about best practices in integrative learning as well as pedagogical terms and objectives that are often used in framing integrative learning curricular units, student projects and grading rubrics. - Extending the Lesson/Suggestions for Further Research and Learning: Instructors may further encourage exploration of the mythic structures that provide new richness and meaning to daily living in California’s Central Valley. For instance, the following Open Educational Resources may be employed to create additional research and application projects that ask students to take what they learn about Jewish and Christian religious history, belief and praxis and seek parallels in contemporary Central Valley culture: Online Research: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/literature/21l-458-the-bible-spring-2007/lecture-notes/ Title: MIT Open Courseware: The Bible Online Research: http://oyc.yale.edu/religious-studies/rlst-145 Title: Yale University, RLST 145: Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) Online Research: https://itunes.apple.com/itunes-u/w3719-history-modern-middle/id412486643 Title: W3719 History of the Modern Middle East – Audio by Professor Richard Bulliet Online Research: http://oyc.yale.edu/classics/clcv-205/lecture-1#ch1 Title: “The Judeo Christian Tradition” Online Research: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/birthintro.html Title: “Ancient Jewish History: The Birth and Evolution of Judaism” Online Research: Title: “Borrowing from the Neighbors: Pagan imagery in Christian art” THE SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND: Culture in California’s Central Valley	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:54.864377	03/28/2020	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/64578/overview", "title": "Sacred Texts of World Religions", "author": "C. Redwing" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114881/overview	Using OpenStax and Derivita in My Asynchronous Online Mathematics Courses Overview Archived session from the 2024 Arizona Regional OER Conference. Session Title: Using OpenStax and Derivita in My Asynchronous Online Mathematics Courses. This resource includes the session abstract, presenter(s), and recording. Session Abstract, Presenter(s), and Recording Session Abstract Since the pandemic, I have been using a combination of OER and LTC resources in my asynchronous online mathematics courses: (1) OpenStax, a library peer-reviewed, openly-licensed textbooks, which are available in free digital formats and for a low cost in print; (2) Desmos, an advanced graphing calculator implemented as a web application and a mobile application; (3) Derivita, a solution-oriented online homework program with simple and powerful capabilities. Since OpenStax and Desmos are free and the cost of Derivita is only $30 plus tax for students, my courses are flagged as LTC for being "low textbook cost." In this session, I show how I use these three resources to support student success from MAT114 (College Algebra Prep) to MAT230 (Calculus and Analytical Geometry II) as well as opportunities for improvement. Presenter(s) - Matthew Coignet, Glendale Community College Recording	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:54.878954	04/02/2024	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114881/overview", "title": "Using OpenStax and Derivita in My Asynchronous Online Mathematics Courses", "author": "OERizona Conference" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114891/overview	MAC-122 Final Exam MAC-122 Mid Term MAC-122 Questions and Answers MAC 122 - CNC Turning Overview This course introduces the programming, setup, and operation of CNC turning centers. Topics include programming formats, control functions, program editing, part production, and inspection. Upon completion, students should be able to manufacture simple parts using CNC turning centers. Resources include lectures, supplemental videos, and projects. This coruse was created using the Odigia platform. MAC 122 - CNC Turning This course introduces the programming, setup, and operation of CNC turning centers. Topics include programming formats, control functions, program editing, part production, and inspection. Upon completion, students should be able to manufacture simple parts using CNC turning centers. Resources include lectures, supplemental videos, and projects. This coruse was created using the Odigia platform. This product was funded by a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. The product was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability, or ownership.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:54.898850	04/03/2024	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114891/overview", "title": "MAC 122 - CNC Turning", "author": "Bo Bunn" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/84421/overview	Gradient and Directional Derivatives: Calculus 3 project by Charles Tang and Hengyuan Zhang Overview This Project has been completed as part of a standard 10 weeks Calculus 3 asynchronous online course with optional WebEx sessions during Summer 2021 Semester at MassBay Community College, Wellesley Hills, MA. Introduction Imagine standing on a mountain blindfolded, and you are tasked with reaching the peak of the mountain. You feel your foot around the surface you are standing on, and realize one of the directions is the steepest in the upwards direction. You take a step in that direction and repeat that until you reach the peak. Your path might look something like the image below. To the right of the mountain is an image showing what your path might look like if you were to draw level curves along the mountain. *the vector notation used below is the column vector notation, which is simply the transpose of the row vector and means the exact same thing A transposed vector is a "flipped" version of the vector. For example, the row-vector $<a,b,c>$would be $\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} a\\ b\\ c \end{bmatrix} \end{align}$in column-vector notation. In more advance courses such as linear algebra and advanced calculus courses, you will see more of the column vector-notation. What you just performed was an iterative process of using the gradient of some function, in that example - a mountain. The Gradient A gradient of a function or a vector field is a vector that encompasses all of the partial derivatives of the function. It is defined using the nabla symbol $\nabla f(x,y)$, or grad $ f$ for some function $f$. Definition of Gradient Gradient of $f(x,y)$ Let $z=f(x, y)$ be a function of two variables x and y such that all partial derivatives exist. The vector $\nabla f(x,y)$ is called the gradient of $f$ and is defined as $\vec \nabla f(x,y)=\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial x}\\ \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial y} \end{bmatrix} \end{align}$ \| Gradient of $f(x,y,z)$ Let $f(x, y, z)$ be a function of three variables x, y, and z such that all partial derivatives exist. The vector $\nabla f(x,y,z)$ is called the gradient of f and is deffined as $\vec \nabla f(x,y)=\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial x}\\ \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial y} \\ \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial z} \end{bmatrix} \end{align}$ \| Even Higher Dimensions - Gradient of $f(x,y,z, \dots)$ The previous definitions can be generalized to higher dimensions. Assume all partial derivatives of the function exist, then the gradient of is defined as $\vec \nabla f(x,y)=\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial x}\\ \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial y} \\ \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial z}\\ \dots \\ \dots \end{bmatrix} \end{align}$ \| At every point along the surface of the function, there corresponds to a gradient vector that points in a direction normal to the level curve as long as the function has continuous first-order partial derivatives around the points to which the gradient is drawn from. This also means that the gradient vector points in the direction of the steepest ascent. In the image below, each arrow corresponds to a gradient vector drawn along a level curve of $a = f(x_1, x_2)$ that points towards the relative maximum. As you can see, each gradient vector is normal to the level curve. This is analogous to our first example of climbing a mountain where the fastest way to get up the mountain is to continually climb along the gradient vectors until you reach the peak. Example 1 - Calculating Gradient Given $z=f(x,y)=2x^3+4y^2+4xy$, find the gradient vector $\nabla f(x,y)$ at point $(2, 3)$ Solution First, we need to find the partial derivative with respect to x and the partial derivative with respect to y in order to construct the vector for the gradient. $\dfrac{\partial} {\partial x}[f(x,y)]= \dfrac{\partial} {\partial x}[2x^3+4y^2+4xy]$ $\dfrac{\partial} {\partial x}[f(x,y)]=6x^2+4y$ $\dfrac{\partial} {\partial y}[f(x,y)]= \dfrac{\partial} {\partial y}[2x^3+4y^2+4xy]$ $\dfrac{\partial} {\partial y}[f(x,y)]=8y+4x$ Thus, the gradient vector is $\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} 6x^2+4y\\ 8y+4x \end{bmatrix} \end{align}$ then evaluated at the point $(x, y) = (2, 3)$, the gradient vector at the point $((2, 3), f(2, 3))$ is $\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} 6\times 2^2+4\times 3\\ 8\times 3+4\times 2 \end{bmatrix} \end{align} = $$\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} 36\\ 32 \end{bmatrix} \end{align} $ Example 2 - Calculating Gradient Given $f(x,y,z)=yz\sin(x)+e^{xyz}+4z$ , find the gradient vector $\nabla f(x,y,z)$. Solution: First, we need to find the partial derivative with respect to x, the partial derivative with respect to y, and the partial derivative with respect to z in order to construct the vector for the gradient. $\dfrac{\partial f }{\partial x}=\dfrac{\partial }{\partial x} [yz \sin(x) +e^{xyz}+4z] \\ \dfrac{\partial f }{\partial x}=\dfrac{\partial }{\partial x} [yz \sin(x)] +\dfrac{\partial }{\partial x}[ e^{xyz}]+\dfrac{\partial }{\partial x}[4z] \\ \dfrac{\partial f }{\partial x}=yz \cos(x) + yz e^{xyz} $ $\dfrac{\partial f }{\partial y}=\dfrac{\partial }{\partial y} [yz \sin(x) +e^{xyz}+4z] \\ \dfrac{\partial f }{\partial y}=\dfrac{\partial }{\partial y} [yz \sin(x)] +\dfrac{\partial }{\partial y}[ e^{xyz}]+\dfrac{\partial }{\partial y}[4z] \\ \dfrac{\partial f }{\partial y}=z \sin(x) + xz e^{xyz} $ $\dfrac{\partial f }{\partial z}=\dfrac{\partial }{\partial z} [yz \sin(x) +e^{xyz}+4z] \\ \dfrac{\partial f }{\partial z}=\dfrac{\partial }{\partial z} [yz \sin(x)] +\dfrac{\partial }{\partial z}[ e^{xyz}]+\dfrac{\partial }{\partial z}[4z] \\ \dfrac{\partial f }{\partial z}=y\sin(x)+ xy e^{xyz}+4 $ Constructing the gradient vector using the partial derivatives gives us: $ \nabla f(x,y,z)= \begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} yz \cos (x)+yz e^{xyz}\\ z\sin(x) +xz e^{xyz}\\ y\sin(x) +xy e^{xyz}+4) \end{bmatrix} \end{align} $ Please watch the supplemental video found near the bottom of the wiki page that summarizes what we learned above. Directional Derivatives Another question you might ask from the mountain analogy, in the beginning, is: How steep is the mountain in any specific direction? We know that the partial derivatives with respect to x and y represent the "steepness" of the mountain in the x and y directions respectively, but we don't know a way to find the rate of changes in any direction. The directional derivative in the direction of unit vector $\vec u$ is represented with a capital $D$ and a subscript $\vec u$ i.e. $ D_{\vec u}$. Definition of Directional Derivative Directional Derivative of $f(x,y)$ Let $z=f(x, y)$ be a function of two variables x and y, and assume that $f_x$ and $f_y$ both exist. Then the directional derivative of f in the direction $\vec u = <\cos(\theta), \sin(\theta)>$ is $D_{\vec u}~ f(x,y)= \lim_{h \to 0}\dfrac {f(x+h\cos \theta, y+h \sin \theta)-f(x,y)}{h}=\\ \hspace{2.4cm} \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial x}\cos\theta+ \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial y}\sin\theta$ \| Directional Derivative of $f(x, y, z)$ Let $w=f(x, y, z)$ be a function of three variables x, y, and z and assume that $f_x,~ f_y$ and $f_z$ exist. Then the directional derivative of $f$ in the direction $\vec u = <\cos(\alpha), \cos(\beta), \cos(\gamma)>$ is $D_{\vec u}~ f(x,y,z)= \lim_{h \to 0}\dfrac {f(x+h\cos \alpha, y+h \sin \beta,z+h \cos \gamma)-f(x,y,z)}{h}=\\ \hspace{2.4cm} \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial x}\cos\alpha+ \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial y}\cos\beta+\dfrac{\partial f}{\partial z}\cos\gamma$ \| Directional Derivatives in Higher Dimensions Let $ z = f(x, y, z, ...)$ be a function of multiple variables $x, y, z, ... ,$ and assume that all partial derivatives exist. Then the directional derivative of $f $ in the direction $\vec u = <cos(\alpha), cos(\beta), cos(\gamma), ...>$ is $D_{\vec u}~ f(x,y,z)= \lim_{h \to 0}\dfrac {f(x+h\cos \alpha, y+h \sin \beta,z+h \cos \gamma, \dots )-f(x,y,z, \dots)}{h}$ or $D_{\vec u}~ f(x,y,z)= \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial x}\cos\alpha+ \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial y}\cos\beta+\dfrac{\partial f}{\partial z}\cos\gamma+ \dots= \nabla f \cdot \vec u$ \| The directional derivative of a function is the dot product between the gradient vector of the function and the unit vector of the specified direction. The general formula for the directional derivative is $\nabla f \cdot \vec u$ for function $f$ and unit vector $\vec u$ . A directional derivative may look like one of the following images, where the direction of the unit vector is along the plane. Using the directional derivative $\nabla f \cdot \vec u$ , and our vector properties, we know that $ \vec \nabla f \cdot \vec{u}= \|\| {\vec \nabla f}\|\| \cdot \|\|\vec u \|\|\cdot \cos (\theta)$. Since $\vec u$ is a unit vector and has a magnitude of 1, we know $ \vec \nabla f \cdot \vec{u}= \|\| {\vec \nabla f}\|\| \cdot \cos (\theta)$ . To answer a common question, in what direction does the directional derivative point in the direction of steepest ascent and/or steepest descent, we want to maximize/minimize the directional derivative $ \vec \nabla f \cdot \vec{u}= \|\| {\vec \nabla f}\|\| \cdot \cos (\theta)$. To maximize the directional derivative, cos(θ) must equal 1 and the direction is thus the direction that the gradient points to. To minimize the directional derivative, cos(θ) must equal -1 and the direction is the direction opposite the gradient vector points towards. This proves our previous statement that the gradient points to the direction of the steepest ascent and the negative of the gradient point to the direction of steepest descent. This concept is useful in areas like Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence where models are trained using an iterative method of finding the gradient. Example 1 - Finding the Directional Derivative Given $z=f(x,y)=x^2e^y+3xy^2$ , find the directional derivative in the direction $\theta=\dfrac{\pi}{3}.$ Solution: The directional vector is the unit vector: $\vec u= \begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} \cos(\pi/3)\\ \sin(\pi/3) \end{bmatrix} \end{align} =$$\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} \dfrac{1}{2}\\ \dfrac{\sqrt {3}}{2} \end{bmatrix} \end{align} $ The gradient vector for the function $f(x, y)$ is: `\vec (nabla) f(x,y)= [((partial f)/(partial x)),((partial f)/(partial x))]= [((partial )/(partial x) [x^2e^y+3xy^2]),((partial)/(partial y)[x^2e^y+3xy^2])]=[( 2x e^y +3y^2),(x^2 e^y+6xy) ]` $\vec \nabla f(x,y)=\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial x}\\ \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial y} \end{bmatrix} \end{align}$=$\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} \dfrac{\partial }{\partial x} [x^2e^y+3xy^2]\\ \dfrac{\partial }{\partial y} [x^2e^y+3xy^2] \end{bmatrix} \end{align} = $$\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} 2x e^y +3y^2\\ x^2 e^y+6xy \end{bmatrix} \end{align} $ Using the definition and formula to find the directional derivative given the gradient and the unit vector, we find the dot product between the two: $D_{\vec u}~ f(x,y)= \nabla f(x,y) \vec u=$$\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} 2x e^y +3y^2\\ x^2 e^y+6xy \end{bmatrix} \end{align} \cdot $$\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} \dfrac{1}{2}\\ \dfrac{\sqrt {3}}{2} \end{bmatrix} \end{align}= $$\dfrac{1}{2}(2x e^y +3y^2)+\dfrac{\sqrt{3}}{2}(x^2 e^y+6xy)$ Example 2 - Finding the Directional Derivative Given $z=f(x,y)=\cos(xy)$, find the directional derivative in the direction of the vector $\vec v=<4,3>$ at the point $(1,\dfrac{\pi}{2})$ . Solution: First we need to make our directional vector a unit vector $\vec u_v$, so we scale it by its magnitude $\|\| \vec v\|\|=\sqrt {4^2+3^2}=\sqrt{25}=5 \Rightarrow \vec {u_v }=\Big<\dfrac{4}{5},\dfrac{3}{5} \Big>$ Next we use the formula for the directional derivative: the dot product between the gradient and the unit directional vector. To find the gradient, we need to take the partial derivatives with respect to x and y. The gradient vector for the function $f(x, y)$ is: $\vec \nabla f(x,y)=\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial x}\\ \dfrac{\partial f}{\partial y} \end{bmatrix} \end{align}$$=\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} \dfrac{\partial }{\partial x} [cos(xy)]\\ \dfrac{\partial }{\partial y} [cos(xy)] \end{bmatrix} \end{align} = $$\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} -y\sin(xy)\\ -x\sin(xy) \end{bmatrix} \end{align} $ Using the definition and formula to find the directional derivative given the gradient and the unit vector, we find the dot product between the two: $D_{\vec u}~ f(x,y)= \nabla f(x,y) \vec u_v=$$\begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} -y\sin(xy)\\ -x\sin(xy) \end{bmatrix} \end{align} $$\cdot \begin{align} \begin{bmatrix} \dfrac{4}{5}\\ \dfrac{3}{5} \end{bmatrix} \end{align}= $$\dfrac{4}{5}(-y\sin(xy))+\dfrac{3}{5}(-x \sin(xy)$ Evaluating it at the point $(1, \dfrac{\pi}{2})$, we get $D_{\vec u}~ f(1,\dfrac{\pi}{2})= \dfrac{4}{5}(-\dfrac{\pi}{2}\sin(\dfrac{\pi}{2}))+ \dfrac{3}{5}(-\sin(\dfrac{\pi}{2}))=-\dfrac{2\pi}{5}-\dfrac{3}{5}=\dfrac{-2\pi-3}{5}$ Please watch the supplemental video found near the bottom of the wiki page that summarizes what we learned above. Properties of the Gradient using Directional Derivatives Suppose the function $f(x,y)$ is differentiable at $(x_0,y_0)$ , then: - If $\nabla f(x_0,y_0)=0$ , then $D_{\vec u}~ f(x_0, y_0)=0$ for any unit vector $\vec{u}$. - If $\nabla f(x_0,y_0)\ne 0$, then $D_{\vec u}~ f(x_0, y_0)$ is maximized when $\vec{u}$ points in the same direction as $\nabla f(x_0,y_0)$. The maximum value is $\|\|\nabla f(x_0,y_0)\|\|$ - If $\nabla f(x_0,y_0)\ne 0$ , then $D_{\vec u}~ f(x_0, y_0)$ is minimized when $\vec{u}$ points in the opposite direction as $\nabla f(x_0,y_0)$ . The maximum value is $-\|\|\nabla f(x_0,y_0)\|\|$ . These properties are pretty intuitive as we have discussed some above. Supplemental Videos Directional Derivatives, Gradient Applications of Gradients and Directional Derivatives Please watch this video before moving onto the next section to understand how the gradient plays a role in machine learning. https://youtu.be/IHZwWFHWa-w Conclusion Gradients and Directional Derivatives play a powerful role in math and other fields, especially machine learning. With the formulas and processes shown above, you are now able to calculate the gradient and directional derivatives of multivariate functions. If you are on a mountain with a defined function giving its height everywhere, you are able to find how steep the mountain in every direction and the direction of steepest ascent/descent. We hope you found this wiki page about gradients and directional derivatives helpful. Be sure to check out two other wonderful wiki pages below to learn more topics in Calculus! Arc-length in Polar Coordinates References [1] D. Nykamp, An introduction to the directional derivative and the gradient https://mathinsight.org/directional_derivative_gradient_introduction [2] G. Strang, E. Herman, N. Bila, S. Boyd, D. Smith, E. Terry, D. Torain, K. Messer, A. Mulzet, W. Radulovich, E. Rutter, D. McCune, M. Merriweather, J. Lakey, J. Levandosky, C. Abbott, J. Debnath, Calculus Volume 3, OpenStax, 2016. [3] P. Dawkins, Pauls Online Notes https://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Classes/CalcIII/DirectionalDeriv.aspx (updated March 10, 2021) [4] S. Jamshidi, Directional Derivatives and the Gradient Vector http://www.personal.psu.edu/sxj937/Notes/Directional_Derivatives_and_The_Gradient_Vector.pdf (Updated 2013)	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:54.937071	Igor Baryakhtar	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/84421/overview", "title": "Gradient and Directional Derivatives: Calculus 3 project by Charles Tang and Hengyuan Zhang", "author": "Homework/Assignment" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114902/overview	Positive Psychology OER Implementation: Lessons Learned Overview Archived session from the 2024 Arizona Regional OER Conference. Session Title: Positive Psychology OER Implementation: Lessons Learned. This resource includes the session abstract, presenter(s), resources, and recording. Session Abstract, Presenters, Resources, and Recording Session Abstract I would like to present lessons learned from my implementation of an MIT Open Courseware grant. In this grant I integrated different elements that included teaching in a Live Online environment, involving students as authors, adapting and mixing OER resources, and integrating pedagogical practices to engage students in cognitive and non-cognitive learning outcomes. Presenter(s) - Fernando Romero, Chandler-Gilbert Community College Resources Recording	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:54.955998	04/03/2024	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114902/overview", "title": "Positive Psychology OER Implementation: Lessons Learned", "author": "OERizona Conference" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114904/overview	OERizona Info Session Overview Archived session from the 2024 Arizona Regional OER Conference. Session Title: OERizona Info Session. This resource includes the session abstract, presenter(s), and recording. Session Abstract, Presenter(s), and Recording Session Abstract Learn about the new leadership structure and how to get involved in the OERizona Network. Presenter(s) - Megan Crossfield, Yavapai College & OERizona Network Board President - Matthew Bloom, Scottsdale Community College & OERizona Network Past President Recording	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:54.969934	04/03/2024	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114904/overview", "title": "OERizona Info Session", "author": "OERizona Conference" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/74311/overview	Instructional Guide: Our Communities after COVID-19 Overview This guide is intended to support you in adapting the State of Innovation’s “Our Communities after COVID-19” Challenge case into a lesson plan to implement with your students. It includes background information on the case, problem solving questions for students to work on, and suggested activities to use with your students. It also explains how you can get support during the Challenge, including helping your students connect with industry leaders throughout the Challenge. State of Innovation: Our Communities After COVID-19 How to Use This guide is intended to support you in adapting the State of Innovation’s “Communities After COVID-19” Challenge case into a lesson plan to implement with youth. It includes background information on the case, problem solving questions for youth to work on, and suggested activities to use with youth. It also explains how you can get support during the Challenge, including helping youth connect with industry leaders throughout the Challenge. Challenge Case The COVID-19 pandemic will not last forever, but it has changed the way of life for nearly all Washingtonians. Our buildings, public spaces, homes, and communities are designed for our pre-COVID-19 world, but we anticipate that we will need to maintain some level of social distancing in our communities and buildings for several years in the future. We want to figure out how we can create a healthy future that still allows us to stay connected as a community. Your challenge is to help the state imagine how we could redesign our buildings, public spaces, homes, and/or communities to allow for both social distancing and community connections. How can we help Washington build back from the pandemic in a healthier, more resilient, and more sustainable way? Watch the Communities After COVID-19 Challenge case video for a brief overview of the topics and themes covered by this Challenge case. Career Paths - Architecture and Construction - Business and Marketing - Distribution and Logistics - Human Services - Transportation Learning Objectives Youth will be able to… - Solve real problems around rebuilding communities currently facing Washington State - Analyze social and logistical issues impacting their local communities - Evaluate emerging solutions to rebuilding communities after the COVID-19 pandemic - Develop new proposals and prototypes to rebuild Washington’s economy and infrastructure Implementation The resources presented in this guide are designed to be used flexibly based on the needs of youth and your classroom. You are invited to develop lesson plans of your own in alignment with your course, leveraging one or more of the problem solving questions below or weaving the rebuilding theme into your own curriculum. You are also encouraged to use or build on lesson plans shared by other Washington State educators - see the “Support” section of the guide for information on how to access the State of Innovation Lesson Bank on OER Commons. Structure and Timing Participation in the State of Innovation Challenge has no strict time expectations or requirements. Youth can meaningfully engage with this Challenge with as little as one hour, or as much as several months. Youth are invited to work on this challenge individually or in teams of any size. If you have one class period, you could: - kick off the Challenge case with the Communities After COVID-19 Challenge video - present one of the problem solving questions to youth with a brief class discussion - break youth into small groups to each read one of the provided background information resources - have youth summarize their findings to the class, highlighting any ideas they have to build on the existing solution - Suggested end product: A quick poster or slide deck If you have one week of classes, you could: - kick off the Challenge case with the Communities After COVID-19 Challenge video - present an overview of each problem solving question and allow small groups of youth to each choose one question to focus on - have each group explore the background information resources provided for their question - ask each group to develop a novel solution to their problem in the form of a lightweight design proposal, building on the successes and shortcomings of existing solutions in that space - provide a space for groups to each present their solutions to the class with ample time for discussion and peer feedback - Suggested end product: A design proposal document or poster If you have one month of classes, you could: - kick off the Challenge case with the Communities After COVID-19 Challenge video - present an overview of each problem solving question and allow small groups of youth to each choose one question to focus on - have each group explore the background information resources provided for their question, and additionally find several research sources of their own - ask each group to develop a novel solution to their problem in the form of a robust prototype, model or sales pitch - run weekly design reviews with ample time for discussion and peer feedback - connect youth with relevant industry leaders for authentic feedback - help youth connect with relevant end users for user-oriented collaborative design opportunities - Suggested end product: A functional prototype or business plan Project Submissions Youth can submit projects in a wide range of formats to the Challenge. Once you’ve selected the project format below that works best for you/your group, please review the submission guidelines in the Appendix and submit your project through the submission portal at www.innovationwa.org. Problem Solving Questions Below are some suggested questions for youth to tackle in this Challenge case. You can choose to use one or more of these questions, or you can create a problem of your own choosing that is related to the Challenge case. \| Theme \| Problem Solving Question \| \| Housing \| As we plan for the future - what are some strategies cities or towns could pursue to ensure everyone has a safe place to live? \| \| Urban Centers \| How would you design an urban center that serves the needs of our communities after COVID-19? \| \| Redesigning Schools \| How would you redesign a classroom, school, or educational experience (e.g. school day schedule, method of learning delivery -- virtual, online, etc.) to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection and maximize effective learning for students? \| \| Safe Factories and Worker Safety \| Imagine you were in charge of a manufacturing business in your community. How would you keep workers safe while ensuring operations continued smoothly? \| \| Climate Change and Wildfires \| Design a community to lower the risk that people, homes, and businesses face from wildfires. \| You can find more information on each problem solving question below, including additional context and links to background information in the form of articles, videos 🎥 and data presentations 📊. Housing COVID-19 has really shown how important having a safe, clean place to live is not just for individuals but for the health of our entire community. Many cities have come up with creative ways to quickly house people - including building tiny house villages, creating modular housing, placing people in hotels or motels, changing the way they design homeless shelters, creating eviction moratoriums, and increasing access to affordable housing. As we plan for the future - what are some strategies cities or towns could pursue to ensure everyone has a safe place to live? - Are there innovative types of housing we should consider building or building more of? - How can communities help inform these decisions? Background Information - $98 million allocated to Washington state for homeless protections against coronavirus - KING 🎥 - A colorful ‘tiny house village’ for youth is opening in Oakland - The Oaklandside - COVID-19 outbreak among three affiliated homeless service sites - CDC - Plum Street Village residents say it offers a reprieve, not a solution to homelessness - The Olympian 🎥 - Seattle fast-tracks tiny house village for homeless amid coronavirus outbreak - KING 🎥 - Tiny house village inside old Kmart could shelter 200 people - Minnesota Reformer - Washington Homelessness Statistics - USICH 📊 Urban Centers The downtown areas of most Washington cities have been designed to support large populations of visitors and workers with office buildings, restaurants, hotels, parks, attractions, concert venues, sporting arenas, and housing. After COVID-19, we may not use these spaces in the same way - for example, workers who are working from home may not return to work in large office buildings in the same numbers. How would you design an urban center that serves the needs of our communities after COVID-19? Would you repurpose existing infrastructure (office buildings, restaurants, parks, transportation, etc.), and if so, how? Background Information - COVID-19: is working from home really the new normal? - The Economist 🎥 - How experts are rethinking the workplace - National Geographic - How the coronavirus recovery is changing cities - Bloomberg - How to design a post-pandemic city - Bloomberg - Redesigning the COVID-19 city - NPR - Redesigning the office for the next 100-year flu - NPR Redesigning Schools Finding a safe way to reopen schools so students can learn in person instead of online is one of the state’s top priorities. But school buildings are not necessarily designed to allow students and teachers to safely learn during a pandemic. Some architects are beginning to re-imagine how schools could be designed in the future to provide better health and safety and maybe better learning environments. How would you redesign a classroom, school, or educational experience (e.g. school day schedule, method of learning delivery -- virtual, online, etc.) to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection and maximize effective learning for students? - Should it be a virtual classroom? - Should it be blended - virtual and in-person? Background Information - 6 classroom layouts to maintain social distancing - Fanning Howey - Enrollment is dropping in public schools around the country - NPR - Parents gamble on virtual schools amid coronavirus closures - Seattle Times - Reopening American: Strategies for safer schools - American Institute of Architects - Washington aims for improved virtual learning as classes begin - MyNorthwest - What back to school might look like in the age of COVID-19 - NY Times - Will coronavirus prevention have positive long-term impact on classroom design? - Education Dive Safe Factories and Worker Safety Manufacturing is an essential business in Washington state and it cannot usually be done from home - people who work in manufacturing need access to tools, equipment, materials, and working conditions that can only be found in a manufacturing business. Imagine you were in charge of a manufacturing business in your community. How would you keep workers safe while ensuring operations continued smoothly? - What protective equipment should workers wear? - What protocols should you adopt to allow for greater distancing between employees? - Will you test employees regularly to ensure they are not infected, and if so, how? - Look at manufacturing businesses in your community for examples Background Information - COVID-19 guidance for the manufacturing industry workforce - OSHA - COVID-19: How to reimagine work for factories and distribution centers - EY - Factory workers face a major COVID-19 risk. Here’s how AI can help keep them safe - World Economic Forum - Manufacturers strive to stop spread of coronavirus while staying at work - Lincoln Journal Star - Phase 2 manufacturing facility COVID-19 requirements - WA State - Tracking coronavirus closures at food and beverage factories - Food Dive 📊 - Washington’s largest meat-packing plant, hard-hit by COVID-19, to reopen - Seattle Times Climate Change and Wildfires As more people are able to work from home, and do not need to be within easy commuting distance of an office, some people are moving to more distant communities that can offer a lower cost of living along with more space. As these communities grow however, they can push closer to protected state and national lands that are at risk for wildfires. Design a community to lower the risk that people, homes, and businesses face from wildfires. - How would you plan the community? - How big would it be and how close would you recommend it get to public lands? Background Information - 5 digital technologies to help fight wildfires - Orange Business - 5 ways to protect your home from wildfires - Sierra Club - The climate case for working from home - Heated - How Silicon Valley companies are thinking about the future of work - Business Insider - Information on Wildfires in WA State - WA State Department of Natural Resources - Microsoft is letting more employees work from home permanently - The Verge - Remote towns evacuated as California wildfire grows - Spokesman Review - WA can't contain epic wildfires without state, federal help - Crosscut - Working from home is erasing carbon emissions - but for how long? - Grist Support Industry Leader Engagement Your class will have multiple opportunities to engage with relevant industry leaders during the Challenge period. These interactions will take the form of pre-scheduled meetings with members of several industries to build on themes related to the Challenge case, learn about career pathways within the industry, and to get feedback on youth work. The schedule for these sessions will be available on the State of Innovation website. Be sure you are signed up for the State of Innovation Outreach list to receive updates as new sessions are added. All sessions will be recorded and posted on the State of Innovation website. Office Hours During the Challenge period, you may request one on one support from a member of the State of Innovation team. To schedule office hours, please visit this link to find a time that works well for you. You can get help with lesson planning, using any of the provided resources, or technical assistance with OERCommons or the youth response forum. OER Commons A wealth of complete lesson plans developed for this Challenge case are available in the State of Innovation group at oercommons.org, a platform for open educational resources. On this website, you will find remote-friendly lessons tailored to middle school classrooms, high school classrooms and Open Doors classrooms. Are you willing to share a lesson plan you’ve developed for this Challenge case with other local educators? Please upload your resources using the button on the State of Innovation OERCommons page. In addition to helping to build a robust lesson bank, the most creative lesson ideas uploaded to OERCommons will be recognized at a celebratory statewide event at the conclusion of the Challenge. Standards Due to the flexible nature of the Challenge, there are a great number of standards that may apply to your specific implementation. If you are looking for standards with which to align your implementation, you may find the following sources from OSPI helpful. CTE Standards - 21st Century Leadership Skills - Program of Study, Career Clusters, and Career Pathways - Program Standards Subject Area Standards - Arts Learning Standards - English Language Arts Standards - Environmental and Sustainability Learning Standards - Mathematics Learning Standards - Science Learning Standards - Social Studies Learning Standards Appendix: Submission Guidelines Disclaimer: Participating youth and their teachers or adult advisors are responsible for securing all necessary parental permissions and/or waivers prior to submitting a Challenge solution. Nano Project - Up to 2 minute video on Flipgrid using one of the followings submission links: - If you don’t have access to Flipgrid, you can also upload a video to Vimeo or Youtube and email a short written solution. Flipgrid Privacy Notice Flipgrid submissions are publicly accessible. Once approved by the project team, your Flipgrid video can be viewed by anyone with a link to the Flipgrid community page. Do not share personal identifiable information such as your last name, name of your school, address, etc. in your Flipgrid video. Flipgrid videos will be reviewed for approval by the project team prior to posting on the community page. Videos containing personal identifiable information, as well as videos containing discriminatory, racist, offensive, obscene, inflammatory, unlawful or otherwise objectionable statements, language or content will be rejected. Video Guidance - In your video, give your first name only -- this will protect your privacy - Say which case you’re working on - The Food Chain - Our Communities During COVID-19 - Our Communities After COVID-19 - State the problem you’re trying to solve - Give your answer - in your own words, what do you think the solution should be? Your answer should: - Reference the case video or at least one of the research links provided for the problem - Explain what this solution would look like if it was used in your community. Who would it help and why? Micro Project Upload through the Submission Portal in one of the following formats: - Submit a video of up to 5 minutes that demonstrates your solution -- this includes a music video -- you can upload your video to Youtube or Vimeo and submit a link through the project website. - Submit a short essay narrating your solution of up to 2 pages (middle school) or up to 4 pages (high school). - Write an editorial explaining your solution and arguing why the state should support your solution -- if possible, submit your editorial to a local or school newspaper for publication. - Submit a drawing or comic that describes your solution. - Create a short research project around the problem-solving prompt. Create a hypothesis, write a research plan for how you will collect data (example: 2-3 questions you will ask community members about the issue), go out and collect the data, and submit a 1-2 page report or a slide deck with your research plan and an analysis of your findings. - Create an elevator pitch for a business or nonprofit entity that implements your solution. For your pitch you can: - Create a slide deck (Powerpoint, Google Slides, Keynote, etc.) or short narrative (maximum 2 pages) explaining what your proposed business is, what problem it solves, and how. - Record yourself giving the pitch, as if you were talking to the state government or other potential investors about supporting your solution -- upload your pitch to Youtube or Vimeo and include a link in your slide deck. Macro Project Upload to the Submission Portal in one of the following formats: Creative Project - Write and record a podcast episode, song, or play about your solution. Record and submit your performance or podcast episode. - Submit a link to your video or podcast through the project website. Create a model - Build a physical model of your solution. Submit a 1-3 page description with photographs of your project. Research Project - Create a research project around the problem-solving prompt. Create a hypothesis, write a research plan for how you will collect data, go out and collect the data, and submit a 3-5 page report or a slide deck with your research plan, an analysis of your findings, and a recommendation for next steps the state could take based on your research. Computer Program or App - Create an app or computer program for your solution. Submit at 1-3 page report about your app/program including: - What it does, and who it helps - How you developed it and why - Any links demonstrating your app or program Service Project - Create a service project around your solution. Submit a 1-3 page report of your project, describing: - What the project was and who you were helping - Did you partner with any other community organizations for your project? If so, describe what they do in the community - The length of the service project -- including how long it took you to prepare for and complete the project - Why you chose this project and what you learned from the process - What you think the state should do about the issue you focused on in your project going forward Business Plan - Create a business plan for a business that implements your solution. This can be an imaginary business or based on a real business in your community, but you must create the business plan yourself. Your business plan should include: - 1-3 page description of your business plan - Staff and customer safety plan for operating safely during COVID-19, including compliance with all state and local public health rules - Projected budget for your business - Sample menu for food, service, or merchandise offering - Optional -- Actually create the food item, service, or merchandise for your business. Photograph and describe the final product - Drawings of the physical space of your business (if physical) - Marketing plan for your business Challenge Submission Criteria We will recognize some of the most creative solutions submitted to the Challenge at our closing event in spring 2021. We’ll be looking for solutions that meet most of the following criteria. \| We are looking for solutions that are… \| That means the solution shows us... \| \| Creative \| Original ideas or your personal spin on existing ideas. \| \| Future focused \| What isn’t happening yet but that you think should be happening. \| \| User focused \| Who will use this solution? What do you know about them and how do you know they would benefit from your solution? \| \| Implementable \| How we can use the tools we have in real life to implement this solution -- unfortunately the Avengers are busy, we checked. Think about how you could use state and city budgets, support from business or philanthropy, donations or volunteer support from communities, etc. to accomplish your goals. \| \| Reflective of you \| How does your personal identity and your experiences shape the way you see the problem? \| \| Reflective of your community \| How are the people around you -- your family, friends, teachers, bosses, teammates, coworkers -- impacted by the problem? How will the solution you propose impact them? \| \| Equitable \| You’ve thought about how this problem impacts people of different races or ethnicities, genders, abilities, or income in different ways. How does your solution help address those different impacts? \| \| Accessible \| Is this a solution that could be used by a person with disabilities? Someone who speaks a language other than English? A person living in a rural area? In an urban area? An elderly person? A person with kids? What about a person who doesn’t have access to the internet or a computer? \|	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.023989	Career and Technical Education	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/74311/overview", "title": "Instructional Guide: Our Communities after COVID-19", "author": "Business and Communication" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/97435/overview	Introduction to the Mean Value Thm. Overview Google Slides fro an Introduction to the mean value thm. Introduction to the Mean Value Thm. Google Slides: Mean Value Thm.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.046317	09/24/2022	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/97435/overview", "title": "Introduction to the Mean Value Thm.", "author": "Lakhvr Atwal" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/115943/overview	HIST 10: Introduction to World History to 1450 Overview This course studies history from a distance, covering tens of thousands of years and touching upon all the locations that humans have ever inhabited. Its focus is on finding patterns and comparisons rather than memorizing facts about names and places. By the end of the course, students should be able to identify and understand long-term and large-scale dynamics of complex change in the past. Themes of the course include connections between groups of people, the movements of people, goods, ideas and non-human species, and human exploitation of the earth and its inhabitants. Attachments The attachment for this resource is a sample syllabus for an introductory course covering world history to 1450. About This Resource This resource was contributed by Dr. Ruth Mostern, Associate Professor, Department of History, and Director of the World History Center, University of Pittsburgh.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.064689	Alliance for Learning in World History	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/115943/overview", "title": "HIST 10: Introduction to World History to 1450", "author": "Syllabus" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/115624/overview	Cognitive Styles when Using Technology (SESMag) Overview What cognitive styles do we use to interact with technology? The SESMag Project has identified six cognitive facets we bring to our use of technology. Overview The SESMag Project has identified six research-based cognitive facets people bring to their use of technology: - Access to Reliable Technology, - Communication Literacy, Education, and Culture - Attitude Toward Technology Risk - Technology Privacy and Security, and - Technology Self-Efficacy Keep reading to learn more about each facet and the SESMag personas that embody different sets of facet values (also called cognitive styles). GenderMag Personas The SESMag Project has defined three SESMag personas: Dav, Ash, and Fee. Each persona represents a different set of cognitive styles. Dav and Fee represent the two ends of the cognitive style spectra and Ash is in the middle. Davu/Davida (“Dav”) \| Asha/Ashwin (“Ash”) \| Felienne/Felix (“Fee”) \| \| Access to Reliable Technology \| Spotty access \| High access \| High access \| Communication Literacy/Education/Culture \| Lower (relative to peers) \| Medium \| Higher (relative to peers) \| Attitudes toward Technology Risks \| Risk-averse \| Risk-averse \| Risk-tolerant \| Technology Privacy and Security \| Tech features viewed as high risk \| Tech features viewed as low risk \| Tech features viewed as low risk \| Perceived Control and Attitude Toward Authority \| Technology outputs cannot be challenged/changed \| Technology outputs can be challenged/changed \| Technology outputs can be challenged/changed \| Technology Self-Efficacy \| Lower (relative to peers) \| Medium \| Higher (relative to peers) \|	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.091508	Psychology	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/115624/overview", "title": "Cognitive Styles when Using Technology (SESMag)", "author": "Information Science" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/120751/overview	Introduction to Graphs Overview A graph is a powerful tool for analyzing complex patterns and relationships, and it helps in drawing conclusions from them. It has wide applicability across various domains A Brief Introduction to Graph A graph is a well-defined collection of vertices (nodes) and edges (links/connections). Nodes generally represent attributes, features, objects, or items, whereas edges represent weights or relationships. A graph can be a network of points connected by edges. Applications of graphs can be found in various fields, including mathematics, computer science, chemistry, biology, social sciences, transportation, agriculture, operational research, etc. There are various types of graphs, such as directed graphs, undirected graphs, multigraphs, planar graphs, complete graphs, simple graphs, weighted graphs, null graphs, finite graphs, infinite graphs, cyclic graphs, acyclic graphs, and many more. The images above describe two types of graphs: - Directed Graph: A directed graph consists of edges with directions. - Undirected Graph: An undirected graph consists of edges with no directions, allowing movement in any direction. Let’s understand some other types as well: 1) Planar Graphs are graphs that can be drawn on a plane without any edges intersecting. 2) Multigraphs allow parallel edges. 3) Pseudographs are graphs that may contain both parallel edges and self-loops. 4) Complete Graphs are graphs where each node is connected to every other node, with all nodes being distinct. 5) Weighted Graphs are graphs where edges are assigned weights or values. 6) Null Graphs contain no edges. 7) Cyclic Graphs contain at least one cycle. One of the important concepts in graph theory is the degree of a graph. The degree refers to the number of edges associated with a vertex. A pendant vertex is one with a degree of 1, while an isolated vertex has a degree of 0. Now, let’s understand three very important theorems of graph theory: - The sum of the degrees of all vertices in a graph is equal to twice the number of edges. - The number of vertices of odd degree is even. - The maximum degree of any vertex in a simple graph with mmm vertices is m−1.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.105314	10/16/2024	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/120751/overview", "title": "Introduction to Graphs", "author": "S Ratna Manjari" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/108946/overview	Audacity Overview Audacity is a versatile and open-source audio editing software that has gained popularity for its user-friendly interface and robust feature set. It offers a wide range of tools for recording, editing, and enhancing audio files, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and experienced audio enthusiasts. Audacity supports multiple audio formats, allowing users to import and export audio with ease. It includes features such as multi-track editing, real-time audio analysis, and a variety of effects and plugins that enable users to manipulate and improve audio quality. Additionally, its extensive documentation and active online community make it an excellent choice for anyone looking to explore the world of audio editing and production. Whether you need to clean up a podcast, edit a music track, or record a voiceover, Audacity provides a free and powerful solution for all your audio editing needs. Overview: Audacity is a versatile and open-source audio editing software that has gained popularity for its user-friendly interface and robust feature set. It offers a wide range of tools for recording, editing, and enhancing audio files, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and experienced audio enthusiasts. Audacity supports multiple audio formats, allowing users to import and export audio with ease. It includes features such as multi-track editing, real-time audio analysis, and a variety of effects and plugins that enable users to manipulate and improve audio quality. Additionally, its extensive documentation and active online community make it an excellent choice for anyone looking to explore the world of audio editing and production. Whether you need to clean up a podcast, edit a music track, or record a voiceover, Audacity provides a free and powerful solution for all your audio editing needs.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.118017	Javan Sullins	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/108946/overview", "title": "Audacity", "author": "Homework/Assignment" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/90130/overview	3cinema two photos and technologyc 3 presentation cinema cinema scenes presentation three Overview cinema scens presentation three cinema scenes presentation three cinema scenes presentation three	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.135645	02/16/2022	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/90130/overview", "title": "cinema scenes presentation three", "author": "stuart lenig" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/80268/overview	College Biology Non-Majors Using Open Educational Resources Overview This is a syllabus used in a course re-designed of College Biology for non-majors at Prairie View A&M Univesity. The aim of this newly developed course is to democratize education. This course incorporates the use of OER and low-cost materials for the students. College Biology for Non-Majors: OER \| SYLLABUS \| \| \| BIOL 1113 COLLEGE BIOLOGY ISpring 2021January 19, 2021 – May 13, 2021INSTRUCTORS: Dr. T.D. VilleralSECTION # AND CRN: Z01, 29318MODE OF INSTRUCTION: Hybrid/Synchronous OnlineOFFICE: E. E. O’Banion Science Building, Suite 430POFFICE PHONE: (936) 261-3176 (Office) 936 261-3179 (Fax)E-MAIL ADDRESS: tdvilleral@pvamu.edu,I make all attempts to answer questions within 48hrs.FACE-2-FACE DISCUSSION/REMEDIATION:TUESDAYS 7:00-8:20AM (ALL SESSIONS HAVE PASSED) TUESDAYS RECORDED LECTURESTHURSDAYS ZOOM AS SCHEDULEDE.E. O’Banion Building Rm 104VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS: 11-1PM, WednesdaysSNAIL MAIL: P.O. Box 519; MS 2210E.E. O’Banion Science Bldg, 430E Prairie View, TX 77446 \| \| \| COURSE \| Biology 1113 is an hybrid course offered via a web-based program and face2face, \| \| MATERIALS \| Via eCourses/CANVAS. All students are expected to read or watch pre-recorded lectures for full in-person review on Thursdays. There is a MANDATORY \| \| REQUIRED ELECTRONIC LRNR PERSONALIZE HOMEWORK. LRNR PERSONALIZED \| \| \| HOMEWORK IS AT A COST TO THE STUDENT OF $40.00. \| \| \| There is absolutely no way to pass this course without this purchase the first 2 weeks of the term. \| Concepts of Biology is designed for the typical introductory biology course for non-majors, covering standard scope and sequence requirements. The text includes interesting applications and conveys the major themes of biology, with content that is meaningful and easy to understand. The book is designed to demonstrate biology concepts and to promote scientific literacy. Good news: your textbook is FREE for this class is available and embedded into your CANVAS platform! If you prefer, you can also get a print version at a very low cost. Your book is available in web view and PDF for free. You can also choose to purchase on iBook or get a print version via the campus bookstore or from OpenStax on Amazon.com. You can use whichever formats you want. Web view is recommended -- the responsive design works seamlessly on any device. If you buy on Amazon, make sure you use the link on your book page on openstax.org so you get the official OpenStax print version. (Simple printouts sold by third parties on Amazon are not verifiable.) Concepts of Biology from OpenStax, Print ISBN 1938168119, Digital ISBN 1947172034, www.openstax.org/details/concepts-biology. Read “Student Getting Started Guide” on CANVAS. \| Print:ISBN-10: 1938168119ISBN-13: 978-1-938168-11-6 \| Digital:ISBN-10: 1-947172-03-4ISBN-13: 978-1-947172-03-6 \| iBook:ISBN-10: 1-938168-22-4ISBN-13: 978-1-938168-22-2 \| HOW TO USE YOUR TEXTBOOK: It is important that you read the assigned chapters before attempting to start any homework or form of assessments. Your textbook has key concepts at the beginning of each chapter. At the end of the chapter the key concepts are reviewed. These serve as the objectives for each chapter. Unless otherwise informed by your instructor you should learn all these concepts. The self-quiz should be taken and the questions that you do not understand should be reviewed for mastery. Student Learning Outcomes: Program Learning Outcome # Alignment: Knowledge of #1) the chemical basis of life, #2) the central concepts of Genetics; #3) Cell Biology; #4) Organismal Biology; and #5) Scientific Communication Core Curriculum Outcome Alignment: Critical Thinking, Communication, Empirical and Quantitative Skills, and Teamwork \| Upon successful completion of the BIOL 1113 course, students will be able to demonstrate the following competencies \| Program LearningOutcome # Alignment \| Core Curriculum Outcome Alignment \| \| \| 1 \| Define and explain basic biological concepts (characteristics of living things, levels of organization, biological kingdoms, the scientific method, atomic particles, cellular components, organic compounds,photosynthesis and cellular respiration, cellular division, genetic crosses and genetic abnormalities and animal structure/function) \| #1 - #4 \| Critical Thinking \| \| 2 \| Apply critical thinking skills to biological science and scientific inquiry \| #5 \| Critical Thinking \| \| 3 \| Analyze and interpret empirical and quantitative biological data \| #5 \| Empirical and Quantitative Skills \| \| 4 \| Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate the fundamentals of biology \| #5 \| Communication \| \| 5 \| Demonstrate the ability to engage in productive teamwork \| #5 \| Communication, Teamwork \| \| Major Course Requirements \| \| \| Method of Determining Final Course Grade \| \| \| Course Grade Requirement \| Percent \| \| 1) 2 Exams (Midterm and Final Exam) \| 40% \| \| 3) Class Assignments (Lrnr Personalized Homework, CANVAS assignments, etc.) \| 50% \| \| 4) Group Discussion Forums and Writing Assignment \| 10%Total: 100% \| \| Grading Criteria and Conversion:A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 70-79 D = 60-69 F = Below 60 \| \| \| Detailed Description of Major Assignments: \| \| \| Assignment Title \| Description and Grade Requirement \| \| 2 Exams \| Valued at 40% of the total grade \| \| Two major exams will be given during the first summer session. Exams will consist of up to 100 multiple-choice questions and essay questions. These exams will cover information covered in the lectures. Exams may consist of multiple choice, K-type (multiple-multiple choice), matching, diagrams, fill-in-the-blank, true-false, short answer and/or essay questions.There will be NO MAKEUP exams for a missed lecture exam, except for documented excuses. All make-up exams must be taken within two class days upon returning to class. All make-up exams will be essay exams. Each student \| \| is responsible for the materials missed during an absence from class. Excused or unexcused absences do not release the student from obtaining the assignments that are missed during an absence. The dates of the lecture exams will be announced in class and posted on CANVAS. The lecture exams count for 50% of your grade.Exam Policy: Exams should be taken as scheduled. No makeup examinations will be allowed except under documented emergencies and student must provide an officially documented excuse (See Student Handbook). If the exam is not made up, a grade of zero (0) will be entered on the grade sheet. It is your responsibility to notify your instructor when you miss an exam and to be present at the scheduled make-up time.The final exam schedule is set by the University and will be given by the specified date. Do not schedule any activity or leave the university during the final exam period \| \| \| Class Assignments \| Valued at 50% of the total grade: \| \| 1) The Lrnr Personalized Homework (web-based) and consists of a variety of learning modalities. Such as chapter quizzes are weekly web-based activities designed to measure the ability to apply critical thinking and use empirical and quantitative skills presented in course material. There will be a minimum of 10 activities given during the CANVAS assignments will typically be available on at the start of each week and be due 14 days after and on SUNDAYS 11:59PM, no exceptions. There are no extensions or considerations give, please note that this is a POLICY FOR ALL STUDENTS including those with DISABILITIES that state (INSTRUCTOR’S DESCRETION). \| \| \| Group Discussion Forums and Writing Assignments Valued at 10% of the total grade: \| \| \| Students will collaboratively engage in assigned scientific topics in an electronic discussion forum. For group discussion forums, students will be randomly placed in small groups and will demonstrate productive teamwork by exhibiting the ability to work effectively with others to support a shared goal and consider different points of view. Students will demonstrate written communication and critical thinking skills by writing a short-written report that summarizes the assigned discussion forum topics covered during the semester. \| \| \| Course Procedures or Additional Instructor Policies \| \| \| COMMUNICATIONStudents can communicate with the instructor via the CANVAS Chat and email direct in the CANVAS Learning Management System).All course correspondences will be posted in the ANNOUNCEMENT section of CANVAS.All communications must be in standard English. Your instructor will not read or respond to abbreviated communications in “text message” format.All electronic mail communication related to this course will utilize the mail tab. To communicate by email within the course with other participants or all participants, click the Mail tab link on the left and click Create Message to send a message. Students can send messages to All Users or Select Users in the course, including the instructor. Be sure to check only the recipients that you want to receive the Email. ‘Your instructor will hold a “virtual” office hour on Wednesdays. During these times I will respond to email inquiries as well as to postings on the discussion blogs. Students will receive timely responses to any email sent during normal business hours (i.e., 8 am to 5:00 pm) during the work week (i.e., Monday through Friday). Any e-mail sent at other times will be addressed during the next regular workday. Should I be out of the office, an unavailable to students, for any reason I will post an announcement so that students may plan accordingly.DISCUSSION FORUMS are required for the course. These discussions are provided expressly to facilitate addressing student’s questions and to stimulate discussion involving the content covered in each lesson. Students may communicate with the instructor and with one another via the discussion forum feature in CANVAS, which is an online discussion forum in which students and faculty can communicate asynchronously (i.e., at any time) via message postings. Since postings are asynchronous, others will post responses after your postings. \| COURSE PROCEDURE This section of Biology 1113 is a three-semester credit hour lecture for 12 weeks course. The course activities are designed to reinforce the textbook materials and to enhance the understanding of scientific concepts. The student should: - Read assigned electronic textbook chapters during the assigned time interval. - Complete Lrnr Personalized Homework modules and CANVAS quizzes during the assigned time interval. . - View CANVAS Homepage on regular basis (at least three times a week (suggested check: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). - Complete CANVAS participation on a weekly basis. - Respond to relevant questions during discussion forum (asynchronous and synchronouscommunications) during the assigned time interval. UNIVERSITY AND COURSE RULES AND PROCEDURES COURSE WORK: - Students MUST take the scheduled quiz or examination within the 24-hour period on the dates indicated. In the Hybrid delivery format, THERE IS NO OPPORTUNITY FOR MAKE-UP QUIZZES. Quizzes will be both in person and online and can occur without any notice. All assignments MUST be submitted by the established deadline. Assignments submitted within 24 hours of the established deadline will be subject to a significant 50% penalty in points. Submissions made more than 24 hours after the established deadline will not be accepted. There is no “extra credit” work available, nor are exceptions or extensions to established schedules and policies except in the case of medical emergency documented with the Dean of Student Affairs. There are two major exams will be given during the semester. Exam questions will be multiple choice, multiple response, fill- in the blanks, matching or short answers. Do not schedule any activity during the final exam period in this class. There will be no excused absences or makeup for the final exam. The final exam is not cumulative. MAKE-UP EXAMS: Students are strongly advised to take all exams at the scheduled time. Plan and schedule your activities so that you can be present to take all exams at the scheduled time. Students with non-valid or non-official excuses for missing an exam will earn a grade of zero (0) for the missed exam. Students may request a make-up exam for one that was missed. However, the instructor will schedule the time of the make- up exam which will not interrupt the complete coverage of the course topics. - STUDENT CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY: The University Attendance Policy requires students to be present for each scheduled class or schedule online assignments. Students are responsible for materials covered during their absences. Online class assignments will start at the prescribed time and end at the prescribed time. Failure to complete online assignments are accumulated beginning with the first day of class. The University catalog provides more detailed information. - ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: Students caught cheating will receive a grade of F for the course. Academic Integrity is of high value in this course. CHEATING and FACILITATION is not tolerated in any form and is subjected to an automatic failure and grade of ZERO. Students are prohibited from participation in acts of academic dishonesty, including tampering with records or falsifying admissions or other information. Disciplinary action will be taken against any student who alone or with others engages in any act of academic fraud or deceit. The undergraduate catalog provides more detailed information. It is the responsibility of students and faculty members to maintain academic integrity at the University by refusing to participate in or tolerate academic dishonesty. Reports must be the work of the individual student. Evidence of copying your work from others, including the world wide web, is cheating. Students should read the section on Offenses and Appropriate Disciplinary Actions in the current PVAMU website catalog. Forms of academic dishonesty: - Cheating: deception in which a student misrepresents that he/she has mastered information on an academic exercise that he/she has not mastered; giving or receiving aid unauthorized by theinstructor on assignments or examinations. - Academic misconduct: tampering with grades or taking part in obtaining or distributing any part of a scheduled test. - Fabrication: use of invented information or falsified research. - Plagiarism: unacknowledged quotation and/or paraphrase of someone else’s words, ideas, or data as one’s own in work submitted for credit. Failure to identify information or essays from the Internet and submitting them as one’s own work also constitutes plagiarism. - NONACADEMIC MISCONDUCT (See Student Handbook): The University respects the rights of instructors to teach and students to learn. Maintenance of these rights requires campus conditions that do not impede their exercise. Campus behavior that interferes with either (1) the instructor’s ability to conduct the class, (2) the inability of other students to profit from the instructional program, or (3) campus behavior that interferes with the rights of others will not be tolerated. An individual engaging in such disruptive behavior may besubject to disciplinary action. Such incidents will be adjudicated by the Dean of Students under nonacademic procedures. - SEXUAL MISCONDUCT (See Student Handbook): Sexual harassment of students and employers at Prairie View A&M University is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Any member of the university community violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action. - DISABILITIES: The office of Disability Services is located in Evans Hall, room 315 or call (936) 2613585. This office is responsible for achieving and maintaining program accessibility for all students who self-identify as having an officially documented disability (Rehabilitation Act, Section 504 and Americans with Disability Act)If you have a disability, please inform me so that I can assist you to get “reasonable accommodation” related to the disability. ADA Statement: Students with disabilities who believe they may need adjustment in this class are encouraged to contact the Office of Disabilities Services at (936) 261-3585 as soon as possible. Once you receive a letter of adjustment from the office, please make an appointment with instructor to discuss adjustments for this class. - STUDENT ACADEMIC APPEALS PROCESS: Authority and responsibility for assigning grades to students rest with the faculty. However, in those instances where students believe that miscommunication, errors, or unfairness of any kind may have adversely affected the instructor’s assessment of their academic performance, the student has a right to appeal by the procedure listed in the Undergraduate Catalog and by doing so within thirty days of receiving the grade or experiencing any other problematic academic event that prompted the complaint. All challenges or recalculations of final course grades must be documented by the student with appropriate paperwork and must be brought to the attention of the instructor within the first week following completion of the course. Quiz and examination grades must be contested within the first week following administration of the quiz or examination. After these deadlines, changes will not be considered. Course Time Limits: This is a semester-based course and you must complete all course requirements within the semester that you are enrolled. It is important to schedule your course study to fit into your academicplan. Be aware many instructors are not on campus during the holidays or term breaks, which can delay the return of corrected assignments. Therefore, if you have important deadlines to meet such as graduation, be sure to complete and submit all of your assignments and take the final examination as scheduled. It is your responsibility to ensure the credits for this course will apply toward graduation or certification deadlines. DR. VILLERAL’S GOLDEN RULES FOR SUCCESS - DON’T LIE - DON’T CHEAT - DON’T ASK FOR AN EXTENSION Please take heed to these rules, as any violation is NOT tolerated and will lead to your own detriment. When in DOUBT ASK (?) There are non-intelligent questions, but don’t be scared to learn or ask! Follow the rules and read the announcements and you too can “CLICK YOUR WAY TO AN ‘A’!” Technical Considerations for Online and Web-Assisted Courses Minimum Hardware and Software Requirements: -Pentium with Windows 7 or PowerMac with OS 10.7 or later -Ethernet or wireless connection to the Internet -Internet provider with SLIP or PPP Broadband service -2GB RAM -Hard drive with 40MB available space -17” monitor, 1024x768, color or 16 bits -Sound card w/speakers -Microphone and recording software -Keyboard & mouse -Netscape Communicator ver. 4.61 or Microsoft Internet Explorer ver. 9.0 /plug-ins or Mozilla, Foxfire, Google Chrome -Plug-ins - Flash 11+ - Java SE6, SE7 - Quicktime 7.7+ Java: Version 1.5 or higher Media Player: Flash 9 or higher Adobe Reader Version 7 or above -Participants should have a basic proficiency of the following computer skills: ·Sending and receiving email ·A working knowledge of the Internet ·Proficiency in Microsoft office Suite ·Proficiency in the Acrobat PDF Reader ·Basic knowledge of Windows or Mac O.SX. Netiquette (online etiquette): students are expected to participate in all discussions and virtual classroom chats when directed to do so. Students are to be respectful and courteous to others in the discussions. Foul or abusive language will not be tolerated. When referring to information from books, websites or articles, please use APA standards to reference sources. Students in traditional classes may not need to participate in online discussions. Technical Support: Students should call the Prairie View A&M University Helpdesk at 936-261-2525 for technical issues with accessing your online course. The helpdesk is available 24 hours a day/7 day a week. For other technical questions regarding your online course, call the Office of Distance Learning at 936-261-3290 or 936-261- 3282 Communication Expectations and Standards: All emails or discussion postings will receive a response from the instructor within 48 hours. You can send email anytime that is convenient to you, but instructor checks email messages throughout the workweek (Monday through Friday). Instructor will respond to email messages during the workweek by the close of business (5:00 pm) on the day following receipt of them. Emails received on Friday will be responded to by the close of business on the following Monday. Submission of Assignments (through the learning management system): Assignments, Papers, Exercises, and Projects will be distributed and submitted through your online course. Directions for accessing your online course will be provided. Additional assistance can be obtained from the Office of Distance Learning. Discussion Requirement for online courses: There will be no required face to face meetings on campus (online courses only). However, we will participate in conversations about the readings, lectures, materials, and other aspects of the course in a true seminar fashion. We will accomplish this by use of the discussion board. Students are required to log-on to the course website often to participate in discussion. It is strongly advised that you check the discussion area daily to keep abreast of discussions. When a topic is posted, everyone is required to participate. The exact use of discussion will be determined by the instructor. It is strongly suggested that students type their discussion postings in a word processing application and save it to their PC or a removable drive before posting to the discussion board. This is important for two reasons: 1) If for some reason your discussion responses are lost in your online course, you will have another copy; 2) Grammatical errors can be greatly minimized by the use of the spell-and-grammar check functions in word processing applications. Once the post(s) have been typed and corrected in the word processing application, it should be copied and pasted to the discussion board. Taskstream Taskstream is a tool that Prairie View A&M University uses for assessment purposes. At least one of your assignments is REQUIRED to be submitted as an "artifact,” an item of coursework that serves as evidence that course objectives are met. More information will be provided during the semester, but for general information, you can visit Taskstream via the link in CANVAS. Group Discussion Forums with Writing Assignments will be uploaded to Taskstream. Tentative course schedule . REVISED AS REQUIRED BY PVAMU TO REFLECT SCHOOL CLOSURES Spring Session Calendar E \| Topic Description \| Unit 2. Cell Division and Genetics \| \| Readings: \| Ch. 7 The Cellular Basis for Inheritance \| \| Assignment (s): \| Lrnr Personalized Homework, CANVAS Participation Quiz THURSDAY \| \| EXAM ONE (MIDTERM)Open to Discussion \| THURSDAY \| \| Week 8 \| Mar 8-14 \| \| Topic Description \| Unit 3. Molecular Biology and Biotechnology \| \| Readings: \| Ch. 9 Molecular Biology \| \| Assignment (s): \| Lrnr Personalized Homework, CANVAS Participation Quiz THURSDAY \| \| Week 9 \| Mar 15-21 \| \| Topic Description \| Unit 3. Molecular Biology and Biotechnology \| \| Reading: \| Ch. 10 BiotechnologyScientific Journal Reading (Available on CANVAS) \| \| Assignment (s): \| Lrnr Personalized Homework, CANVAS Participation Quiz \| \| Week 10 \| Mar 22-28 \| \| Topic Description \| Unit 4. Human Structure and Function \| \| Reading: \| Ch. 16 The Body’s Systems \| \| Assignment (s): \| Lrnr Personalized Homework, CANVAS Participation Quiz THURSDAY \| \| Week 11 \| Mar 29-Apr 11 \| \| Topic Description \| Unit 4. Human Structure and Function \| \| Reading: \| Ch. 17 The Immune System \| \| Assignment (s): \| Lrnr Personalized Homework, CANVAS Participation Quiz THURSDAY \| \| IMPORTANT DATES TO CONSIDER \| FINAL DAY TO WITHDRAW W/O ACADEMIC RECORD04/05/2021 \| \| Week 12 \| Apr 12-18 \| \| Topic Description \| Unit 4. Human Structure and Function \| \| Reading: \| Ch. 18 Animal Reproduction and Development \| \| Assignment (s): \| Lrnr Personalized Homework, CANVAS Participation Quiz THURSDAY \| \| Week 13 \| Apr 19-25 \| \| Continuing Unit. 4 \| \| \| Barring Pandemic logistical issues this week is reserved for in class debates. \| \| \| Week 14 \| Apr 26-May 2 \| \| REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAMS \| \| \| Week 15 \| May 6-May 13 Finals \| \| DATES MAY SHIFT TO ACCOMMODATE STUDENTS AND WILL BE REFLECTED IN THE CANVAS LEARNING PLATFORM \| Student Support and Success John B. Coleman Library The library and its partners have as their mission to provide resources and instructional material in support of the evolving curriculum, as a partner in Prairie View A&M University's mission of teaching, research, and service and to support the University's core values of access and quality, diversity, leadership, relevance, and social responsibility through emphasis on ten key areas of service. It maintains library collections and access both on campus, online, and through local agreements to further the educational goals of students and faculty. https://www.pvamu.edu/library/ Phone: 936-261-1500 The Learning Curve (Center for Academic Support) The Learning Curve offers Tutoring via peer tutoring. The services include workshops (i.e., Save My Semester, Recalculate Your Route), seminars (i.e., Tools You Can Use: TI-84), group review sessions (i.e., College Algebra Topic Reviews, GRE Preparation), group study opportunities (i.e., TSIA, HESI, Study Break, Exam Cram), and test- taking strategies (How to take Notes, Study Buddy, 5 Day Study Guide). The Learning Curve is a nationally certified tutoring program through the National Tutoring Association. The peer tutors are trained and certified by the coordinator each semester. Location: J.B. Coleman Library Rm. 207F. Phone: 936-261-1561 The Center for the Oversight and Management of Personalized Academic Student Success (COMPASS) The Center for the Oversight and Management of Personalized Academic Student Success (COMPASS) is designed to help Prairie View students in their second year and beyond navigate towards graduation by providing the following services: Academic Advisement, Targeted Tutorials for Personalized Learning, Campus- Wide Referrals, and Academic & Social Workshops. Location: J.B. Coleman Library Rm. 306. Phone: 936-261- 1040 Writing Center The Writing Center provides student consultants on all aspects of the writing process and a variety of writing assignments. Writing Center consultations assist students in such areas as prewriting, brainstorming, audience awareness, organization, research, and citation. Students taking on-line courses or courses at the Northwest Houston Center or College of Nursing may consult remotely or by email. Location: Hilliard Hall Rm. 121. Phone: 936-261- 3724. Student Counseling Services The Student Counseling Services unit offers a range of services and programs to assist students in maximizing their potential for success: short-term individual, couples, and group counseling, as well as crisis intervention, outreach, consultation, and referral services. The staff is licensed by the State of Texas and provides assistance to students who are dealing with academic skills concerns, situational crises, adjustment problems, and emotional difficulties. Information shared with the staff is treated confidentially and in accordance with Texas State Law. Location: Owens- Franklin Health Center Rm. 226. Phone: 936-261-3564 Testing The Department of Testing administers College Board CLEP examinations, the HESI A2 for pre-nursing majors, LSAT for law school applicants and MPRE for second-year law students, the Experiential Learning Portfolio option, the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Assessment, which determines college readiness in the state, and exam proctoring, among other service such as SAT and ACT for high school students. Location: Delco Rm. 141. Phone: 936-261-4286 Office of Diagnostic Testing and Disability Services As a federally mandated educational support unit, the Office of Disability Services serves as the repository for confidential disability files for faculty, staff, and students. For persons with a disability, the Office develops individualized ADA letters of request for accommodations. Other services include: learning style inventories, awareness workshops, accessibility pathways, webinars, computer laboratory with adapted hard and software, adapted furniture, proctoring of non-standardized test administrations, ASL interpreters, ALDs, digital recorders, livescribe, Kurtzweil, and a comprehensive referral network across campus and the broader community. Location: Evans Hall Rm. 317. Phone: 936-261-3585 Veteran Affairs Veterans Services works with student veterans, current military and military dependents to support their transition to the college environment and continued persistence to graduation. The Office coordinates and certifies benefits for both the G.I. Bill and the Texas Hazlewood Act. Location: Evans Hall Rm. 323. Phone: 936-261-3563 Office for Student Engagement The Office for Student Engagement delivers comprehensive programs and services designed to meet the co- curricular needs of students. The Office implements inclusive and accessible programs and services that enhance student development through exposure to and participation in diverse and relevant social, cultural, intellectual, recreational, community service, leadership development and campus governance. Location: Memorial Student Center Rm. 221. Phone: 936-261-1340 Career Services Career Services supports students through professional development, career readiness, and placement and employment assistance. The Office provides one-on-one career coaching, interview preparation, resume and letter writing, and career exploration workshops and seminars. Services are provided for students at the Northwest Houston Center and College of Nursing in the Medical Center twice a month or on a requested basis. Distance Learning students are encouraged to visit the Career Services website for information regarding services provided. Location: Evans Hall Rm. 217. Phone: 936-261-3570	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.183295	05/12/2021	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/80268/overview", "title": "College Biology Non-Majors Using Open Educational Resources", "author": "Tia Villeral" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/116065/overview	Self-Advocacy Story Template Overview Self-advocacy is a challenging task because it requires us to be vulnerable and express what is most important to us, often at the risk of negative consequences or backlash. This activity helps students to learn self-advocacy through storytelling. Introduction Please see attachment for full activity. Self-advocacy is a challenging task because it requires us to be vulnerable and express what is most important to us, often at the risk of negative consequences or backlash. Sharing an example or a story about something that illustrates why it is so important to you can be an eff ective way of helping your audience understand where you are coming from. The following template can be used as a guide for situations where you need to give a concrete example of a specifi c personal need or accommodation you need from people you work with. It also is designed to be used with people who are willing to listen to you, but may not understand where you are coming from (as opposed to a hostile audience). Depending on the situation, you may need to shorten the story portion and just provide an example, but the key purpose is to make sure you highlight a need that is important to you personally and that you need others to respect, if not understand.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.202697	Aujalee Moore	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/116065/overview", "title": "Self-Advocacy Story Template", "author": "Activity/Lab" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/64641/overview	Class Activity: Collecting Data Overview This is a class activity I use to get my students familiar with collecting and recording data. I usually put students in groups of 4 to start a learning community. Introductory Statistics: Week 1: Class Activity: Collecting and recording student data Here is a class activity I use in my introductory statistics to get students familiar with collecting and recording data. I usually put students in groups of 4 and it also helps them to start a learning community.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.219492	03/29/2020	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/64641/overview", "title": "Class Activity: Collecting Data", "author": "Rudy Andrade" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/116071/overview	Cover Letter Handout Overview What is a cover letter? Use this handout with students to teach them Dos and Don'ts Handout Handout with examples and notes. See attachment.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.236065	05/15/2024	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/116071/overview", "title": "Cover Letter Handout", "author": "Aujalee Moore" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/93373/overview	Micrograph Escherichia coli Gram stain 100x p000009 Overview This micrograph was taken at 100X total magnifcation on a brightfield microscope. The subject is Escherichia coli cells grown in broth culture overnight at 37 degrees Celsius. The cells were heat-fixed to a slide and Gram stained prior to visualization. Image credit: Emily Fox micrograph White background with thousands of small, pink, rods and dots of Escherichia coli cells scattered across.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.253262	Diagram/Illustration	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/93373/overview", "title": "Micrograph Escherichia coli Gram stain 100x p000009", "author": "Health, Medicine and Nursing" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/56666/overview	12.1 Patterns of Inhertance Mendelian Genetics 12.1 Mendelian Genetics (Chapter 12 Openstax) 12.1 Mendelian Genetics (Chapter 12 Openstax)Mendelian Genetics Mendelian Genetics 12.1 Mendelian Genetics (Chapter 12 Openstax) 12.1 Mendelian Genetics (Chapter 12 Openstax)Mendelian Genetics Mendelian Genetics	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.276602	08/05/2019	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/56666/overview", "title": "12.1 Patterns of Inhertance Mendelian Genetics", "author": "Urbi Ghosh" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/103593/overview	Biological Anthropology - Open For Antiracism (OFAR) Overview The Open for Antiracism (OFAR) Program – co-led by CCCOER and College of the Canyons – emerged as a response to the growing awareness of structural racism in our educational systems and the realization that adoption of open educational resources (OER) and open pedagogy could be transformative at institutions seeking to improve. The program is designed to give participants a workshop experience where they can better understand anti-racist teaching and how the use of OER and open pedagogy can empower them to involve students in the co-creation of an anti-racist classroom. The capstone project involves developing an action plan for incorporating OER and open pedagogy into a course being taught in the spring semester. OFAR participants are invited to remix this template to design and share their projects and plans for moving this work forward. Action Plan I recommend this free online textbook - Explorations: An open Invitation To Biological Anthropology. The 2nd edition is almost ready. The 2nd edition is going to come out this summer (2023) and it is going to address any accessibility issues that snuck into the 1st edition. I added reading materials to modules that address racial / ethnic inequality issues. For example, I added online articles on informed consent in genetics research and how this issue has historically been overlooked especially in minority groups. Another example is an article that talks about how genetic illnesses that affect people with African roots have had far less research funding than genetic problems that affect people with European roots. The idea of science being somehow neutral has to be challenged, and reading materials like these can help students understand that. Course Description Course Description CATALOG DESCRIPTION ANTH 2 - Physical Anthropology 3 Unit(s) Transfer Status: CSU/UC 51 hours Lecture This course introduces the concepts, methods of inquiry, and scientific explanations for biological evolution and their application to the human species. Issues and topics will include, but are not limited to, genetics, evolutionary theory, human variation and biocultural adaptations, comparative primate anatomy and behavior, and the fossil evidence for human evolution. The scientific method serves as foundation of the course. (C-ID ANTH 110). Learning Objectives Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: - Describe the scientific process as a methodology for understanding the natural world. - Define the scope of anthropology and discuss the role of biological anthropology within the discipline. - Identify the main contributors to the development of evolutionary theory. - Explain the basic principles of Mendelian, molecular and population genetics. - Evaluate how the forces of evolution produce genetic and phenotypic change over time. - Demonstrate an understanding of classification, morphology and behavior of living primates. - Summarize methods used in interpreting the fossil record, including dating techniques. - Recognize the major groups of hominin fossils and describe alternate phylogenies for human evolution. - Identify the biological and cultural factors responsible for human variation. The attached document includes reading assignments and discussion questions, organized by module. These reading assignments and discussion questions can be integrated into existing modules, for instance a module on genetics or human variation.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.300557	05/06/2023	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/103593/overview", "title": "Biological Anthropology - Open For Antiracism (OFAR)", "author": "Tanya Kieselbach" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/93716/overview	KJimenez_Action Plan Template 21-22_6-22 Podcast Assignment Guidelines Podcast Structure African American Literature: Open for Antiracism (OFAR) Overview The Open for Antiracism (OFAR) Program – co-led by CCCOER and College of the Canyons – emerged as a response to the growing awareness of structural racism in our educational systems and the realization that adoption of open educational resources (OER) and open pedagogy could be transformative at institutions seeking to improve. The program is designed to give participants a workshop experience where they can better understand anti-racist teaching and how the use of OER and open pedagogy can empower them to involve students in the co-creation of an anti-racist classroom. The capstone project involves developing an action plan for incorporating OER and open pedagogy into a course being taught in the spring semester. OFAR participants are invited to remix this template to design and share their projects and plans for moving this work forward. How To Remix This Template OFAR participants are invited to remix this template to design and share their projects and plans for moving this work forward. Once logged in, click the remix button on this resource to make your own version of this template. Change the title to describe your project and add text, videos, images, and attachments to the sections below. Delete this section and instructions in other sections before publishing. When you are ready to publish, click next to update the overview, license, and description of your resource, and then click publish. Kiandra Jimenez Action Plan The OER and open pedagogy has helped my students feel empowered and recognize their existing knowledge base as a resource to their education. In particular, I encouraged the students to use their own ideas, lived experiences, and personal knowledge to critically engage with our texts and apply literary theory to read the texts. Finally, creating a podcast episode as a way to demonstrate their knowledge gave them the opportunity to see the application of critical thinking and writing skills they are learning in the course that apply to things they do not normally associate with English. Creating this podcast allowed them to contribute their voice and knowledge to a broader conversation of literature, as well as provided the opportunity of creating and dissimenating knowledge form diverse perspectives. The students were energized and exctited about the idea of serving as "teachers" on a topic in such a public forum. Course Description Course Description: Prerequisite: ENG-1A, or qualifying placement level. Course Credit Recommendation: Degree Credit, UC, CSU Students will critically read diverse literary texts in order to compose inquiry-driven writing. Students will write a minimum of 7500 words of assessed writing. Classroom instruction integrates writing lab activities. Students may not receive credit for both ENG-1B and 1BH. 72 hours lecture and 18 hours laboratory. Short Description: Students will critically read diverse literary texts in order to compose inquiry-driven writing. Entrance Skills: Before entering the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following skills: - Write texts using diverse rhetorical or multimodal strategies. - ENG-1A - Write texts using diverse rhetorical or multimodal strategies. - ENG-1AH – Write texts using diverse rhetorical or multimodal strategies. - Write an inquiry-driven research essay on a culturally relevant issue while engaging with text-based sources. - ENG-1A – Write an inquiry-driven, analytical, or argument-based research essay on a culturally relevant issue that demonstrates critical reading and analysis of text-based sources. - ENG-1A – Write an inquiry-driven, analytical, or argument-based research essay on a culturally relevant issue that demonstrates critical reading and analysis of text-based sources. Required Texts: - The Little Seagull Handbook w/Exercises, 3E (LS) - Norton Anthology of African American Literature, Volumnes 1 & 2 (AALit)* - Class Reader: I will occasionally provide links, PDFs (most times printed, but occasionally just downloads) of class readings. Other Required Materials: - Loose-leaf, 8.5 x 11” notebook paper for papers and note taking - Regular access to a computer with word processing, printing, research and viewing materials - RCC email account, that is checked regularly Highly Recommended Materials: - Any college level dictionary and thesaurus (print or phone app) Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following activities: - Identity a text’s genre elements. - Compare and evaluate literary texts. - Analyze in readings and use in writings different patterns of logical thinking, including inductive and deductive reasoning, cause and effect, logos, pathos, ethos, and other rhetorical appeals and strategies. - Gain practice identifying logical fallacies in language and thought. - Use common literary terms for analysis of literature. - Compare thesis-driven arguments about literature to suit different rhetorical purposes, including interpretations, evaluation, and analysis. - Find relevant secondary sources for inquiry-based writing. - Use primary and secondary sources to compose inquiry-driven writing. - Practice conventions for citation and documentation of sources systematically. - Develop flexible strategies for reading, drafting, reviewing, collaborating, revising, rewriting, rereading, and editing. - Learn to give and to act on productive feedback to works in progress. - Gain experience at proofreading and editing for presentation of writings. Student Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following skills: - Analyze diverse literary texts through various social, historical, cultural, psychological, or aesthetic contexts. - Critical Thinking: Students will be able to demonstrate higher-order thinking skills about issues, problems, and explanations for which multiple solutions are possible. Students will be able to develop, test, and evaluate rival hypotheses. Students will be able to construct sound arguments and evaluate the arguments of others. - Develop written arguments in response to diverse literary texts. - Critical Thinking: Students will be able to demonstrate higher-order thinking skills about issues, problems, and explanations for which multiple solutions are possible. Students will be able to develop, test, and evaluate rival hypotheses. Students will be able to construct sound arguments and evaluate the arguments of others. Final Podcast Assignment For the final project students work both individually and collaboratively to produce a podcast episode performing a close-reading of a poem/poems of their choice. The assignment is based on their poetry essay, where they are charged to perform a close-reading of a poem or set of poems their team collobaratively select. They are assessed separately and colloboratively. - Their essays are turned in separately, but they are encouraged to work as a team discussing the text and thinking about the poetry selections in community. - Their group podcast episode is assessed as a whole, and each member is assessed by their separate performance, which must be also supported by their essay. Students are encouraged to bring their personal life experiences to their readings and into the conversation assessing the poetry. They are required to use literary theory as well as incorporate analysis of craft techniques the poet(s) used in the poetry. OER Resources we used in class to learn about Literary theory and Close-reading of poetry: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/poetry_close_reading.html https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/writing_in_literature/literary_theory_and_schools_of_criticism/index.html	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.330751	Open for Antiracism Program (OFAR)	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/93716/overview", "title": "African American Literature: Open for Antiracism (OFAR)", "author": "Kiandra Jimenez" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113532/overview	Open Text MCC Presentation PPT_12.16.21 Open Textbooks for Rural Arizona - A Regional Grant Collaboration Overview Archived session from the 2022 Arizona Regional OER Conference. Session Title: Open Textbooks for Rural Arizona - A Regional Grant Collaboration This resource includes the session abstract, presenters, PPT, and recording. Session Abstract, PPT, and Recording Session Abstract The Open Textbooks for Rural Arizona is a grant initiative established in September 2021. Let by Yavapai College, a consoritum of seven rural Arizona community colleges was formed to increase student cost savings through access to Open Educational Resrouces (OER). The consoritum serves 36,676 students in 11 Arizona counties (77% of Arizona geographically). This session will provide an overview of this exciting project. Presenter Megan Crossfield, Manager of Academic Initiatives, Yavapai College	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.349446	02/27/2024	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113532/overview", "title": "Open Textbooks for Rural Arizona - A Regional Grant Collaboration", "author": "OERizona Conference" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/107560/overview	A Review of Open Access Textbooks for Introductory Organismal Biology Overview This is a review of open access textbooks that could be used for the organismal, environmental, and evolutionary biology half of introductory biology for biology majors. A Review of Open Access Textbooks for Introductory Organismal Biology Katherine S. LaCommare, PhD Lecturer IV, University of Michigan Dearborn Aspiring biology majors take Introductory Biology as a two-course sequence - one semester on cellular and molecular biology and a second on organismal and environmental biology. In addition, one or both courses are required as prerequisites for a variety of degrees and careers. For example, pre-health professional, pre-veterinary medicine, biochemistry, biophysics, bioengineering and environmental biology degrees all require introductory biology. Because the sequence can be taken in any order, both semesters are considered “gateway courses” – high enrollment foundational courses in which students struggle to succeed and persist. Non-persistence then, can stymie equity in the pipeline to a vast array of careers. One feature of the biology curriculum within each course is that it is both standardized and varied - standardized because most courses cover the same basic material, varied because institutions and individual instructors will tailor their course to their specific college curriculum as well as personal tastes. This is a challenge for textbook creators, whether commercial or open access, because the books need to contain a sufficient breadth of topics to accommodate variation among institutions and instructors but simultaneously be streamlined and digestible for students. This has resulted in expensive commercial textbooks because they often include the proverbial kitchen sink of introductory biological concepts to accommodate every possible scenario of the introductory curriculum. One strategy that I would like to use to improve equity in my course, Introduction to Organismal and Environmental Biology, is to reduce student costs by replacing my current commercial text with one that is freely available to students. Here, I review freely available biology textbooks. Because some texts are designed for both semesters and some only one semester. My review is restricted to books that can be used for the organismal, environmental, and evolutionary biology half of introductory biology. In this review, I will describe: Comprehensiveness, structure, organization and modularity, pedagogy, relevance (including cultural relevance), accessibility and navigability, readability and clarity, as well as the availability of accompanying resources for the open access textbooks listed below. Each review begins with a summary of the book and its strengths and weaknesses. Title: Biology 2e Available: OpenStax; Link: https://openstax.org/details/books/biology-2e Authors (Senior): Clark, Douglas (GRCC), Choi Date: Web Version Last Updated – 2023; PDF Version Last Updated: 2020 License: Creative Commons Attribution License v4.0 Summary: Biology 2e is a comprehensive textbook that is highly consistent and organized. It includes many instructor resources and is easily adoptable due to the consistency and modularity of the chapters and sections. One strength of this textbook is that each section is short and digestible and the book adheres nicely to modern pedagogical techniques. However, one weakness is that instructors may find some concepts either not covered or too brief – this is particularly true for the evolution concepts. Because this text is published by OpenStax, if instructors adopt it, they can take advantage of the wide range of instructor and student resources that are available with the text. Access: Students can access the text online, through an app, by downloading a PDF, ordering a print copy ($30-$50 dollars), or by downloading the book on iBooks. The Book: This book covers the full-range of concepts that could be taught in the typical two-semester sequence of introductory biology. It is divided into 8 units ranging from the study of life through ecology. Topics covered within each unit are comprehensive and would meet the needs of most instructors teaching either the first or second semester in the introductory sequence. The topics included are presented in a clear and logical fashion. Each unit is divided into chapters that cover a specific concept. For example, Unit 4: Evolutionary Processes is divided into 3 chapters – Evolution and the Origin of Species, Evolution of Populations, and Phylogenies and the History of Life. Each chapter has a consistent set-up. They start with an introductory page that includes an overview and outline of the chapter. Chapters are typically divided into three to six sections depending on the chapter and topic. For example, the Evolution and the Origin of Species chapter has 3 sections. Each section contains up-to-date pedagogical features. For example, each section begins with learning objectives and includes call-out boxes labeled - Everyday Connections, Career Connections, Link to Learning, and ends with a list of key terms, a summary, visual connection questions, review questions and critical thinking questions. The Everyday and Career Connection boxes make the content relevant by helping students connect the concept to current events and career trajectories. For example, in the evolution chapter, the Everyday Connection box discusses evolution and flu vaccines. The Career Connection box describes the life of a field biologist. The Link to Learning boxes provide links to videos or other information that elaborate and illuminate the concepts of the section. The Link to Learning boxes in the Understanding Evolution section send students to information on misconceptions in evolution and a video on human bones. Key words are bolded. Illustrations are included to illuminate key ideas. The structure of each unit, chapter and section results in a highly organized and modular text that is easy for students to follow and navigate. This modularity, consistency, and pedagogy makes it easy for faculty to adopt the specific sections they need. Within the chapters that I reviewed, I didn’t find any issues with clarity, errors, or cultural relevance. Consistency, organization, pedagogy, navigability are great features of Biology 2e. Each chapter is written to be concise and digestible for students. The downside to reducing content is that instructors may find some concepts that they teach missing – see below. Because the text is produced by OpenStax, there are a plethora of instructor resources available or in development. Biology 2e is one of the books that can be assigned in Canvas through the Beta version of a tool called Assignable. There is a Canvas course cartridge that allows adopters to import the text into Canvas; there are PowerPoint slides as well as student facing resources on reading, notetaking, and time management. My biggest concern about the text, at least with respect to the evolution chapters, is that the text is so condensed that it lacks some foundational information that students need to develop a full understanding of the concepts. For example, the book briefly discusses phenotypic variation with respect to evolution. This seems to be a simple concept but for students to fully understand and appreciate the role of variation in evolution and natural selection they need an understanding of discrete vs quantitative variation, genetic variation, heredity, genotypic variation, the relationship between phenotypic and genotypic variation, and the interaction between variation and the environment. The book doesn’t elaborate on these concepts. The penultimate challenge for textbook creators is balancing digestibility and streamlining with depth of content. In this case, the evolution chapters of Biology 2e might be too streamlined. Of lesser concern but worth noting is that in some chapters, illustrations could be improved to enhance clarity of the topics for students – this is particularly true in the Population Genetics section. The Link to Learning videos could be more directly connected to the specific concepts that are being illustrated. For example, in the Understanding Evolution and Formation of New Species sections, the videos don’t directly connect to the concept in the chapter and don’t necessarily provide an enhanced illustration of the concept. Overall, the text is comparable in breadth to commercial textbooks and contains many modern pedagogical components as well as student and instructor resources that users will appreciate. Title: Introductory Biology - Evolutionary and Ecological Perspective Available: https://pressbooks.umn.edu/introbio/ Authors: Various – see each chapter for attribution Date: n.d. License: Creative Commons Attribution License v4.0 Summary: Introductory Biology: Evolutionary and Ecological Perspectives is a streamlined, attractive textbook for the Organismal and Environmental Biology course of the introductory biology sequence. It is largely the Biology 2e book but has been reorganized and edited to reframe and expand some sections. Many instructors may find these reframed and expanded sections to be the book’s strength. However, it lacks the consistency, pedagogical features, and extra resources that accompany Biology 2e. This is its biggest weakness. Access: Students can access the book online or download it as a pdf or epub. Other formats are also available. The Book This book covers the topics that would typically be covered in the Organismal and Environmental Biology course in the introductory biology sequence. It doesn’t include cellular and molecular biology. It is divided into 26 chapters or sections with each of these divided into subchapters or subsections. Much of the content of the book is the OpenStax Biology 2e textbook remixed and reorganized. Because much of the book is a variation of Biology 2e, it is highly readable, digestible, and clear for students. Content, illustrations, videos are largely the same as Biology 2e with some changes and additions. Key differences include changes to navigability, reorganization and restructuring of content (in some cases reframing and expanding it), and a change to pedagogy. First, navigability is a bit easier. When reading the book online, there is a content link available on every page that allows for a more streamlined experience jumping from chapter to chapter or section to section. While the content is largely the same as Biology 2e, the chapters are organized and structured differently. This results in the loss of consistency and the loss of some key pedagogical features but improves the framing of the content. In Biology 2e the organization is very consistent. Each chapter has an introduction. Each section starts with defined learning outcomes. The chapters end with a glossary, summary, and review items. Introductory Biology lacks this consistency and pedagogy, not all chapters start with an introduction. Learning objectives have been removed. The glossary is now embedded into the section (which is fine) but the review items have been removed. However, because some sections have been reorganized and re-labeled, the reframing of the content improves its presentation and adds back in content that many instructors teach. For instance, in Biology 2e, Chapter 18.1 -Understanding Evolution has four topics: Charles Darwin and Natural Selection, Patterns and Process of Evolution, Evidence of Evolution, and Misconceptions of Evolution. In Introductory Biology, the topic Charles Darwin and Natural Selection has become Chapter 6: Section 24. It has been edited and updated to reflect the role of Charles Darwin’s ideas in the history of evolutionary thought and the development of the theory of natural selection. In Introductory Biology, Chapter 7: Section 25 expands the natural selection content. This chapter elaborates on natural selection and adaptation and its different modes – content many instructors include when teaching natural selection. Overall, the writing is clear, easily digestible, and error-free. The book maintains the boxes on Everyday and Career Connections which maintains the relevancy, cultural relevancy, and longevity of the text. Title: An Interactive Introduction to Organismal and Molecular Biology Available: Open Textbooks; Link - https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/an-interactive-introduction-to-organismal-and-molecular-biology Authors: Andrea Bierema, Michigan State University Date: 2021 License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v4.0 Summary: An Interactive Introduction to Organismal and Molecular Biology is a highly interactive text that covers the basic concepts of the nature of science, organismal biology, and molecular biology. Each section has several chapters, and each chapter is a mix of text, videos, and interactive activities. Its strength is the interactive nature of the book. The book covers many of the topics that would be covered in the organismal and environmental biology semester of most introductory biology sequences, it doesn’t cover these concepts in depth. Its biggest weakness is this lack of depth and that it lacks topics that are staples of this course in most curricula - history of life, evolution of diversity, and the structure and function of organisms – plants and animals specifically. Access: The book is available as a PDF, Online, ebook or and ODF. The Book An Interactive Introduction to Organismal and Molecular Biology is a 3-section, 24-chapter book that covers – An Introduction to Science, Organismal Biology, and Molecular Biology. Each section has a set of chapters. For example, the Organismal Biology section has 9 chapters covering ecology, biodiversity, climate change, evolution, and phylogenetic trees. It lacks comprehensiveness because it doesn’t contain chapters on the history of life on earth, the evolution of diversity, or the structure, function, and diversity of organisms. Many instructors may find the lack of these topics problematic because they are common concepts taught in the organismal and environmental biology semester of the Introductory Biology sequence. In addition, the topics that are covered lack the depth of content that would typically be covered in an introductory major’s biology course. The treatment of evolutionary concepts is more similar to a non-major’s biology curriculum than major’s biology course. This is problematic for most biology majors who require a more comprehensive understanding of evolutionary mechanisms and concepts than is provided by this book. Navigation and flow through the book is very easy with a “Contents” tab on every page for easy navigation to other sections. Each chapter is consistently structured. All chapters begin with a list of learning objectives that describe what students will be able to accomplish after completing the chapter. The chapter then proceeds with a mix of text, videos, interactive questions, and activities to help the students learn and understand the material. This gives the book a very modern feel with respect to pedagogy. This also gives the book significant modularity. The content that I reviewed is accurate. The writing is straightforward. Although, some sections could be improved with editing for grammatical clarity. One of the highlights of this text is the freshness of the examples, figures and illustrations. It results in a text that would be highly relevant to students and is not so narrowly focused that it lacks longevity. This is particularly true of the entire first section: Introduction to Science. It covers the topic in depth and is highly interactive and engaging. Title: Principles of Biology Available: LibreTexts; Link: https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_ Biology/Book%3A_Principles_of_Biology Authors: Bartee, Shriner, Creech Date: 2017 License: Creative Commons Attribution License v4.0 Summary: Principles of Biology is a general biology text designed for major’s biology. It is largely based on the OpenStax Biology 2e, which is its strength, but is missing some key topics that are often covered in an Introduction to Organismal and Environmental Biology course – History of Life, an overview of biological diversity, evolution of plants and animals and overview of plant and animal diversity, physiology and structure and function, which is its weakness. Access: The book can be accessed through LibreTexts. Students can download a PDF, buy a print copy or print sections of the book. Instructors can import sections into their LMS. The Book: The book is organized as three main sections: Cell biology, Genetics and Ecology and Evolution. Each section is described as a course and starts with a list of course outcomes. Each section is further divided into chapters. The Ecology and Evolution section has 6 chapters on evolutionary and ecological concepts. Each chapter is further divided into sections. The book is well structured and organized with each chapter having a consistent feel as each other chapter. The structure and organization is like a traditional text. The flow of topics is consistent with traditional texts and navigability is straightforward with the content button on the side menu to easily navigate between sections. One main issue with this textbook is its comprehensiveness. It doesn’t contain chapters or sections on history of life, evolution of biodiversity, evolution of plants and animals, physiology, and structure and function which are all topics that are a frequent component to introductory organismal and environmental biology. The material covered in the book is accurate but because the book is largely based on Biology 2e it prioritizes streamlining and digestibility over depth of content and this can, in some cases, be problematic. See my review and comments on Biology 2e for a more thorough discussion on the depth of content in this book. The book is based on basic biological principles and therefore has longevity. The content and career connection boxes of Biology 2e have been removed which reduce the relevancy for students. The book doesn’t contain videos or other multimedia content which can also be helpful for improving the relevancy to students. Boxes and multimedia and links to videos are a nice way to improve cultural relevance because these links can point to such wide variety of resources. With many of the LMS integration features in LibreTexts the texts has an easily navigable interface and a high degree of modularity. The writing is clear and free of grammatical errors.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.385785	Katherine LaCommare	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/107560/overview", "title": "A Review of Open Access Textbooks for Introductory Organismal Biology", "author": "Teaching/Learning Strategy" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/91511/overview	EI explanation 2 EI questionnaire 1 EI questionnaire 2 Goals Worksheet Hope_Worksheet Introvert guide to networking in high school SMARTgoals SMART-Goal-Template Career Exploration Curriculum for Minnesota High School/College Partnerships Overview \| During the Spring 2022 semester, I had the privilege to interview numerous teachers, administrators, and students at my college (RCTC) and our local public high schools (RPS) about developing a career exploration curriculum for undecided high school students. Based on these interviews, I have developed a set of curricular resources that encourages student exploration and planning. If you have any questions, or just want to connect, please email me at <mike.mutschelknaus@rctc.edu> I look forward to hearing from you. \| What type of student would benefit most from this curriculum? Figure 1, from a statistical analysis of Indiana and Minnesota high school students, shows the four types of high school students out there. Think of the nonparticipants as those high school students who are in college track courses and who definitely plan to go to a four-year college. Think of the concentrators as those high school students who are in career track programs like auto mechanics and who definitely plan to get a job very soon after high school. The curriculum I’ve developed is for the explorers and samplers: those students who just don’t know what they want to do yet. Figure 1: From https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Resource/40014 What is the curriculum? Figure 2 shows the broad outlines of the curriculum. Students explore their inner motivations, their options out in the real world, make plans, and then get engaged with others to make their plans a reality. Figure 2: "Getting Ready" curriculum overview What is the starting point for this course? What is the starting point for the course? The unique part of the course is that there are several different starting points. A teacher could even set the course up so that each student chose their own pathway through the course. The “exploring what’s out there” path - Explore the world - Explore yourself - Make a plan - Find your people The “exploring what’s inside me” path - Explore yourself - Explore the world - Make a plan - Find your people The “I know what I want to do already” path - Make a plan - Find your people - Explore yourself - Explore the world Explore yourself This set of resources helps students to gain the active self-knowledge they can use to plan for their futures. - Reality Check: This tool is a down-to-earth questionnaire that allows students to figure out how much money they will need to have in order to live the lifestyle they want. - The Good Project: Lesson plans and resources from Howard Gardner (yes, the multiple intelligences theory) on how to do good work. - Minnesota State CAREERwise: The "Assess Yourself" section of this web site has several career self assessments and skills assessments that students can use to discover their interests. - Authentic Happiness questionnaires: These University of Pennsylvania researchers started the field of positive psychology. These questionnaires are statistically valid and reliable. Students can take these to find out more about their own happiness. Happiness, after all is what we all seek. - Harvard’s Project Implicit: We all need to learn more about our biases. These questionnaires will help students to realize that they are biased. We all are. In order to succeed in the future, we need to work on overcoming our biases. Emotional intelligence (EI): In order to succeed, students are going to have to understand their emotions and those of others. The resources here provide an overview of EI, and some questionnaires for students to understand their own EI. - EI Questionnaires: There are two self-assessments in this module. One self-assessment is not enough. Students should take both in order to see if they get similar results on both tests. - EI content. There are two basic summaries and handouts in this module. These explain the principles of EI. - EI videos from Daniel Goleman. Goleman is the founder of the EI field. - Secret to high performance and fulfilment: https://youtu.be/HTfYv3IEOqM - Why aren’t we more compassionate: https://youtu.be/mefC12rQovI - EI Videos from Brene Brown. Brown is an expert on empathy. - Power of vulnerability: https://youtu.be/iCvmsMzlF7o - https://youtu.be/1Evwgu369Jw Explore the world These resources allow students to check out the different options available to them after high school. A teacher could create lessons, and assignments, for example, that make students explore each of these areas. The college track kids should find out about careers. The technical/trades kids should find out about college. The "I don't know what I want to do" kids should find out about volunteering, etc. Careers - Career Wise "Careers in Demand" section: This provides information on the fastest growing careers in Minnesota. - Career Wise "Research Careers" section: This is a good place to go for students who want to know more about what certain types of careers entail. - Centers of excellence for Minnesota State: Each center of excellence listed on this web site (agriculture, energy, engineering, healthforce, IT, advanced manufacturing and transportation) has a detailed web page that explains the career and provides links for students to get started on their training. - Find a job: This Minnesota State site provides a wealth of resources about how to explore the job market, write a resume, and develop job search skills. - The Game of Careers: So, it's not like an Xbox video game, but it's still more fun than reading a textbook. Definitely worth checking out. - Interest Assessment at Career One Stop: For those students who don't know where to start, this might be the place. - Minnesota goverment portal: This lists every state job in Minnesota, and also provides a great set of resources for several types of job seekers. - My Next Move Interest Profiler: This self-assessment is popular, but two careers it recommended for me were dental hygienist and dancer. So, I'm not so sure about it. - Occupational Outlook Handbook: The Department of Labor's OOH provides a wealth of career information. It's useful for comparing careers in different states. How much do nurses make in California, for example, compared to nurses in Wyoming. Students might need to be educated, though, on cost of living disparities. College - Petersons College Guide: A good place for students to do some dreaming. If they want to move to Texas and go to vet school, Peterson's can help them figure that out. - Minnesota State: All the public college campuses, all the public college programs, right here in one place. This does not include the University of Minnesota. - University of Minnesota system: Access to all of the University of Minnesota campuses - Rochester Community and Technical College: There are lots of opportunities for higher education, right here in Rochester. Volunteering Community service is often overlooked as a path after high school graduation. It should not be. Young adults have three attributes that every community needs: Energy, enthusiasm, and time. Here are some volunteer for recent high school graduates around Rochester, Minnesota. - Volunteer Match: This is a great way to find volunteer opportunities near you. When I used this to do a search for Winona, I found numerous open positions, from full-time Americorps positions right down to part-time bingo calling at a nearby nursing home. - Mayo Clinic Volunteer Home: If a student is interested in a health care career, volunteering at Mayo would be a good place to start. - Americacorps: High school students need to know that there are full time volunteer positions available for them. Americorps is not just for college graduates. For example, I found a fulltime volunteer opportunity at a school in northern Minnesota that pays $1630 a month. The education requirement was a high school diploma or GED. - Red Cross: The Red Cross always needs volunteers. - United Way: An excellent site for finding local volunteer opportunities. Military service Students should be aware of their options in the military. Here's the official government web site that explains all of their options: Army, National Guard, Marine, Air Force, Coast Guard, Navy, and Space Force: Today's Military Starting your own business Many of the young people I know don't want to work for others. They want to be entrepreneurs. Here are some ways to help them get started. Minnesota State college programs: Do a search for "entrepreneur". Most communilty colleges have courses or programs to help students learn how to get started. State of Minnesota business portal: Here is where you go to officially incorporate a business in Minnesota. There are many helpful resources on this web site. Rochester Small Business Development Center: People can get local help planning their businesses here. Rochester, Minnesota, Chamber of Commerce: Recent high school graduates probably wouldn't join the Chamber, but there are good resources here. Small Business Administration--Plan your Business: Helpful competitor analysis and business plan templates are available here. Make a plan So, students have found some possibilities for their futures. They now need to take concrete action. They need to do something! Here are resources to help them do that. - Setting goals: Check out the "Setting Goals" section in this web site. Also, the attached SMART goal and hope templates should help students get started. - Rochester Community and Technical College guided pathways: This will show students where to go and how to get started at RCTC. - LinkedIn: Students should use LinkedIn, in my opinion, to start creating their career portfolio. - Indeed: Students can also create a profile on Indeed. - Find a job: This Minnesota State site provides a wealth of resources about how to explore the job market, write a resume, and develop job search skills. - Minnesota State workforce development scholarships: For high-demand careers in Minnesota, there is considerable financial help available. - Skill up: If students discover they need to develop certain skills in order to get the careers they want, this Minnesota State site will help them make plans for developing those skills. - Career exploration : This Minnesota State site helps students move from finding a career to making career plans. - Minnesota state online programs : Follow these screen shots to find entirely online programs at Minnesota State colleges and universities Find your people I think this might be the most important section of the course, and the most difficult for young adults striving to be independent. They need to find the people who can help them and, equally important, identify the gatekeepers. If they don't do that, they'll will not make very much progress. The original idea for the advice below came from Monica Schuschu's excellent blog post, which I have included as an attachment. Start where you are Before students are able to talk to people in the professional world and at college, they need lots of practice describing their goals and plans out loud to people they feel comfortable with. Teachers should set up classroom discussion circles so students can share with their peers. Students should also be encouraged to discuss their goals with their families, relatives, and family friends. Find your five Students should find five people who they can go to for help as they plan their futures. These should be people they trust, people they have relationships with. It could be a family friend. It could be a custodian at the school. It could be a parent, a pastor, or many others. Whoever it is, students need to have a close circle of adults they feel comfortable talking with about their futures. Network Too often, students think networking is about creating an online profile and sending out messages. Teachers need to help students realize that networking is most effective when it is face-to-face. Students should ask questions like these: - Who is in my high school that can help me? - Who is in my community that can help me? - Are there any volunteer opportunities I should be doing that will bring me into contact with the people I want to be round? - Who is at Rochester Community and Technical College (If they are in the Rochester area) that can help me? - Who is already doing what I want to do? Where are they working at? Once these people are identified, teachers should help students make two appointments and follow through with those appointments. Teachers should help students prepare their pitch about their future goals and also a set of questions they can ask the person. Think of these sessions as informational interviews. Approach the gatekeepers Once students feel comfortable talking about their future plans, they need to take action. They need to find, and work with, the gatekeepers who can help them get to the opportunities they need. Sooner or later, they will need to talk to their high school guidance counselors, their teachers who write recommendations, hiring managers, college admissions officers, and people like that. Teachers should help students set up one appointment, with one gatekeeper, and help the student follow through. Follow the guru If a student has some good fortune, they will find one person through their efforts that they really feel a close connection with. This guru usually does not provide specific "do this next" advice. Instead, he or she is an inspiration to the student, a role model for what they want to achieve, a person to talk to, a mentor, an elder. Like the Chinese proverb asserts: "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." If your students do find gurus, that's great. Encourage them to maintain those relationships. If your students do not find gurus during your time with them, reassure them that it often does take some time. Additional curriculum - Supervised Agricultural Experiences: This is a nationally recogonized complete curriculum from the Future Farmers of America (FFA) with a high school student target audience. It is thorough and complete. With minimal adaptation, you could use this curriculum in any career exploration course. - Foodtrepreneurship: This 2022 free textbook explains the basics of starting your own food business, such as a restaurant or a food truck. - On Course Workshop: Curated by master educator Skip Downing, this collection of free teacher resources can be used to enhance or develop career exploration courses. - Go to "Educator Resources" and then the "Best Practices" link to register and get your password. It's free, and you won't get any junk emails. - The other educator resources are also quite helpful. - The Good Project : Overseen by Howard Gardner, the developer of multiple intelligence theory, this collection of lesson plans and resources aims at helping teachers do more good in the world. Howard Gardner is from Harvard University. You can trust his stuff. - Skip Downings "On Course" Youtube site: You don't need to use Skip's book in order to avail yourself of several useful videos on topics like self-responsibility, self-motivation, self-management, interdependence, self-awareness, lifelong learning, emotional intelligence, and believing in yourself. - Minnesota State Career Exploration Tools: Everything a teacher needs for a career exploration course is right here in this web site, from self-assesments and career paths right through resume building, job interviewing and entrepreneurship - https://careerwise.minnstate.edu/	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.438278	Mike Mutschelknaus	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/91511/overview", "title": "Career Exploration Curriculum for Minnesota High School/College Partnerships", "author": "Full Course" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/54439/overview	Mini-lecture: how to use the solubility rules to assign phases Mini-lecture: What does soluble really mean? Mini-lecture: writing net ionic equations Solubility rules Tricks for remembering solubility rules Solubility and Net Ionic Equations Overview This module includes solubility rules, how to use the solubility rules, calculating moles of ions from grams of compound, and how to write Net Ionic Equations. Solubility: definition and rules Before we can write a net ionic equation, we need to learn what solubility means and what the rules are. Certain ionic compounds are soluble in water, but not all of them are. The YouTube video on solubility rules is a fun way to remember the rules. Once we know the rules, let's see what it means to a chemist: soluble ionic compounds means breaking apart into ions. Writing Total Molecular, Total Ionic, and Net Ionic Equations I had to cut out the solubility chart that I used in the video since it was from our textbook. Now that we can: 1- Predict products of exchange reactions 2- Identify soluble (aq) and insoluble (s) Let's practice applying these skills to writing Total Molecular Equations (balanced reaction with all the neutral compounds) Total Ionic Equations (Balanced reaction with all (aq) compounds split into their ions) Net Ionic Equations (cancel out what is the same on both sides of the Total Ionic Equation) Moles of Ions in Solution Related to solubility, is a question about moles of ions in solution. We have to set up conversions here- moles of compound to moles of ions. Check out the mini-lecture for an example.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.462781	05/17/2019	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/54439/overview", "title": "Solubility and Net Ionic Equations", "author": "Amy Petros" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/54082/overview	Alabama Virtual Library Overview This brief module provides instructions for students on how to get to the Alabama Virtual Library. How to get to the Alabama Virtual Library Instructors please note: Students who cannot access the AVL need to contact the library as soon as possible to facilitate getting them a username/password. Because this is a foundational module -- a module that helps students get to modules where they can actually accomlish research -- there is no suggested exercise. The Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) is a resource provided by the state of Alabama that includes access to multiple excellent academic resources. These resources are often as easy to search as Google or Wikipedia, but the materials contained in them are appropriate for academic use. You don't need to worry about who wrote it or when it was written or if it's going to be there tomorrow. Added bonus: Many times, citation information is provided along with the resource. The AVL uses geolocation to allow access. Passwords can be provided if this doesn't work for you. See below. There are two ways to access the AVL: - Go to http://www.avl.lib.al.us (Links to an external site.) - Go to Shelton's web page, mouse-over "Instruction & Workforce," select "Library Services," select "EResources" from the tile menu, select "Alabama Virtual Library." The AVL uses geolocation to see if you are in the state of Alabama and provide access. If you aren't in the state, if you are near the state boarder, or if you get your internet access from a cell phone or a satellite, you may have trouble. This video shows how to confirm if your geolocation is working. If geolocation doesn't work for you, please email me at kgriffths@sheltonstate.edu from your Shelton State email account and I will request an account for you. I will be able to provide you with a temporary login that you will be able to use for about a week. Within a week, the AVL will have emailed you with permanent login credentials.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.477796	05/07/2019	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/54082/overview", "title": "Alabama Virtual Library", "author": "Kelly Griffiths" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105204/overview	Portfolio Assessment Overview Portfolio Assessment Portfolio Ass	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.493539	06/13/2023	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105204/overview", "title": "Portfolio Assessment", "author": "Girlly Oyangoren" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/122404/overview	Education 4.0 Overview Education 4.0 redefines the learning ecosystem to be more innovative, adaptive, and aligned with the demands of a rapidly changing world. Education 4.0 is an innovative approach to learning that aligns with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0). It leverages advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data, to transform traditional education systems. Education 4.0 emphasizes personalized learning, skill development for the future workforce, and the integration of technology to create a dynamic, student-centered educational experience. Education 4.0 Education 4.0 is an innovative approach to learning that aligns with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0). It leverages advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data, to transform traditional education systems. Education 4.0 emphasizes personalized learning, skill development for the future workforce, and the integration of technology to create a dynamic, student-centered educational experience.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.510689	12/03/2024	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/122404/overview", "title": "Education 4.0", "author": "Thiyagu K" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/75629/overview	Education Standards https://youtu.be/tTOSm5WbKvA Principles of Design Overview Design Image Overview of Design Principles Understanding the science and art of designing content will ensure the intended audience is receiving a clear and consise message of material. These seven design principles will help guide content creation will prevent any confusion from material and allows the designer to place emphasis or generate additional interest that will support the overall message and story of the material. Diving into Basic Design Principles The purpose of this introductory video is to provide a preassessment of the existing knowledge of students. It also serves to massage the mind and prepare them for a disscussion around design. This video announces the 4 basic principles of design and take a moment to consider what each means according to the visual representation. Contrast Contrast is a great tool to give emphasis or differentiate a unique element or to visually convey which is clearly dominant or clearly different. It also creates energy to a slide by pulling focus to the highlighted element or clearly displaying a distinct set of quite different elements. This is useful in multimedia design in that it highlights the focal point visually which creates an instant focus as the differentiating element is pulled out among the other components. Contrast also helps to prevent confusion as to what should be the most important message or item. This is a great tool to make the message clear, simple and to the point. This flyer is using contrast to pull the eye to the announcement and purpose of the flyer, the dominant message is live music. Repetition Repetition is using the same or similar elements in design thus it creates unity and cohesiveness to a presentation. This can be the use of consistent font, slide design or theme, text box colors, etc. to tie slides together so that the intended audience understands the details support the main message or objectives. Repetition is a great way to pull together different visual imagery by featuring a common element in design that is consistent among different parts, thus pulling it all together for the intended audience. This is helpful in multimedia design in that one can use items from multiple sources that support their message and allow it to visually support one idea or element of communication. This example of marketing collateral for a company shows a consistent use of the color orange, logo presence, and repetitive graphics so that there is unity between the different elements. Alignment Alignment is the principle that achieves unity within a design. It creates a visual connection among elements using an invisible line. This principle adds sophistication and professionalism to the design. This is helpful with multimedia design as it cleans the design through organized and thoughtful placement of elements. The use of grids or software tools allow for perfect alignment so that the unity is clear. This image shows like items grouped together in a row aligned by center. All ingredients are then aligned to the boarders of a square indicating to the viewer that all elements are part of a single recipe.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.534299	12/11/2020	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/75629/overview", "title": "Principles of Design", "author": "Katherine Cook" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/93186/overview	COOP_I~1 COOP_I~2 EVALUATION FORM lesson cover sheet lesson cover sheet LESSON EVALUTATION LESSON PLAN LSSNPL PDE430 REFLECTION REFLECTION SUPERVISOR EVAL STPRS STPRS Summary What to Expect When you Sub Your own classroom Student Teaching Practicum Overview This seminar is offered concurrently with the student teaching practicum. Weekly sessions will focus on 1) topics related to student teaching; 2) professionalism; and 3) career development. Student Teaching Practicum Welcome to Student Teaching. In the state of Pennsylvania, you are required to have 70 full-time days of student teaching under the supervision of a cooperating teacher. The cooperating teacher, who has at least three years of successful full-time teaching, will mentor you in the day-to-day operations of a classroom in your specialty area. The cooperating teacher will guide you through the four domains of teaching, Planning and Preparation, Instruction, Classroom Environment, and Professionalism. The cooperating teacher will evaluate you formally on two lessons. For these lessons, you will be required to submit a packet of information to the professor of this course. The packet will include the following items: a cover sheet, the formal lesson plan, the evaluation form completed by the cooperating teacher, and your reflection. See page two of this module for the forms. You will also be assigned a university supervisor who will work directly with you, the cooperating teacher, and the professor for the course. The university supervisor will reinforce the four domains mentioned previously and formally evaluate you four times throughout the semester. For these lessons, you will be required to submit a packet of information to the professor of this course. The packet will include the following items: a cover sheet, the formal lesson plan, the evaluation form completed by the university supervisor, and your reflection. See page three of this module for the forms. In addition to the lesson evaluations, your cooperating teacher will complete a monthly report and submit it to both the university supervisor and the professor of this course. The monthly report will include a mid-term grade in the second month and a final grade in the fourth month. Also, at the end of the second and fourth months, the cooperating teacher AND the student teacher will complete the Student Teaching Performance Rating Scale (STPRS) and submit it to the university supervisor. The university supervisor will create a summary of this report and a summary of the PDE 430 and provide it to the professor of the course. The PDE 430 is the evaluation form required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education as one part of the certification process. This form will be completed by the university supervisor at mid-term and final and provided to the professor of the course and the student-teacher. At the end of the successful student teaching experience, you will apply for certification through the TIMS process on the PDE website. Cooperating Teacher Observation/Evaluation The cooperating teacher will evaluate you formally on two lessons. For these lessons, you will be required to submit a packet of information to the professor of this course. The packet will include the following items: a cover sheet, the formal lesson plan, the evaluation form completed by the cooperating teacher, and your reflection. See attachments for the forms. University Supervisor Observation/Evaluation You will also be assigned a university supervisor who will work directly with you, the cooperating teacher, and the professor for the course. The university supervisor will reinforce the four domains mentioned previously and formally evaluate you four times throughout the semester. For these lessons, you will be required to submit a packet of information to the professor of this course. The packet will include the following items: a cover sheet, the formal lesson plan, the evaluation form completed by the university supervisor, and your reflection. See attachments of this module for the forms. The reflection is different than the cooperating teacher reflection. Other Forms Your cooperating teacher will complete a monthly report and submit it to both the university supervisor and the professor of this course. The monthly report will include a mid-term grade in the second month and a final grade in the fourth month. Also, at the end of the second and fourth months, the cooperating teacher AND the student teacher will complete the Student Teaching Performance Rating Scale (STPRS) and submit it to the university supervisor. The university supervisor will create a summary of this report and a summary of the PDE 430 and provide it to the professor of the course. the PDE 430 is the evaluation form required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education as one part of the certification process. This form will be completed by the university supervisor at mid-term and final and provided to the professor of the course and the student-teacher. Classroom Management Classroom management refers to what teachers do to organize students, space, time, and materials so that learning takes place. (Wang, M., Haertel, G., & Walberg, H. (1993/1994). What helps students learn. Educational Leadership, vol. 51, no. 4: 74 - 79) Consider the following when starting the school year: This all takes place BEFORE the first day. - Floor - Count the number of desks and chairs needed. Arrange the desks for seeing the presentation areas (whiteboards, etc.). Clear traffic areas for mobility in the classroom. Are tables or lab areas where you want them so materials are accessible and seating is not interfering with the traffic areas of the classroom? - Create an area for student belongings. Are lockers provided? Is there an area for storing coats? Is there an area for student work that is corrected and ready to take home? - Work areas - Are materials accessible? How will you store materials (Ideas: plastic coffee cans, totes, trays, dishpans)? - Walls - Post rules, procedures, calendars, schedules, menus, maps, charts, emergency information, and clocks. Add things like the objectives for the day, assignments, student work displays, and birthdays. You may want to add an example of the heading for papers. - Organize incoming and outgoing papers. Where will you collect work? How will you return the corrected work? - Rotate things like recess games and classroom library free reading books. The changes will motivate students to use them. You can add topics and titles that compliment your content for teaching. - Prepare a letter to send home to introduce yourself and request materials, like a box of tissues from each family and a package of pencils. This will help with things you have to purchase on your own. - Match each student to a desk somehow (put the name on the desk or have a seating chart outside the classroom on the first day. Have materials on the desk for each student - textbooks, tablets, pencils, etc. - Think about a bell or timer for attention getters and group or independent work. - Wrap cords from electronics so they are hidden and not in traffic areas. - Organize your lessons. For supplemental materials and resources, will you use file cabinets, bins, etc.? How will you mark them so you can easily locate them when needed? - Organize forms: Hall pass, restroom pass, attendance slips, tardy slips, lunch orders, nurse pass, emergency guides, etc. - Post outside your door: your name, room number, grade or subject, and some type of welcome. As students enter: - Greet students at the door each day. Consider adding a student greeter also, and change the student greeter weekly or use it as an incentive that can be earned. Consider giving students a choice of what kind of greeting they want, for example, high five, fist bump, elbow bump, wave, etc. - As students enter, get them to work immediately. Some teachers use Bell Ringers, Bell Work, Get the Goof (finding a mistake in something and fixing it), Ticket in the Door, To Do Now, etc. Post this work before students enter so they get busy immediately. - Have procedures in place for routines: - Start the period or day - Quieting the class -- have cues in place for this - Students seeking help - Movement of students and papers/materials - Dismissal at the end of the day or period - Three steps to teaching these procedures: - Teach. State, explain, model, and demonstrate the procedure. - Rehearse. Practice the procedure. - Reinforce. Reteach, remind, affirm. - Rules - Limit your rules to no more than five. Write in a positive tone, like Be polite and helpful. Post these and refer to them often after they are taught initially. See resources attached for What to expect when you sub and Your own classroom.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.570551	Reading	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/93186/overview", "title": "Student Teaching Practicum", "author": "Assessment" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/92378/overview	My Open Education Resource Overview This is an Online Educational Resource to help students learn how to break down readings to understand them better. This is based off PHIL 1000 OL1 at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. It shows an example discussion and ways to break down sentences/quotes from the readings. There are also tips that might be helpful when taking an online class.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.583077	04/28/2022	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/92378/overview", "title": "My Open Education Resource", "author": "Jade Kinsey" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/74640/overview	French Level 1, Activity 04 : Les mots apparentés / Cognates (Online) Overview In this activity, students will learn about cognates with a slideshow and play a cognate bingo game. Activity Information Did you know that you can access the complete collection of Pathways Project French activities in our new Let’s Chat! French pressbook? View the book here: https://boisestate.pressbooks.pub/pathwaysfrench Please Note: Many of our activities were created by upper-division students at Boise State University and serve as a foundation that our community of practice can build upon and refine. While they are polished, we welcome and encourage collaboration from language instructors to help modify grammar, syntax, and content where needed. Kindly contact pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu with any suggestions and we will update the content in a timely manner. Cognates / Les mots apparentés Description In this activity, students will learn about cognates with a slideshow and play a cognate bingo game. Semantic Topics Cognates, bingo, false cognates, les mots apparentés, les faux amis, individual words, mots individus Products Cognates, les mots apparentés Practices Used when learning a new language, les mots apparentés can aid in comprehension Perspectives Cognates are sometimes used to study the origins of words. How can cognates help us to better understand other languages? NCSSFL-ACTFL World-Readiness Standards - Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret spoken and written French on a variety of topics. - Standard 4.1: Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of French and their native language. Idaho State Content Standards - CLTR 2.1: Analyze the significance of a product (art, music, literature, etc...) in a target culture. - CONN 2.1: Access authentic materials prepared in the target language by or for native speakers. - COMP 1.1: Observe formal and informal forms of language. NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements - I can use French/English cognates to help improve my understanding in unfamiliar situations. - I can identify common false cognates to avoid misunderstandings. - I can comprehend articles in French magazines. Materials Needed Warm-Up Warm-Up 1. Begin by introducing the Can-Dos for today's activity. 2. Today we are going to chat about cognates. In English, what is a cognate? (Ask the group) Aujourd'hui nous allons parler des mots apparenté. En Anglais, qu'est-ce qu'un exemple d'un mot apparenté?Connaissez-vous des exemples de mots apparentes en anglais? 3. A cognate is a word that sounds very similar in English and French. For example, the word "moderne" in French is "modern" in English. Also, the word "romantique" in French is "romantic" in English. Moderne and romantique are cognates. Un mot apparenté est un mot qui est similaire en français et en anglais. Par exemple, le mot “moderne” en français est “modern” en anglais. En plus, le mot “romantique” en français est “romantic” en anglais. “Modern” et “romantique” sont des mots apparentés. 4. There are "false friends" in French. For example, "pain" in does not mean "pain" in English. It is a false friend or false cognate. Aussi, il y a des “faux amis” en français. Par exemple, ”pain” ne signifie pas “pain” en anglais. Ça veut dire “bread.” C'est un “faux ami,” et non un mot apparenté. Main Activity Main Activity 1. Now we are going to play bingo! Maintenant, nous allons jouer au Bingo ! 2. I'm going to say a cognate and you are going to find it on your card. Je vais dire un mot apparenté en français et vous devez le trouver sur votre carte. 3. The first person to complete a line wins! La première personne à completer une ligne, gagne ! Bingo code can be found on the Google Slideshow Wrap-Up Wrap-Up Ask some of the following question(s) to finish the activity: - Quel est votre mot apparenté préféré ? (What is your preferred cognate?) - À votre avis, pensez-vous qu'il y a beaucoup de mots apparentés en français ? (In your opinion, do you think that there are a lot of cognates in French?) - Quels sont d'autres exemples des mots apparentés ? (What are some other examples of cognates?) If you have extra time, you can play this short video about the Francophone world. Ask the students to be actively listening for English/French cognates. Cultural Resources List of French/English Cognates End of Activity - Can-Do statement check-in... “Where are we?” - Read can-do statements and have students evaluate their confidence. - Encourage students to be honest in their self-evaluation - Pay attention, and try to use feedback for future activities! NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements - I can use French/English cognates to help improve my understanding in unfamiliar situations. - I can identify common false cognates to avoid misunderstandings. - I can comprehend articles in French magazines.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.620444	Amber Hoye	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/74640/overview", "title": "French Level 1, Activity 04 : Les mots apparentés / Cognates (Online)", "author": "Mimi Fahnstrom" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/122764/overview	Vocabulary Control Overview Vocabulary control is a strategic approach to managing language, terminology, and word usage in specific contexts. It is employed to ensure clarity, consistency, and accuracy in communication across various domains. Vocabulary Control A. What is vocabulary control? Vocabulary Control refers to the process of creating, maintaining, and using a controlled vocabulary, whereby a limited set of terms must be used to index documents, and to search for these documents, in a particular system. It may be defined as a list of terms showing their relationships and used to represent the specific subject of the document. The aim of vocabulary control is to ensure consistency in indexing and retrieval, thus making it easier for users to find relevant materials across different libraries and databases. B. What is the need of controlling vocabulary in IR? Controlling vocabulary in information retrieval (IR) is very important because it helps to enhance the search process in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. The following are the factors that raise the need for controlled vocabulary: 1.Consistency: Different terms may be used to describe the same concept (e.g., "cars" vs. "automobiles"). Controlled vocabulary ensures that uniform terms are used for indexing and retrieval, reducing ambiguity and making searches more consistent. 2.Synonym Control: Controlled vocabulary systems map synonyms to a single preferred term, which ensures that users can locate all relevant information even though different terms are used. For example, "heart attack" and "myocardial infarction" can be represented by a standard term, which enables comprehensive retrieval. 3.Disambiguation: Some words have multiple meanings (homonyms), such as "apple" (the fruit or the tech company). Controlled vocabulary ensures that terms are clearly defined, so the correct meaning is applied based on context. 4.Improved Search Precision: Controlled vocabulary improves search accuracy by reducing irrelevant results. Users can find more precise results because indexing terms are carefully selected to represent content accurately. 5.Hierarchical Relationships: Controlled vocabularies typically include broader, narrower, and related terms, which enable the user to browse a topic at different levels of specificity and increase both recall and precision of searches. 6.Cross-Language Retrieval: Controlled vocabularies help in mapping terms across languages, thereby improving retrieval for users who may be searching in different languages. It supports better data exchange and integration between different systems, so that it is easier for information to be shared and retrieved across platforms. C. What are the tools of Vocabulary Control? The vocabulary control tools standardize terms and improve information retrieval by achieving consistency in how terms should be used and indexed. The key tools of vocabulary control include: 1. Thesauri: A thesaurus is a structured list of terms that provides relationships such as synonyms, broader terms (BT), narrower terms (NT), and related terms (RT). It helps users identify the most appropriate terms for searching and indexing. Example: Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) for medical literature. 2. Subject Headings: Subject heading lists provide pre-determined, standardized terms to describe subjects or topics for use in indexing and cataloging. Example: LCSH is commonly used in libraries to ensure that cataloging is standardized. 3. Authority Files: Authority files standardize the use of names for authors, organizations, places, and subjects. This means that name forms can be controlled (e.g., "J.K. Rowling" vs. "Joanne Rowling"). Example: Name Authority Files by the Library of Congress, which standardizes author names. 4. Classification Systems: These systems use a controlled vocabulary to categorize subjects hierarchically, helping users to search systematically. Example: Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) or Universal Decimal Classification (UDC). 5. Taxonomies: A taxonomy is a hierarchical structure used to organize and categorize terms systematically, from general to specific. It helps in representing the structure of knowledge in a particular field. Example:Taxonomies in specialized fields like biology (organizing species) or e-commerce (product categories). 6. Ontologies: Ontologies further specify and structure controlled vocabularies by describing the concepts in relation to each other, such as properties and rules. Beyond a thesaurus, an ontology formally describes the way terms are related. Example: Gene Ontology (GO) in bioinformatics. 7. Glossaries and Controlled Vocabularies: Glossaries are lists of specialized vocabulary and definitions, and controlled vocabularies provide lists of standardized terms that have to be used in indexing and searching. Example: ERIC Thesaurus for education-related vocabulary. 8. Keyword Lists: These are controlled lists of accepted terms for indexing and retrieval, ensuring that searches retrieve relevant materials consistently. Example: A controlled keyword list for legal databases. D. What is classaurus? Classaurus is a mixed knowledge organization tool that provides features of both classification and a thesaurus. It has been developed for a flexible and dynamic way of information organization, by combining principles of hierarchical classification used in the traditional classification systems with associative relationships used in the thesauri. Main Features of Classaurus 1.Hierarchical Structure: As with a thesaurus, Classaurus categorizes concepts hierarchically, so that BT (broader terms) are contained by NT (narrower terms). 2. Associative Relationships: It also contains the associative relationships in a thesaurus, relating RT (related terms) which may not necessarily be part of a hierarchy but are conceptually related. 3. Flexibility in Use: Classaurus is much more flexible than the traditional classification systems since it classifies concepts and, at the same time, allows one to retrieve information based on a network of relationships between concepts. 4.Faceted Classification: Classaurus can also support faceted classification that provides for multiple dimensional access to information through the use of different facets or characteristics of a subject such as time, place, action, etc. 5.Application: Classaurus comes in handy when the normal hierarchical classification is too strait-laced and there needs to be an interconnected view of concepts, for example in digital libraries or complex domains of subjects. Classaurus combines the strength of both the classification and thesauri thus improving the ability to obtain and organize information, becoming a useful tool for the management of knowledge and for information retrieval. E. What are the differences between natural language and artificial language? Natural language and artificial language are two different types of communication systems that have some basic differences. The following are some main differences: 1. Origin and Development - Natural Language: Such languages are developed naturally with the course of time through people's social and cultural interactions. Examples: English, Hindi, Chinese, Swahili, etc. - Artificial Language: Such languages are created deliberately with an intention to serve for some specific purpose by humans. Examples: Programming languages (such as Python, Java), constructed languages (such as Esperanto, Klingon). 2.Structure and Complexity - Natural Language: Generally full of grammar, syntax, and idiomatic expressions, which may cause ambiguity and more than one meaning. Complex and often irregular rules that have developed naturally. - Artificial Language: Formal and rule-governed, in which ambiguity is reduced and clarity is maximized. Rules are predetermined, regular, and often mathematical or logical 3.Purpose - Natural Language: Used for general human communication, social interaction, and to express thoughts, emotions, and culture. - Artificial Language: Developed for specific purposes, like computer coding (programming languages), logical reasoning (formal languages), or international communication (constructed languages, like Esperanto). 4.Flexibility and Ambiguity - Natural Language: Flexible, with the ability to change, and also accommodates figurative language (metaphors, idioms). Generally ambiguous, as the same word may be used for different meanings based on context (e.g., "bank" referring to a financial institution or the bank of a river). - Artificial Language: Less flexible, with fixed meanings and less room for ambiguity. Every symbol or word is meant to have a clear, unambiguous meaning. 5.Users - Natural Language: Used by human communities for verbal and written communication in everyday life. - Artificial Language: Used in specialized domains, like computer programming, formal logic, or specific scientific purposes. Often understood and used by a smaller group of people or machines. 6.Evolution - Natural Language: Continuously evolving over time, influenced by cultural, social, and historical factors. New words and phrases arise naturally, and meanings can change. - Artificial Language: Does not evolve on its own but can be updated or modified deliberately by its creators or users for specific needs. 7. Example Use Cases - Natural Language: Used in everyday communication, storytelling, literature, and conversation. - Artificial Language: Used in technology (programming languages), formal logic (mathematical languages), or international communication experiments (constructed languages like Esperanto). Summary: Natural languages are complex, flexible, and evolve naturally, used for everyday human communication. Artificial languages are constructed with fixed rules with the purpose of avoiding ambiguity and enhancing precision in specialized fields such as computing or logic.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.644419	12/08/2024	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/122764/overview", "title": "Vocabulary Control", "author": "Dipak Mondal" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/90317/overview	On Vacation - Planning Your Destination – An ESL Lesson Plan Overview Planning Your Destination at a Glance In this lesson, students will be required to do a variety of tasks that revolve around vacation planning. The lesson begins with an activity that elicits vacation-related vocabulary. Then students will move on to a reading exercise that will test their reading comprehension. Following this, students will participate in a role-play exercise. To conclude the lesson, students will have the chance to share their ideas and opinions about their ideal holiday destinations. With that being said, this lesson is a fun way to get to know your students! If you want additional lesson plans and support, including teachers’ notes, be sure to register for a free Off2Class account. Off2Class In this lesson, students will be required to do a variety of tasks that revolve around vacation planning. The lesson begins with an activity that elicits vacation-related vocabulary. Then students will move on to a reading exercise that will test their reading comprehension. Following this, students will participate in a role-play exercise. To conclude the lesson, students will have the chance to share their ideas and opinions about their ideal holiday destinations. With that being said, this lesson is a fun way to get to know your students! Download the lesson plan On Vacation – Planning Your Destination here: https://www.off2class.com/lesson-plan-downloads/planning-your-vacation-an-esl-lesson-plan/	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.663028	Student Guide	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/90317/overview", "title": "On Vacation - Planning Your Destination – An ESL Lesson Plan", "author": "Lesson Plan" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89475/overview	PROTEINS Overview Proteins are large, complex molecules that play many critical roles in the body. Proteins are complex nitrogenous organic substances of plant and animal origin. They are of great importance in the functioning of living cells They do most of the work in cells and are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body's tissues and organs. Apart from there essential food stuff like Carbohydrate and fats, they also provide very of therapeutically active compounds such as hormones, enzymes, sera, antitoxins. pharma Proteins are large, complex molecules that play many critical roles in the body. Proteins are complex nitrogenous organic substances of plant and animal origin. They are of great importance in the functioning of living cells They do most of the work in cells and are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body's tissues and organs. Apart from there essential food stuff like Carbohydrate and fats, they also provide very of therapeutically active compounds such as hormones, enzymes, sera, antitoxins.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.679485	01/22/2022	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89475/overview", "title": "PROTEINS", "author": "Vikrant Arya" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/92717/overview	CELLULAR MEMBRANE AUDIO Final assessment. First activity: Listening comprehension. First warming up: matching game Scramble game 2 Scramble game 3 Scramble game 4 Scramble game 5 Scramble game 6 Scramble game 7 Second Activity: Powerpoint game Second warming up: scramble game Introduction to cells Overview Sources: - Power point game - Educaplay - Genially - YouTube LESSON PLAN FORM Name of students teachers: Sofia Trujillo Juliana Serrano Alejandro Calderon Daniel Puentes Topic: cells and present simple/ Wh questions. Target Population: science students (secondary education 11º) Level: B1 (Students can give a prepared straightforward presentation on familiar topic within his/her field) Focus: Reading comprehension - listening comprehension ICT National Standard teachers: - Reflect on the key areas and topics to adress within the subject area given the rapid growth in knowledge. - Constantly pursue technical and cognitive proficiency. - Use technology to interact with colleagues and participate in teachers' communities of practice. DBA by the MEN: - Utiliza variedad de estrategias de comprensión de lectura adecuadas al propósito y al tipo de texto. - Identifico la idea principal de un texto oral cuando tengo conocimiento previo de un tema. Pre-activity Language focus: Present simple/ Wh questions. \| FIRST WARMING UP \| SECOND WARMING UP \| \| Minute: 10 \| Minute: 10 \| 1. In the first warming up, we will show a matching game activity related with vocabulary about the cell. Therefore, learners will match the meaning of the word with the image or description. \| 2. In the second warming up, learners will play with a scramble game about cells. Students have to organize some words in order to make coherence sentences. \| While activity \| FISRT ACTIVITY \| SECOND ACTIVITY \| Minute: 20 \| Minute: 20 \| Skill focus: Listening comprehension \| Skill focus: reading comprehension \| \| 1. In this first activity, bottom-up approach is followed since students will watch a video about the cell and then answer some specific questions based on that video. \| 2. In the second activity, we will give a text about cells to students. They will read the text in order to understand the content. Then, they are going to play a PowerPoint game in groups about the text. \| Post-activity Minute: 30min \| Skill focus: speaking \| Instruction: In this last activity, students will draw a cells part (e.g: cellular membrane); then, they will plan a brief presentation explaining their draw (e.g: the function of the cellular membrane). \| An example will be attached below: Assesment. Minute: 10 \| In this section, we will test the knowledge of the students on the topic proposed in the lesson "the cell". They have to complete the following test in genially. \|	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.713656	05/14/2022	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/92717/overview", "title": "Introduction to cells", "author": "sofia trujillo cuellar" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89994/overview	Tobacco farming Overview This is a farm in Malakisi. The crop is almost ready for harvest. One of our students was attached here Industrial Crop farming in Bungoma Commercial crop farming Tobacco farming in Malakisi, Bungoma Student supervision This is a farm in Malakisi. The crop is almost ready for harvest. One of our students was attached here Commercial crop farming Tobacco farming in Malakisi, Bungoma Student supervision	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.729553	02/13/2022	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89994/overview", "title": "Tobacco farming", "author": "Everlyne Namikoye" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/92950/overview	IBUPROFEN DRUG Overview infrograph- ibuprofen Chemistry- ibuprofen IT'S AN INFOGRAPH ON THE DRUG CALLED IBUPROFEN. IT CONTAINS BASIC INFOMATION OF THE DRUG, TYPE OF ISOMERS, IT'S USES AND ITS SIDE EFFECTS.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.746618	05/23/2022	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/92950/overview", "title": "IBUPROFEN DRUG", "author": "firdos khan" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/72118/overview	Bias Stabilization Overview This will be useful in understanding bias compensation and transistor stability i.e. operating point stability. Bias compensation The stabilization occurs due to negative feedback action. The negative feedback, although improves the stability of operating point, it reduces the gain of the amplifier. As the gain of the amplifier is a very important consideration, some compensation techniques are used to maintain excellent bias and thermal stabilization. Let us now go through such bias compensation techniques. Diode Compensation for Instability These are the circuits that implement compensation techniques using diodes to deal with biasing instability. The stabilization techniques refer to the use of resistive biasing circuits which permit IB to vary so as to keep IC relatively constant. There are two types of diode compensation methods. They are − - Diode compensation for instability due to VBE variation - Diode compensation for instability due to ICO variation Let us understand these two compensation methods in detail. Diode Compensation for Instability due to VBE Variation In a Silicon transistor, the changes in the value of VBE results in the changes in IC. A diode can be employed in the emitter circuit in order to compensate the variations in VBE or ICO. As the diode and transistor used are of same material, the voltage VD across the diode has same temperature coefficient as VBE of the transistor. The following figure shows self-bias with stabilization and compensation. The diode D is forward biased by the source VDD and the resistor RD. The variation in VBE with temperature is same as the variation in VD with temperature, hence the quantity (VBE – VD) remains constant. So the current IC remains constant in spite of the variation in VBE. Diode Compensation for Instability due to ICO Variation The following figure shows the circuit diagram of a transistor amplifier with diode D used for compensation of variation in ICO. So, the reverse saturation current IO of the diode will increase with temperature at the same rate as the transistor collector saturation current ICO. I=VCC−VBER≅VCCR=ConstantI=VCC−VBER≅VCCR=Constant The diode D is reverse biased by VBE and the current through it is the reverse saturation current IO. Now the base current is, IB=I−IOIB=I−IO Substituting the above value in the expression for collector current. IC=β(I−IO)+(1+β)ICOIC=β(I−IO)+(1+β)ICO If β ≫ 1, IC=βI−βIO+βICOIC=βI−βIO+βICO I is almost constant and if IO of diode and ICO of transistor track each other over the operating temperature range, then IC remains constant.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.762262	09/06/2020	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/72118/overview", "title": "Bias Stabilization", "author": "venkateswarlu ennipalli" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105802/overview	The Future of Learning Overview Aims to create a dynamic and interactive learning environment that stimulates curiosity, promotes collaboration, and challenges students to think critically and creatively. By integrating technology, authentic learning experiences, and digital assessments, the flexible learning approach supports the acquisition of 21st-century skills and prepares students to thrive in a rapidly changing world The Future of Learning A Proposed Schema of 21st Century Skills Flexible Learning Approach Marlo Jay O. Montijo Cebu Technological University -Argao Campus marlojay.montijo@ctu.edu.ph June 20, 2023 Introduction In the wake of the pandemic, both teachers and students have encountered a multitude of challenges in the field of education. Teachers have had to navigate the transition to new teaching methods, striving to deliver high-quality learning experiences to their students. The struggles faced by educators include adapting to remote instruction, ensuring student engagement, addressing equity and access issues, and maintaining effective communication in virtual classrooms. These challenges require innovative strategies that incorporate technology-driven flexible teaching and learning approaches. By harnessing the current trends in educational technology, personalized learning, and digital resources, educators can design comprehensive models to overcome these obstacles and enhance the educational experience for their students. Source: Picciano, A. G. (2017). Theories and Frameworks for Online Education: Seeking an Integrated Model. Online Learning, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v21i3.1225 Learning Experience: Flexible learning approaches can offer a variety of benefits to learners, including: Increased learner autonomy: Learners have more control over their own learning, which can lead to increased motivation and engagement. Personalized learning: Learners can choose the content, pace, and methods that best suit their individual needs and interests. Opportunities for collaboration: Learners can collaborate with others online or in person, which can help them to learn from each other and build relationships. Access to a wider range of resources: Learners can access a wider range of learning resources, including online courses, textbooks, and videos. Social Presence Social presence is an important aspect of flexible learning. It refers to the degree to which learners feel connected to each other and to the instructor in an online learning environment. Social presence can be facilitated through a variety of means, including asynchronous discussion forums, synchronous chat, video conferencing, group projects, and social media. Social presence is important for a number of reasons. It can help to increase motivation, improve communication, build relationships, and encourage collaboration. If you are designing a flexible learning environment, it is important to consider how you will facilitate social presence. There are a variety of ways to do this, and the best approach will vary depending on the specific context. However, by incorporating social presence into your design, you can create a learning environment that is more engaging and effective. Here are some additional tips for facilitating social presence in flexible learning: - Make sure that learners have opportunities to interact with each other and the instructor. - Encourage learners to share their thoughts and ideas. - Use social media to connect learners with each other and with the instructor. - Personalize the learning experience. - Provide opportunities for learners to reflect on their learning. Cognitive Presence Cognitive presence is an important aspect of flexible learning. It refers to the degree to which learners are able to construct meaning through sustained reflection and discourse. Cognitive presence can be facilitated through a variety of means, including challenging tasks, open-ended discussions, reflective activities, and constructivist pedagogy. Cognitive presence is important for a number of reasons. It can help to increase understanding, improve critical thinking, promote creativity, and encourage deeper learning. If you are designing a flexible learning environment, it is important to consider how you will facilitate cognitive presence. There are a variety of ways to do this, and the best approach will vary depending on the specific context. However, by incorporating cognitive presence into your design, you can create a learning environment that is more engaging and effective. Teaching Presence: Teaching presence is an important aspect of flexible learning. It refers to the degree to which the instructor facilitates and promotes meaningful learning through the design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social processes. Teaching presence can be facilitated through a variety of means, including designing the course, facilitating discussions, and directing the learning process. Teaching presence is important for a number of reasons. It can help to increase learner engagement, promote deep learning, and encourage collaboration. If you are designing a flexible learning environment, it is important to consider how you will facilitate teaching presence. There are a variety of ways to do this, and the best approach will vary depending on the specific context. However, by incorporating teaching presence into your design, you can create a learning environment that is more engaging and effective. - Create Intended learning outcomes (ILOs) for your students, to learn and acquire the 21st century skills you chose, this can help you as basis of your mode/ diagram design. Students be able to identify and analyze problems in a flexible learning environment - Your diagram, in the bare minimum must visualize the interaction the following: Diagram Content \| Application \| Observed \| Not Observed \| \| Identifying Problems and Formulating Questions \| \| \| Psychomotor ILO: Creative Problem-Solving Affective ILO: Open-Mindedness and Adaptability \| Cognitive: data interpretation Making reasoned judgments Psychomotor brainstorming sessions/ prototype innovative solutions Affective: students may participate in collaborative discussions \| \| \| \| To help students develop a solid foundation of knowledge and skills, instructors can provide explicit instruction on the critical thinking process, problem-solving strategies, and relevant concepts. This includes clearly explaining the steps involved in each process and modeling the thinking process through examples and demonstrations \| \| \| Case-Based Learning Collaborative Projects \| open-ended questions that encourage critical thinking and sharing of ideas Assign problem-solving scenarios or case studies that allow students to apply their knowledge and skills in a real-world context discussions as a platform for collaborative problem. Introduce real-world cases or scenarios that require critical thinking and problem-solving. \| \| \| Augmentation: Modification: Redefinition: \| using a digital textbook using a collaborative document editing tool where students can work together in real-time Facilitating online group collaboration Collaborate with peers from different countries through video conferencing \| \| \| OER 2: \| OER 1: YouTube's Education channel OER 2: Open Access Journals \| \| \| \| These flexible learning techniques allow students to learn by doing \| \| x \| Formative Assessment: Summative Assessment: \| Pre-assessment exam Online quizzes Term exams, project presentations \| \| \| \| Modification of the parameters, variables, and conditions of the virtual experiments to create unique scenarios for students to explore \| \| Part 3, Discuss each aspect of your model… The Future learning The 21st-century skill that I will focus on is Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. This skill is essential to teach because it equips learners with the ability to analyze information, evaluate evidence, and think critically to solve complex problems. In today's rapidly changing world, students need to develop these skills to navigate and thrive in various personal, academic, and professional situations. Research has shown that fostering critical thinking skills leads to improved academic performance, higher-order thinking abilities, and better decision-making. By teaching critical thinking and problem-solving, I aim to empower my learners to become independent, creative, and adaptable thinkers who can tackle real-world challenges. To teach critical thinking and problem-solving, I will draw upon the principles of Constructivism, a learning theory that emphasizes active engagement and meaning-making through authentic experiences (Brooks & Brooks, 1999). This theory is suitable for my topic as it promotes active exploration, collaboration, and reflection, which are crucial for developing critical thinking skills. Additionally, I will integrate the concept of authentic learning, where learners engage in real-world tasks and problem-solving activities relevant to their lives, to make the learning experience more meaningful and applicable (Herrington & Oliver, 2000). In delivering instruction, I will adopt a flexible teaching approach that allows for student-centered and inquiry-based learning. This approach empowers students to take ownership of their learning, promotes active engagement, and fosters critical thinking. Strategies such as project-based learning, case studies, and problem-solving activities will be employed to provide authentic contexts for applying critical thinking skills. By incorporating these strategies, I aim to create a dynamic and interactive learning environment that stimulates curiosity, promotes collaboration, and challenges students to think critically and creatively. In delivering the topic, I will utilize various technology tools, apps, and websites that align with the flexible teaching approach and support the development of critical thinking skills. For example, I will use online interactive simulations and virtual labs to provide students with hands-on experiences and opportunities to apply critical thinking and problem-solving in a virtual environment (Smetana & Bell, 2012). These tools allow students to manipulate variables, observe outcomes, and analyze data, fostering critical thinking and scientific inquiry skills. Additionally, I will integrate open educational resources (OERs) such as open textbooks, videos, and interactive modules to provide students with diverse and accessible learning materials. OERs promote equity, cost savings, and customization of resources to suit the needs of learners (Hilton, 2016). By incorporating a combination of technology tools, apps, sites, and OERs, I aim to create a rich and interactive learning experience that caters to different learning styles, engages students, and supports the development of critical thinking skills. In terms of assessments, I will implement a variety of digital assessment strategies that align with the flexible learning approach and cater to the diverse needs of learners. This includes diagnostic assessments to gauge students' prior knowledge and skills, formative assessments to provide ongoing feedback and support learning progress, and summative assessments to evaluate learning outcomes. These assessments can be conducted through online quizzes, interactive assignments, and project-based assessments. The suitable process of digital assessments allows for immediate feedback, personalized learning pathways, and the integration of multimedia elements to enhance the assessment experience (Morrison et al., 2010). By leveraging technology tools and apps, such as learning management systems and online assessment platforms, I can effectively assess students' critical thinking skills, monitor their progress, and provide timely feedback for improvement. The use of technology tools in assessment also aligns with the Modification and Redefinition levels of the SAMR model, as it allows for the transformation of traditional assessment practices. References Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., & Gardner, M. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learning Policy Institute. Retrieved from https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/Effective_Teacher_Professional_Development_REPORT.pdf OECD. (2020). Education during COVID-19: Initial insights from TALIS. OECD Publishing. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1787/3434db7e-en United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2020). Education: From disruption to recovery. UNESCO. Retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/recovery Halpern, D. F. ( 2014). Thought and knowledge: An introduction to critical thinking (5th ed.). Psychology Press. Brooks, J. G., & Brooks, M. G. (1999). In search of understanding: The case for constructivist classrooms. ASCD. Herrington, J., & Oliver, R. (2000). An instructional design framework for authentic learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 48(3), 23-48. Smetana, L. K., & Bell, R. L. (2012). Computer simulations to support science instruction and learning: A critical review of the literature. International Journal of Science Education, 34(9), 1337-1370. Hilton, J. (2016). Open educational resources and college textbook choices: A review of research on efficacy and perceptions. Educational Technology Research and Development, 64(4), 573-590. Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2010). Designing effective instruction (6th ed.). Wiley.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.822817	06/26/2023	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105802/overview", "title": "The Future of Learning", "author": "MARLO JAY MONTIJO" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/96869/overview	Emergency Drugs For The Dental Hygienist (Basic) (Pharmacology) Overview The target learner will have started in a dental hygiene program and have basic knowledge of common medical emergencies that may occur in the dental office. As a dental hygiene student, this lesson will enhance the learner's knowledge on basic emergency drug use as a dental hygienist in a clinic. Ideally, the learner would have completed the lesson regarding emergency drugs in their pharmacology course and can utilize this lesson as a supplement to self refelect on their retention of knowledge and key take aways.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.836281	08/30/2022	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/96869/overview", "title": "Emergency Drugs For The Dental Hygienist (Basic) (Pharmacology)", "author": "Kristina Lengling" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89261/overview	Sign in to see your Hubs Sign in to see your Groups Create a standalone learning module, lesson, assignment, assessment or activity Submit OER from the web for review by our librarians Please log in to save materials. Log in Its free or	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.858481	01/14/2022	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89261/overview", "title": "PAPIA BAWA", "author": "Papia Bawa" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/92074/overview	Visual Deception Defenses Overview This OER was created to inform individuals about the visual mechanisms which allow animals, primarily prey, to defend themselves in nature. These different mechanisms are incredibly complex, and could provide a reader with more insight into how these mechanisms function in nature. The types of defense mechanisms that this OER explores include camouflage, mimicry, and deimatic modifications. Visual Deception & Confusion: A Look at Defensive Mechanisms in Animals Animals rely on several different means of defense to ensure their ability to survive in nature, and one such method is visual deception. Defense by visual deception, in a broad definition, is when animals use visual signaling to deceive or dissuade potential predators. Visual signaling is a complex behavior. Numerous factors. such as color, pattern, viewing angle, size, and shadowing all influencing what is perceived by the observing animal or predator. This arms animals who use visual deception with a means to defend themselves with a multitude of tools and methods to survive in the presence of a predator. Most of the methods and applications of visual deception fall into three main categories of defense mechanisms: mimicry, camouflage, and deimatic modifications. Mimicry is when an animal resembles another species of animal, plant, or even an inanimate object with sometimes a near identical appearance. Camouflage is the mechanism where animals blend in with their surroundings to prevent predators from identifying them, knowing their location, or seeing their movements. Camouflage is also called cryptic coloration and relies heavily on the animal's physical characteristics to match the features of the environment (Boudreau et al 2011). Finally, deimatic displays are when animal species spontaneously produce an appearance that scares, confuses, or distracts potential predators during encounters. As further explained below, all of these visual deception defenses are elaborate and have a wide range of applications from species all across the animal kingdom. A variety of species protect themselves from predators by utilizing mimicry to confuse and evade. For these species, ocular deception works by mimicking other species or singular natural objects around them. One example of a species using mimicry as a defensive mechanism can be seen deep in the oceans of the Caribbean. The bottom feeding octopus, Macrotritopus defilippi, was recorded on multiple separate occasions, from multiple different subjects, exhibiting the movement patterns and body shape of the sand-dwelling flounder, Bothus lunatus (Hanlon et al. 2010). As seen in Figure 1 below, the octopi were photographed on multiple occasions modifying their physical shape and movement behaviors to copy that of the flat and slow-moving flounder. Figure 1: Macrotritopus defilippi performing flounder mimicry. (A) Normal backward swimming; October 2000. (B) Apparent flounder mimicry; October 2000. Figure 1. The Biological Bulletin. Open Access. Four examples of the bottom-dwelling octopus mimicking the sand-dwelling flounder. Normally these octopi suffer from attacks from local predators such as sharks, but when mimicking the flounders, the octopi suffer from far fewer attacks (Hanlon et al. 2010). This is just one example of a species actively using mimicry to protect themselves, however, some species have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to benefit from passive mimicry. Species like the False Coral Snake, Oxyrhopus petolarius, benefit from mimicry as a defense mechanism by confusing predators into believing they are poisonous and not worth attacking (Buasso et al. 2006). In this case the false coral snake has evolved over time to develop the same ring coloration and similar color pattern as the poisonous species of coral snake, Micrurus fulvius. Instead of actively changing their physical shape or movement patterns like the bottom-dwelling octopi, these coral snakes inherit the mimicry traits of their ancestors to protect themselves from predators. One last example of mimicry can be seen not in an animal mimicking another, but an animal using mimicry to match an object in the environment around them. The common stick-bug, Phasmatodea, seen all over the world, also uses mimicry as a defensive mechanism. The stick-bug does this exactly as its name states, it mimics a stick (Purser 2003). As seen below in Figure 2, two stick-bugs use mimicry to match the branch they are hanging on to hide from predators. Figure 2: A pair of mating phasmids suspended below a branch in secondary forest near Rotorua, New Zealand. Photo 3. Jungle Bugs: Masters of Camouflage and Mimicry. Special Permission. Two Stick-bugs using environmental mimicry as a defensive mechanism As one can see, a multitude of species utilize mimicry as a defensive mechanism to protect themselves from predators around them. This comes in the form of active mimicry, changing their physical makeup and behavior to confuse and evade attackers. Passive mimicry is another form of mimicry that can be seen in animals evolving over time to mimic poisonous species. Lastly, it can be seen in species using mimicry to match singular environmental objects and hide from the eyes of their predators. Unlike camouflage where species match the whole environment, not just one object. Camouflage, also defined as crypsis, allows an animal to conceal itself from predators by blending into its environment using a specific color, pattern, and shape. The overall defense mechanism works by exploiting a predator’s cognitive ability (Cuthill 2019). The colors and patterns displayed by animals, combined with optical factors can reduce the salience of primitive features, surfaces, edges, body parts, and even the whole body of an animal (Merlaita et al. 2017). Camouflage can take on a number of different visual forms including background matching, disruptive coloration, distraction marks, and self shadowing. These colors and patterns can remain the same throughout an animal’s entire life, or can change rapidly depending on a specific species’ type of camouflage. This means of defense is incredibly diverse and exists across a broad range of species within the animal kingdom. Perhaps the most broad form of camouflage, background matching relies on a species’ ability to resemble their environment using a variety of colors and patterns (Cuthill et al. 2017) When an animal’s environment is homogeneous, with no variation in texture, luminance, and hue, a single optimal camouflage pattern exists. This form of camouflage can be seen in Figure 3, which demonstrates a nightjar’s ability to conceal itself within the leafy ground environment. The efficacy of background matching can be limited by the outline of an animal as it creates discontinuities between the concealed species and its background. In a heterogeneous environment, species prioritize matching one background well, at the expense of appearing more visible in a different background (Michalis et al. 2017). Figure 3: "A Long-tailed Nightjar in Gambia. It is on the ground camouflaged amongst leaves." by Gisela Gershon Lohman Braun is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 Nightjar relying on background matching to disguise itself on the forest floor Different from background matching, certain species employ disruptive coloration, which relies on breaking up an animal’s outline by using a variety of high contrast patterns. These patterns occur near the edges of an animal’s outline to interrupt cognitive recognition of normal objects (Price et al. 2019). This type of camouflage works best when the luminance of the animal matches that of its background, but is not as dependent on the background mirroring animal patterns. One example of disruptive coloration occurs in precocial plover chicks. These chicks are able to use their neoptile feathers to effectively diffuse their outline, thus increasing their survivability (Rohr et al. 2021). In Figure 4 below, a tiger can be seen employing disruptive coloration patterns to camouflage itself. This form of camouflage is found to be more effective in environments with multiple backgrounds, rather than a homogeneous one. Figure 4: "Tiger in high grass" by Akshit Deshlande is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 Tiger relying on disruptive coloration to camouflage itself among grasslands Countershading, or self shadow concealment is a form of camouflage that relies on an animal having a darker appearance on the top of their body, and lighter on the bottom. When light falls above a species, a luminance gradient is produced across the body’s surface. An organism’s combination of countershading with this luminance effect allows this organism to have uniform darkness, and a lack of depth relief. This form of camouflage can be found in a large range of animal groups such as deer and sharks. Figure 5: "Great white shark at Guadalupe Island" by Horizon Charters is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 Great white shark exhibiting countershading camouflage One of the most effective means of crypsis is active camouflage, also known as adaptive camouflage. This type of camouflage relies on a species ability to dynamically change different colors, often in a short period of time. Active camouflage allows a species to blend in with a variety of backgrounds, often through background matching. This type of camouflage provides a greater advantage compared to a species’ that has a fixed pattern, providing greater adaptability in heterogeneous background patterns. Active camouflage has a number of impressive biological and mechanical systems that allow certain species to rapidly adapt to a number of environmental factors. Due to specific neuro-musculo organs species such as the cuttlefish and a variety of octopi are able to control bumps on their skin that can disrupt their body shape and change texture (Gonzales-Bellido et al. 2018). These bumps, also known as papillae, allow for rapid changes in color and texture in these animals, with a fast expression and retraction system, as well as long term expression abilities. This rapid color change can be found in types of reptiles on land, such as chameleons, while pelagic species use this method of camouflage in water. One such species is the rockpool goby, shown in Figure 6, which is able to change its color in less than one minute (Stevens et al. 2014). Figure 6: "Figure 3. Examples of changes in brightness of fish." by Stevens et al. is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Rock gobies demonstrating ability to rapidly change color Certain factors place constraints on the effectiveness of camouflage. One such factor is the size of an animal, which affects the distance at which a target can be detected, depending on habitat size and spatial acuity of a viewer. An animal’s shape also influences the effectiveness of camouflage, as an unnatural shape not found in an environment can alert viewers to the presence of an animal, as well as unusual posture or orientation. Motion is perhaps the largest of these constraints, as most animals have to move at some point in their life. When an animal moves, it breaks the uniformity of the animal’s appearance with its environment, however some factors, such as background motion mitigate this factor (Cuthill et al. 2017). Despite its proven effectiveness in nature, camouflage is not a foolproof defense mechanism, and relies on a vast amount of factors to conceal prey from predators. Another major consideration of the research about camouflage was the way changes in the environment can affect this visual defense mechanism. Unfortunately, with the growing climate change issue, certain animal species that use passive seasonal camouflage such as snowshoe hares are negatively impacted. Using data gathered by a research team in North America, the team explains how “phenological mismatches, when life-events become mistimed with optimal environmental conditions, have become increasingly common under climate change” (Zimova et al. 2019). In North America, the snow season is becoming increasingly shorter which results in an increased chance of a mistimed molting of the snowshoe hare’s winter coat. This ties human connection with visual deception research and conveys the potential impacts humans have on defense mechanisms that animal species rely on to survive. In many animal species, altering the physical shape or form of an individual’s body is a form of physical deimatic behavior that intimidates or scares away predators. This is another form of defensive behavior similar to other tactics previously discussed. However, physical deimatic behavior is the way in which an animal modifies its appearance so that it seems obscure or odd which makes a predator hesitant to attack (Olofsson et al 2012). Sending dishonest or false signals is the basis of deimatic behavior. Figure 7: A frilled-neck lizard enlarging its neck frill as a display of intimidation towards a predator. Chlamydosaurus kingii by Miklos Schiberna, Public Domain The use of misinformation is weaponized to preserve fitness and the life of the individual (Mokkonen 2015). This form of deception relies on recognition errors in those that are perceiving the subject to make them think that they are seeing something foreign or completely new (Mokkonen 2015). Naturally, animals will be nervous to engage with a new animal or object. Examples of this behavior as a defense, can include quick and rhythmic motion such as moths that will flap their wings aggressively and in abnormal patterns which, in experimental and observed cases, deters predatory birds from eating them (Olofsson et al 2012). Normally, these moths flap their wings when flying but this is in a very predictable pattern that others will observe as normal. This change in behavior is a way to bluff and show other animals that something is wrong, it can communicate that no one should come near them. Other ways that animals utilize physical deimatic behavior to defend themselves is enlargement and shapeshifting. In Opisthobranchs, specifically the Glossodoris cincta, enlargement of the mantle through muscle flexing can make the mollusk appear different compared to its normal form (Ghazali 2006). In an experimental test of this phenomenon, the presence of crabs and fish prompted the mollusk species to flex itself 100% of the time (Ghazali 2006). It is deduced that this behavior is used when the creature feels threatened and is a defense mechanism to prevent premature death. Similar techniques can be observed in snakes. Many snakes, under predation of larger animals, will create poses that indicate an imminent defensive attack towards the animal that is intimidating the snake (Cox 2021). This stimulus induced behavior expresses a bluffing tactic or deimatic technique that sends signals to the predator that something is wrong in order to deter them (Cox 2021). This is a deceptive signal that is only applied in situations that make the animal feel as though they are in danger. The same method is observed in crustaceans when they move their chelipeds in abnormal movements (Arnott 2010). This is another way that animals bluff and send false messages to predators. Moving the cheliped in a different manner can imply that the crab is ill or erratic which is not advantageous to eat for predators (Arnott 2010). All of these behaviors described are physical modifications that are deimatic or bluffing in nature. This behavior has been observed as being very effective in defending oneself and prolonging an individual’s lifespan. Over long periods of evolution, countless species have adopted these behaviors because of their usefulness. Figure 8: A snake coiling its tail in a physical display of aggression to defend itself and a crab flashing its chelipeds. "Wild snake encounter" and "Rabid crab" by Unsplash, Public Domain In the animal kingdom, species use countless defense mechanisms to survive harsh environments riddled with predators and other threats. As explained, visual deception is a popular defense mechanism used across the animal kingdom to increase the survivability of species that are more susceptible to harm in an engagement with a predator. Visual deception, like most other categories of defense mechanisms, comes in many different forms as well as methods of using each form. Whether it is resembling other animals or plants, blending into the environment, or spontaneously enabling a startling or confusing display, visual deception allows animals to avoid predator encounters. Thanks to the advancements and new approaches in animal behavior studies, so much is known about visual deception defenses used by species all over the world. However, as animal behavior becomes more inclusive to people from all walks of life, new perspectives and ways of thinking will help to discover more about visual deception as well as all aspects of animal behavior. This is why it is so important, especially as individuals in STEM, to be open-minded and pursue a future of science that boasts inclusiveness and diversity. The accumulation of information regarding the aforementioned defense mechanisms was done so by acknowledging the impact of research in this field. In the near future more underrepresented and marginalized groups will have better access to the content provided not only here but also in the area of study relating to animal behavior. With this comes the responsibility to allow for multiple perspectives to be used when researching subjects and make open education resources digestible for any and all groups (Bass et al. 2016). Higher education has ushered in a new era in diversity and inclusion which means that members of the science community need to uphold this trend and foster growth for marginalized groups such that their participation is continued for the betterment of the subject and higher education (Bass et al. 2016). It is important to keep this in mind as oftentimes disabled individuals and minorities can be victim of stigmatization in science and their opinions and voices can be left unheard (Marks 2017). A small percentage of the science community is part of these demographics yet their share outside of STEM is larger. This disparity needs to be abolished and the inclusion of these groups should be prioritized and acknowledged (Marks 2017). In this paper, this is done by acquiring sources from a plethora of backgrounds that provide the most diversity that the team was able to achieve. The team made sure to consider the author’s background for every source that was included. It is important to keep in mind that where the article originated and who originated it are two factors that can shape how inclusive the information is. An article that comes from an indiginous source may capture information that isn’t prevalent in mainstream science. On top of this, the narrative used in this OER does not assert absolute dominion over facts and interpretations, but provides the more raw and widespread undisputed phenomena that are observed in nature. This includes the behaviors of the mollusk, octopus, tiger, fish, sea slug, and more that were exemplified in this document. In an effort to overcome implicit bias, the authors did not assert new trends that are not previously acknowledged in the science community. This nurtures an environment of openness and inclusion that scientific papers should incorporate. References Arnott G, Elwood RW. 2010. Signal residuals and hermit crab displays: flaunt it if you have it! Animal Behaviour. 79(1):137–143. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.10.011. Buasso CM, Leynaud GC, Cruz FB. 2006. Predation on snakes of Argentina: Effects of coloration and ring pattern on coral and false coral snakes. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment. 41(3):183–188. doi:10.1080/01650520600630725. Boudreau D, McDaniel M, Sprout E, Turgeon A. 2011. Camouflage. National Geographic: Resource Library. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/camouflage/ Cuthill IC, William A, Arbuckle K, Caspers B, Chaplin G, Hauber M, Hill G, Nina J, Jiggins C, Caro T. 2017. The Biology of Color. Science. 357. DOI: 10.1126/science.aan0221 Cuthill IC. 2019. Camouflage. Journal of Zoology. 308(2):75–92. doi:10.1111/jzo.12682. Cox CL, Chung AK, Blackwell C, Davis MM, Gulsby M, Islam H, Miller N, Lambert C, Lewis O, Rector IV, et al. 2021. Tactile stimuli induce deimatic antipredator displays in ringneck snakes. Wright J, editor. Ethology. 127(6):465–474. doi:10.1111/eth.13152. Duarte RC, Flores AAV, Stevens M. 2017. Camouflage through color change: mechanisms, adaptive value and ecological significance. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences. 372(1724):1–8. [accessed 2022 Apr 20]. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44679013. Ghazali S. 2006. Displays of Defense : Behavioral Differences in Antagonist Avoidance in Four Opisthobranch Mollusks. UCB Moorea Class: Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands. [accessed 2022 Apr 14]. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9s6740fr. Gonzalez-Bellido PT, Scaros AT, Hanlon RT, Wardill TJ. 2018. Neural Control of Dynamic 3-Dimensional Skin Papillae for Cuttlefish Camouflage. iScience. 1:24–34. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2018.01.001. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004218300014. Hanlon RT, Watson AC, Barbosa A. 2010. A “Mimic Octopus” in the Atlantic: Flatfish Mimicry and Camouflage by Macrotritopus defilippi. The Biological Bulletin. 218(1):15–24. doi:10.1086/bblv218n1p15. Merilaita S, Scott-Samuel NE, Cuthill I. 2017. How camouflage works. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences. 372(1724):1–9. [accessed 2022 Apr 20]. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44679012. Michalis C, Scott-Samuel NE, Gibson DP, Cuthill IC. 2017. Optimal background matching camouflage. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 284(1858):20170709. doi:10.1098/rspb.2017.0709. Mokkonen M, Lindstedt C. 2015. The evolutionary ecology of deception. Biological Reviews. 91(4):1020–1035. doi:10.1111/brv.12208. Olofsson M, Eriksson S, Jakobsson S, Wiklund C. 2012. Deimatic Display in the European Swallowtail Butterfly as a Secondary Defence against Attacks from Great Tits. Osorio D, editor. PLoS ONE. 7(10):e47092. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0047092. Price N, Green S, Troscianko J, Tregenza T, Stevens M. 2019. Background matching and disruptive coloration as habitat-specific strategies for camouflage. Scientific Reports. 9(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-019-44349-2. Purser B. 2003. Jungle Bugs: Masters of Camouflage and Mimicry. Firefly Books. [accessed 2022 Apr 11]. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=zjvoPJseDT4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA13&dq=camouflage+and+mimicry&ots=2WeHjvq_ES&sig=f1778IKkhsDhdkPFlLv4KYALPhk#v=onepage&q&f=false. Rohr VA, Volkmer T, Metzler D, Küpper C. 2021. Neoptile feathers contribute to outline concealment of precocial chicks. Scientific Reports. 11(1):5483. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-84227-4. [accessed 2022 Apr 28]. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-84227-4. Skelhorn J, Rowe C. 2016. Cognition and the evolution of camouflage. Proceedings: Biological Sciences. 283(1825):1–7. [accessed 2022 Apr 20]. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24762395. Stevens M. 2016. Cheats and Deceits: How Animals and Plants Exploit and Mislead. New York (NY): Oxford University Press. [accessed 2022 Apr 25]. Stevens M, Lown AE, Denton AM. 2014. Rockpool Gobies Change Colour for Camouflage. Todd PA, editor. PLoS ONE. 9(10):e110325. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0110325. Zimova M, Siren A, Nowak J, Bryan A, Ivan J, Morelli T, Suhrer S, Whittington J, Mills S. (2019). Local climate determines vulnerability to camouflage mismatch in snowshoe hares. Wiley Online Library, 29 (503-515). https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13049	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.882134	David Van Sickle	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/92074/overview", "title": "Visual Deception Defenses", "author": "Calvin Thomas" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/106786/overview	Occupational Therapist Workload Rating Guidelines Physical and Occupational Therapy under IDEA in Oregon - Early Intervention_Early Childhood and School Age Special Education Physical Therapist Workload Rating Guidelines Physical Therapist Workload Rating Guidelines Workload Rating Guidelines/IEP Service Times Overview In this resource, workload rating guidelines for both OT and PT are provided. It is recommended to discuss with new therapists that IEP minutes are written for the IEP year and not the school year. These resources should be revisited once the therapist has established their caseload. Workload Rating Guidelines/IEP Service Times At the beginning of the year, discuss with new hires that IEP minutes are written for the IEP year and not the school year. Additionally, it isrecommended to revisit the resources related to workload rating guidelines as well as district/program guidance related to indicating IEP minutes once the therapist has established their caseload. The workload rating guidelines are found below and can be downloaded as well. Workload Rating Guidelines (OT)	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.904487	07/17/2023	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/106786/overview", "title": "Workload Rating Guidelines/IEP Service Times", "author": "Nathaniel Baniqued" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/66844/overview	Powerpoint: Introducing Content Language Integrated Learning Overview Introductory Powerpoint - Intended to introduce faculty to the importance of linguistically responsive teaching as their English medium courses are offered globally as part of transnational partnerships. The following google slides document serves as an introduction to content language integrated learning in higher education transnational partnerships. It specifically focuses on content educators who may now be teaching English as an additional language learners, for whom they could be more linguistically responsive in their teaching practice.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.920493	Kate Shea	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/66844/overview", "title": "Powerpoint: Introducing Content Language Integrated Learning", "author": "Lecture" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/11832/overview	Globalization and the Economy Overview - Define globalization and describe its manifestation in modern society - Discuss the pros and cons of globalization from an economic standpoint What Is Globalization? Globalization refers to the process of integrating governments, cultures, and financial markets through international trade into a single world market. Often, the process begins with a single motive, such as market expansion (on the part of a corporation) or increased access to healthcare (on the part of a nonprofit organization). But usually there is a snowball effect, and globalization becomes a mixed bag of economic, philanthropic, entrepreneurial, and cultural efforts. Sometimes the efforts have obvious benefits, even for those who worry about cultural colonialism, such as campaigns to bring clean-water technology to rural areas that do not have access to safe drinking water. Other globalization efforts, however, are more complex. Let us look, for example, at the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The agreement is among the countries of North America, including Canada, the United States, and Mexico and allows much freer trade opportunities without the kind of tariffs (taxes) and import laws that restrict international trade. Often, trade opportunities are misrepresented by politicians and economists, who sometimes offer them up as a panacea to economic woes. For example, trade can lead to both increases and decreases in job opportunities. This is because while easier, more lax export laws mean there is the potential for job growth in the United States, imports can mean the exact opposite. As the United States import more goods from outside the country, jobs typically decrease, as more and more products are made overseas. Many prominent economists believed that when NAFTA was created in 1994 it would lead to major gains in jobs. But by 2010, the evidence showed an opposite impact; the data showed 682,900 U.S. jobs lost across all states (Parks 2011). While NAFTA did increase the flow of goods and capital across the northern and southern U.S. borders, it also increased unemployment in Mexico, which spurred greater amounts of illegal immigration motivated by a search for work. There are several forces driving globalization, including the global economy and multinational corporations that control assets, sales, production, and employment (United Nations 1973). Characteristics of multinational corporations include the following: A large share of their capital is collected from a variety of different nations, their business is conducted without regard to national borders, they concentrate wealth in the hands of core nations and already wealthy individuals, and they play a key role in the global economy. We see the emergence of global assembly lines, where products are assembled over the course of several international transactions. For instance, Apple designs its next-generation Mac prototype in the United States, components are made in various peripheral nations, they are then shipped to another peripheral nation such as Malaysia for assembly, and tech support is outsourced to India. Globalization has also led to the development of global commodity chains, where internationally integrated economic links connect workers and corporations for the purpose of manufacture and marketing (Plahe 2005). For example, inmaquiladoras, mostly found in northern Mexico, workers may sew imported precut pieces of fabric into garments. Globalization also brings an international division of labor, in which comparatively wealthy workers from core nations compete with the low-wage labor pool of peripheral and semi-peripheral nations. This can lead to a sense of xenophobia, which is an illogical fear and even hatred of foreigners and foreign goods. Corporations trying to maximize their profits in the United States are conscious of this risk and attempt to “Americanize” their products, selling shirts printed with U.S. flags that were nevertheless made in Mexico. Aspects of Globalization Globalized trade is nothing new. Societies in ancient Greece and Rome traded with other societies in Africa, the Middle East, India, and China. Trade expanded further during the Islamic Golden Age and after the rise of the Mongol Empire. The establishment of colonial empires after the voyages of discovery by European countries meant that trade was going on all over the world. In the nineteenth century, the Industrial Revolution led to even more trade of ever-increasing amounts of goods. However, the advance of technology, especially communications, after World War II and the Cold War triggered the explosive acceleration in the process occurring today. One way to look at the similarities and differences that exist among the economies of different nations is to compare their standards of living. The statistic most commonly used to do this is the domestic process per capita. This is the gross domestic product, or GDP, of a country divided by its population. The table below compares the top 11 countries with the bottom 11 out of the 228 countries listed in the CIA World Factbook. \| Rank \| Country \| GDP - per capita (PPP) \| \|---\|---\|---\| \| 1 \| Qatar \| $102,100 \| \| 2 \| Liechtenstein \| $89,400 \| \| 3 \| Macau \| $88,700 \| \| 4 \| Bermuda \| $86,000 \| \| 5 \| Monaco \| $85,500 \| \| 6 \| Luxembourg \| $77,900 \| \| 7 \| Singapore \| $62,400 \| \| 8 \| Jersey \| $57,000 \| \| 9 \| Norway \| $55,400 \| \| 10 \| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) \| $55,400 \| \| 11 \| Switzerland \| $54,800 \| \| 218 \| Guinea \| $1,100 \| \| 219 \| Tokelau \| $1,000 \| \| 220 \| Madagascar \| $1,000 \| \| 221 \| Malawi \| $900 \| \| 222 \| Niger \| $800 \| \| 223 \| Liberia \| $700 \| \| 224 \| Central African Republic \| $700 \| \| 225 \| Burundi \| $600 \| \| 226 \| Somalia \| $600 \| \| 227 \| Zimbabwe \| $600 \| \| 228 \| Congo, Democratic Republic of the \| $400 \| There are benefits and drawbacks to globalization. Some of the benefits include the exponentially accelerated progress of development, the creation of international awareness and empowerment, and the potential for increased wealth (Abedian 2002). However, experience has shown that countries can also be weakened by globalization. Some critics of globalization worry about the growing influence of enormous international financial and industrial corporations that benefit the most from free trade and unrestricted markets. They fear these corporations can use their vast wealth and resources to control governments to act in their interest rather than that of the local population (Bakan 2004). Indeed, when looking at the countries at the bottom of the list above, we are looking at places where the primary benefactors of mineral exploitation are major corporations and a few key political figures. Other critics oppose globalization for what they see as negative impacts on the environment and local economies. Rapid industrialization, often a key component of globalization, can lead to widespread economic damage due to the lack of regulatory environment (Speth 2003). Further, as there are often no social institutions in place to protect workers in countries where jobs are scarce, some critics state that globalization leads to weak labor movements (Boswell and Stevis 1997). Finally, critics are concerned that wealthy countries can force economically weaker nations to open their markets while protecting their own local products from competition (Wallerstein 1974). This can be particularly true of agricultural products, which are often one of the main exports of poor and developing countries (Koroma 2007). In a 2007 article for the United Nations, Koroma discusses the difficulties faced by “least developed countries” (LDCs) that seek to participate in globalization efforts. These countries typically lack the infrastructure to be flexible and nimble in their production and trade, and therefore are vulnerable to everything from unfavorable weather conditions to international price volatility. In short, rather than offering them more opportunities, the increased competition and fast pace of a globalized market can make it more challenging than ever for LDCs to move forward (Koroma 2007). The increasing use of outsourcing of manufacturing and service-industry jobs to developing countries has caused increased unemployment in some developed countries. Countries that do not develop new jobs to replace those that move, and train their labor force to do them, will find support for globalization weakening. Summary Globalization refers to the process of integrating governments, cultures, and financial markets through international trade into a single world market. There are benefits and drawbacks to globalization. Often the countries that fare the worst are those that depend on natural resource extraction for their wealth. Many critics fear globalization gives too much power to multinational corporations and that political decisions are influenced by these major financial players. Section Quiz Ben lost his job when General Motors closed U.S. factories and opened factories in Mexico. Now, Ben is very anti-immigration and campaigns for large-scale deportation of Mexican nationals, even though, logically, their presence does not harm him and their absence will not restore his job. Ben might be experiencing _____________. - xenophobia - global commodity chains - xenophilia - global assembly line Hint: A Which of the following is not an aspect of globalization? - Integrating governments through international trade - Integrating cultures through international trade - Integrating finance through international trade - Integrating child care through international trade Hint: D One reason critics oppose globalization is that it: - has positive impacts on world trade - has negative impacts on the environment - concentrates wealth in the poorest countries - has negative impacts on political stability Hint: B All of the following are characteristics of global cities, except: - headquarter multinational corporations - exercise significant international political influence - host headquarters of international NGOs - host influential philosophers Hint: D Which of the following is not a characteristic of multinational corporations? - A large share of their capital is collected from a variety of nationalities. - Their business is conducted without regard to national borders. - They concentrate wealth in the hands of core nations. - They are headquartered primarily in the United States. Hint: D Short Answer What impact has globalization had on the music you listen to, the books you read, or the movies or television you watch? What effect can immigration have on the economy of a developing country? Is globalization a danger to local cultures? Why, or why not? Further Research The World Social Forum (WSF) was created in response to the creation of the World Economic Forum (WEF). The WSF is a coalition of organizations dedicated to the idea of a worldwide civil society and presents itself as an alternative to WEF, which it says is too focused on capitalism. To learn more about the WSF, check out http://openstaxcollege.org/l/WSF References Abedian, Araj. 2002. “Economic Globalization: Some Pros and Cons.” Papers from the Sixth Conference of the International Environment Forum, World Summit on Sustainable Development. Johannesburg, South Africa. Retrieved January 24, 2012 (http://iefworld.org/dabed02.htm). Bakan, Joel. 2004. The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power.New York: Free Press. Bhagwati, Jagdish. 2004. In Defense of Globalization. New York: Oxford University Press. Boswell, Terry and Dimitris Stevis. 1997. “Globalization and International Labor Organization.” Work and Occupations 24:288–308. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). 2014. "The World Factbook: Country Comparison: GDP Per Capita (PPP)." Retrieved December 15, 2014. (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html). Koroma, Suffyan. 2007. “Globalization, Agriculture, and the Least Developed Countries.” United Nations Ministerial Conference on the Least Developed Countries. Istanbul, Turkey. Plahe, Jagjit. 2005. “The Global Commodity Chain Approach (GCC) Approach and the Organizational Transformation of Agriculture.” Monash University. Retrieved February 6, 2012 (http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/mgt/research/working-papers/2005/wp63-05.pdf). Parks, James. 2011. “Report: NAFTA Has Cost 683,000 Jobs and Counting,” AFL-CIO Blog, May 3. Retrieved February 6, 2012 (http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/05/03/report-nafta-has-cost-683000-jobs-and-counting). Sassen, Saskia. 2001. The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Speth, James G., ed. 2003. Worlds Apart: Globalization and the Environment. Washington, DC: Island Press. The United Nations: Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 1973. “Multinational Corporations in World Development.” New York: United Nations Publication. Wallerstein, Immanuel. 1974. The Modern World System. New York: Academic Press.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.952924	Module	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/11832/overview", "title": "Introduction to Sociology 2e, Work and the Economy, Globalization and the Economy", "author": null }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/68964/overview	Racial, Ethnic, and Minority Groups Overview - Understand the difference between race and ethnicity - Define a majority group (dominant group) - Define a minority group (subordinate group) While many students first entering a sociology classroom are accustomed to conflating the terms “race,” “ethnicity,” and “minority group,” these three terms have distinct meanings for sociologists. The idea of race refers to superficial physical differences that a particular society considers significant, while ethnicity describes shared culture. And the term "minority groups" describe groups that are subordinate, or that lack power in society regardless of skin color or country of origin. For example, in modern U.S. history, the elderly might be considered a minority group due to a diminished status that results from popular prejudice and discrimination against them. Ten percent of nursing home staff admitted to physically abusing an elderly person in the past year, and 40 percent admitted to committing psychological abuse (World Health Organization 2011). In this chapter we focus on racial and ethnic minorities. What Is Race? Historically, the concept of race has changed across cultures and eras, and has eventually become less connected with ancestral and familial ties, and more concerned with superficial physical characteristics. In the past, theorists have posited categories of race based on various geographic regions, ethnicities, skin colors, and more. Their labels for racial groups have connoted regions (Mongolia and the Caucus Mountains, for instance) or skin tones (black, white, yellow, and red, for example). Social science organizations including the American Association of Anthropologists, the American Sociological Association, and the American Psychological Association have all taken an official position rejecting the biological explanations of race. Over time, the typology of race that developed during early racial science has fallen into disuse, and the social construction of race is a more sociological way of understanding racial categories. Research in this school of thought suggests that race is not biologically identifiable and that previous racial categories were arbitrarily assigned, based on pseudoscience, and used to justify racist practices (Omi and Winant 1994; Graves 2003). When considering skin color, for example, the social construction of race perspective recognizes that the relative darkness or fairness of skin is an evolutionary adaptation to the available sunlight in different regions of the world. Contemporary conceptions of race, therefore, which tend to be based on socioeconomic assumptions, illuminate how far removed modern understanding of race is from biological qualities. In modern society, some people who consider themselves “white” actually have more melanin (a pigment that determines skin color) in their skin than other people who identify as ”black.” Consider the case of the actress Rashida Jones. She is the daughter of a black man (Quincy Jones), and her best-known roles include Ann Perkins onParks and Recreation, Karen Filippelli onThe Office, and Zooey Rice inI Love You Man, none of whom are black characters. In some countries, such as Brazil, class is more important than skin color in determining racial categorization. People with high levels of melanin may consider themselves "white" if they enjoy a middle-class lifestyle. On the other hand, someone with low levels of melanin might be assigned the identity of "black" if he or she has little education or money. The social construction of race is also reflected in the way names for racial categories change with changing times. It’s worth noting that race, in this sense, is also a system of labeling that provides a source of identity; specific labels fall in and out of favor during different social eras. For example, the category ”negroid,” popular in the nineteenth century, evolved into the term “negro” by the 1960s, and then this term fell from use and was replaced with “African American.” This latter term was intended to celebrate the multiple identities that a black person might hold, but the word choice is a poor one: it lumps together a large variety of ethnic groups under an umbrella term while excluding others who could accurately be described by the label but who do not meet the spirit of the term. For example, actress Charlize Theron is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed “African American.” She was born in South Africa and later became a U.S. citizen. Is her identity that of an “African American” as most of us understand the term? What Is Ethnicity? Ethnicity is a term that describes shared culture—the practices, values, and beliefs of a group. This culture might include shared language, religion, and traditions, among other commonalities. Like race, the term ethnicity is difficult to describe and its meaning has changed over time. And as with race, individuals may be identified or self-identify with ethnicities in complex, even contradictory, ways. For example, ethnic groups such as Irish, Italian American, Russian, Jewish, and Serbian might all be groups whose members are predominantly included in the “white” racial category. Conversely, the ethnic group British includes citizens from a multiplicity of racial backgrounds: black, white, Asian, and more, plus a variety of race combinations. These examples illustrate the complexity and overlap of these identifying terms. Ethnicity, like race, continues to be an identification method that individuals and institutions use today—whether through the census, affirmative action initiatives, nondiscrimination laws, or simply in personal day-to-day relations. What Are Minority Groups? Sociologist Louis Wirth (1945) defined a minority group as “any group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.” The term minority connotes discrimination, and in its sociological use, the termsubordinate group can be used interchangeably with the term minority, while the termdominant group is often substituted for the group that’s in the majority. These definitions correlate to the concept that the dominant group is that which holds the most power in a given society, while subordinate groups are those who lack power compared to the dominant group. Note that being a numerical minority is not a characteristic of being a minority group; sometimes larger groups can be considered minority groups due to their lack of power. It is the lack of power that is the predominant characteristic of a minority, or subordinate group. For example, consider apartheid in South Africa, in which a numerical majority (the black inhabitants of the country) were exploited and oppressed by the white minority. According to Charles Wagley and Marvin Harris (1958), a minority group is distinguished by five characteristics: (1) unequal treatment and less power over their lives, (2) distinguishing physical or cultural traits like skin color or language, (3) involuntary membership in the group, (4) awareness of subordination, and (5) high rate of in-group marriage. Additional examples of minority groups might include the LBGT community, religious practitioners whose faith is not widely practiced where they live, and people with disabilities. Scapegoat theory, developed initially from Dollard’s (1939) Frustration-Aggression theory, suggests that the dominant group will displace its unfocused aggression onto a subordinate group. History has shown us many examples of the scapegoating of a subordinate group. An example from the last century is the way Adolf Hitler was able to blame the Jewish population for Germany’s social and economic problems. In the United States, recent immigrants have frequently been the scapegoat for the nation’s—or an individual’s—woes. Many states have enacted laws to disenfranchise immigrants; these laws are popular because they let the dominant group scapegoat a subordinate group. Summary Race is fundamentally a social construct. Ethnicity is a term that describes shared culture and national origin. Minority groups are defined by their lack of power. Short Answer Why do you think the term “minority” has persisted when the word “subordinate” is more descriptive? How do you describe your ethnicity? Do you include your family’s country of origin? Do you consider yourself multiethnic? How does your ethnicity compare to that of the people you spend most of your time with? References Caver, Helen Bush, and Mary T. Williams. 2011. “Creoles.” Multicultural America, Countries and Their Cultures, December 7. Retrieved February 13, 2012 (http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Creoles.html). CNN Library. (February 22, 2014). "Trayvon Martin Shooting Fast Facts." CNN US. N.p., Retrieved October 9, 2014 (http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/us/trayvon-martin-shooting-fast-facts/) Dollard, J., et al. 1939. Frustration and Aggression. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Graves, Joseph. 2003. The Emperor's New Clothes: Biological Theories of Race at the Millennium. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. Omi, Michael, and Howard Winant. 1994. Racial Formation in the United States: from the 1960s to the 1990s (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. Wagley, Charles, and Marvin Harris. 1958. Minorities in the New World: Six Case Studies. New York: Columbia University Press. Wirth, Louis. 1945. “The Problem of Minority Groups.” The Science of Man in the World Crisis, edited by R. Linton: 347. In Hacker, Helen Mayer. 1951.Women as a Minority Group. Retrieved December 1, 2011 (http://media.pfeiffer.edu/lridener/courses/womminor.html). World Health Organization. 2011. “Elder Maltreatment.” Fact Sheet N-357. Retrieved December 19, 2011 (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs357/en/index.html).	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.975691	06/25/2020	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/68964/overview", "title": "Introduction to Sociology 2e, Race and Ethnicity, Racial, Ethnic, and Minority Groups", "author": "Audra Kallimanis" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/15298/overview	Introduction Overview This chapter covers: Why is Research Important? Approaches to Research Analyzing Findings Ethics For more information, visit OpenStax College. Have you ever wondered whether the violence you see on television affects your behavior? Are you more likely to behave aggressively in real life after watching people behave violently in dramatic situations on the screen? Or, could seeing fictional violence actually get aggression out of your system, causing you to be more peaceful? How are children influenced by the media they are exposed to? A psychologist interested in the relationship between behavior and exposure to violent images might ask these very questions. The topic of violence in the media today is contentious. Since ancient times, humans have been concerned about the effects of new technologies on our behaviors and thinking processes. The Greek philosopher Socrates, for example, worried that writing—a new technology at that time—would diminish people’s ability to remember because they could rely on written records rather than committing information to memory. In our world of quickly changing technologies, questions about the effects of media continue to emerge. Many of us find ourselves with a strong opinion on these issues, only to find the person next to us bristling with the opposite view. How can we go about finding answers that are supported not by mere opinion, but by evidence that we can all agree on? The findings of psychological research can help us navigate issues like this. References American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Joint statement on the impact of entertainment violence on children. Retrieved from http://www2.aap.org/advocacy/releases/jstmtevc.htm. American Cancer Society. (n.d.). History of the cancer prevention studies. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/research/researchtopreventcancer/history-cancer-prevention-study American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Research with animals in psychology. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/research/responsible/research-animals.pdf Arnett, J. (2008). The neglected 95%: Why American psychology needs to become less American. American Psychologist, 63(7), 602–614. Barton, B. A., Eldridge, A. L., Thompson, D., Affenito, S. G., Striegel-Moore, R. H., Franko, D. L., . . . Crockett, S. J. (2005). The relationship of breakfast and cereal consumption to nutrient intake and body mass index: The national heart, lung, and blood institute growth and health study. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 105(9), 1383–1389. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2005.06.003 Chwalisz, K., Diener, E., & Gallagher, D. (1988). Autonomic arousal feedback and emotional experience: Evidence from the spinal cord injured. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 820–828. Clayton, R. R., Cattarello, A. M., & Johnstone, B. M. (1996). The effectiveness of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (Project DARE): 5-year follow-up results. Preventive Medicine: An International Journal Devoted to Practice and Theory, 25(3), 307–318. doi:10.1006/pmed.1996.0061 D.A.R.E. (n.d.). D.A.R.E. is substance abuse prevention education and much more! [About page] Retrieved from http://www.dare.org/about-d-a-r-e/ Dominus, S. (2011, May 25). Could conjoined twins share a mind? New York Times Sunday Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/magazine/could-conjoined-twins-share-a-mind.html?_r=5&hp& Ennett, S. T., Tobler, N. S., Ringwalt, C. L., & Flewelling, R. L. (1994). How effective is drug abuse resistance education? A meta-analysis of Project DARE outcome evaluations. American Journal of Public Health, 84(9), 1394–1401. doi:10.2105/AJPH.84.9.1394 Fanger, S. M., Frankel, L. A., & Hazen, N. (2012). Peer exclusion in preschool children’s play: Naturalistic observations in a playground setting. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 58, 224–254. Fiedler, K. (2004). Illusory correlation. In R. F. Pohl (Ed.), Cognitive illusions: A handbook on fallacies and biases in thinking, judgment and memory (pp. 97–114). New York, NY: Psychology Press. Frantzen, L. B., Treviño, R. P., Echon, R. M., Garcia-Dominic, O., & DiMarco, N. (2013). Association between frequency of ready-to-eat cereal consumption, nutrient intakes, and body mass index in fourth- to sixth-grade low-income minority children. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 113(4), 511–519. Harper, J. (2013, July 5). Ice cream and crime: Where cold cuisine and hot disputes intersect. The Times-Picaune. Retrieved from http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2013/07/ice_cream_and_crime_where_hot.html Jenkins, W. J., Ruppel, S. E., Kizer, J. B., Yehl, J. L., & Griffin, J. L. (2012). An examination of post 9-11 attitudes towards Arab Americans. North American Journal of Psychology, 14, 77–84. Jones, J. M. (2013, May 13). Same-sex marriage support solidifies above 50% in U.S. Gallup Politics. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/162398/sex-marriage-support-solidifies-above.aspx Kobrin, J. L., Patterson, B. F., Shaw, E. J., Mattern, K. D., & Barbuti, S. M. (2008). Validity of the SAT for predicting first-year college grade point average (Research Report No. 2008-5). Retrieved from https://research.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/publications/2012/7/researchreport-2008-5-validity-sat-predicting-first-year-college-grade-point-average.pdf Lewin, T. (2014, March 5). A new SAT aims to realign with schoolwork. New York Times. Retreived from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/education/major-changes-in-sat-announced-by-college-board.html. Lowcock, E. C., Cotterchio, M., Anderson, L. N., Boucher, B. A., & El-Sohemy, A. (2013). High coffee intake, but not caffeine, is associated with reduced estrogen receptor negative and postmenopausal breast cancer risk with no effect modification by CYP1A2 genotype. Nutrition and Cancer, 65(3), 398–409. doi:10.1080/01635581.2013.768348 Lowry, M., Dean, K., & Manders, K. (2010). The link between sleep quantity and academic performance for the college student. Sentience: The University of Minnesota Undergraduate Journal of Psychology, 3(Spring), 16–19. Retrieved from http://www.psych.umn.edu/sentience/files/SENTIENCE_Vol3.pdf Lynam, D. R., Milich, R., Zimmerman, R., Novak, S. P., Logan, T. K., Martin, C., . . . Clayton, R. (1999). Project DARE: No effects at 10-year follow-up. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67(4), 590–593. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.67.4.590 McKie, R. (2010, June 26). Chimps with everything: Jane Goodall’s 50 years in the jungle. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/jun/27/jane-goodall-chimps-africa-interview Offit, P. (2008). Autism's false prophets: Bad science, risky medicine, and the search for a cure. New York: Columbia University Press. Perkins, H. W., Haines, M. P., & Rice, R. (2005). Misperceiving the college drinking norm and related problems: A nationwide study of exposure to prevention information, perceived norms and student alcohol misuse. J. Stud. Alcohol, 66(4), 470–478. Rimer, S. (2008, September 21). College panel calls for less focus on SATs. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/22/education/22admissions.html?_r=0 Ringwalt, C., Ennett, S. T., & Holt, K. D. (1991). An outcome evaluation of Project DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). Health Education Research, 6(3), 327–337. doi:10.1093/her/6.3.327 Rothstein, J. M. (2004). College performance predictions and the SAT. Journal of Econometrics, 121, 297–317. Rotton, J., & Kelly, I. W. (1985). Much ado about the full moon: A meta-analysis of lunar-lunacy research. Psychological Bulletin, 97(2), 286–306. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.97.2.286 Santelices, M. V., & Wilson, M. (2010). Unfair treatment? The case of Freedle, the SAT, and the standardization approach to differential item functioning. Harvard Education Review, 80, 106–134. Sears, D. O. (1986). College sophomores in the laboratory: Influences of a narrow data base on social psychology’s view of human nature. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 515–530. Tuskegee University. (n.d.). About the USPHS Syphilis Study. Retrieved from http://www.tuskegee.edu/about_us/centers_of_excellence/bioethics_center/about_the_usphs_syphilis_study.aspx.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:55.999125	Module	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/15298/overview", "title": "Psychology, Psychological Research, Introduction", "author": null }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/62102/overview	Personal Health (HE 110) Power Point for Chapter One Overview Power Point for Chapter One of Personal Health-HE110 Healthful Living. Healthful Living HE 110 Provided are Power Point Slides for Chapter One, an introduction to Personal Health.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.015368	01/31/2020	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/62102/overview", "title": "Personal Health (HE 110) Power Point for Chapter One", "author": "Jim Stevens" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/62855/overview	Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research Overview One of several resources used for ENGL 124. https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/choosingsources/ ENGL 124 This is one of several resources used for ENGL 124 (C-ID ENG 105 and ENG 115). One of several resources used for ENGL 124. https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/choosingsources/ This is one of several resources used for ENGL 124 (C-ID ENG 105 and ENG 115).	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.032853	02/19/2020	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/62855/overview", "title": "Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research", "author": "Barbara Illowsky" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/119341/overview	Micro-credentials: Advocating for your Achievement Overview This resource is an infographic created by the CT SHIP Micro-credential project. This infographic explain what micro-credentials and digital badges are, the benefits of earning one, and details on how you can advocate for micro-credential achievements on job applications, interviews, networking, and on social media such as LinkedIn. This resource has been reviewed by healthcare employers for accuracy. Infographic - Advocating for your Micro-credential Achievements This infographic details the wonderful benefits of earning micro-credentials and how to use them to support your job search with tips on how to advocate for your achievement of earning a micro-credential. This includes in job interviews, online applications, resumes, and networking. This infographic was reviewed by healthcare employers.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.050037	08/30/2024	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/119341/overview", "title": "Micro-credentials: Advocating for your Achievement", "author": "Renee Dunbar" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/95072/overview	simple squamous epi_with RBCs in capillary_lung alveoli_400x, p000122 Overview p000122 simple squamous epi_with RBCs in capillary_lung alveoli_400x \| one layer surface cells top layer is flat \| p000122 p000122 simple squamous epi_with RBCs in capillary_lung alveoli_400x \| epithelia \| Anatomy \|	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.063925	Diagram/Illustration	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/95072/overview", "title": "simple squamous epi_with RBCs in capillary_lung alveoli_400x, p000122", "author": "Health, Medicine and Nursing" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114088/overview	Environmental Literacy Lesson plan Overview This lesson plan will help students explore and talk about individual and community solutions to climate change with interesting visual to present to the class and the teacher. Environmental Literacy Lesson plan This lesson plan will help students explore individual and community solutions to climate by creating a presentation with interesting and engaging visual to share with the class.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.081141	03/11/2024	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114088/overview", "title": "Environmental Literacy Lesson plan", "author": "Priyanca Idikay" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/62860/overview	About Writing: A Guide Overview This is one of several resources for ENGL 124. https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/aboutwriting/ ENGL 124 This is one of several resources used for ENGL 124. https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/aboutwriting/ ENGL 124 This is one of several resources used for ENGL 124. https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/aboutwriting/	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.105362	02/19/2020	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/62860/overview", "title": "About Writing: A Guide", "author": "Barbara Illowsky" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/55002/overview	Ch. 9 Stratification: Supplemental Review Slides Module 5: Stratification- U.S. and Global Inequality Overview Textbook, slides, and class activities related to social stratification and global inequality. Primary text: OpenStax Introduction to Sociology 2e Stratification- U.S. and Global Inequality: Learning Objectives Explain the concept of social stratification Compare and contrast open vs. closed systems of stratification Identify impacts of social class on life chances and social factors (health, family, education, political participation/preferences, and criminal justice) Differentiate between types of social mobility Describe uses and criticisms of the poverty line Summarize patterns and trends related to poverty (geography, race-ethnicity, feminization of poverty), Compare and contrast structural and agency-based explanations for poverty Summarize and evaluate functionalist (Davis-Moore hypothesis and Tumin’s critique), conflic, and symbolic interactionist theories about stratification Identify characteristics of Most Industrialized, Industrializing, and Least Industrialized Nations Compare and contrast explanations for the origin and maintenance of global stratification Stratification- U.S. and Global Inequality: Readings Stratification- U.S. and Global Inequality: Supplemental Review Slides The attached slides provide a useful review of concepts from chapters 9 and 10 in your textbook. Stratification- U.S. and Global Inequality: Class Activities Activity 16: Global Inequality Country Profiles Learning Objectives: Examine global inequality between the world’s poorest and wealthiest nations. Apply World Bank and World Systems approaches to country classification. CSSS: Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Organization Instructions: Using the label inside your clothing, identify the countries where each member of your group's shirts were made. Work with your group to prepare a brief country profile comparing and contrasting the socioeconomic circumstances in the United States and two (2) of the countries where your shirts were manufactured. (Note: if all of your shirts were made in the same country, use either Indonesia, Colombia, or Bangladesh for your comparisons) For each of the three countries you must include: - Average life expectancy - Infant mortality rate - Literacy rate for males and females - Gross National Income Per Capita - World Bank Classification (High, Middle, Low-Income) and why - World Systems Classification (Core, Peripheral, Semi-peripheral) and why You must also include at least three of the following: - Types of employment and working conditions - Existence of sweatshops and numbers employed in them - Incidence of slavery and human trafficking - Nutrition: number of malnourished or undernourished; average calories consumed per person - Incidence of HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, other diseases - Accessibility of doctors, hospitals and numbers per population - Number of people attending school up to 6th grade (or other educational benchmarks you can find) - Any other relevant facts you would like to add that convey the degree of well-being of the citizens of your countries. Some good sources of information: www.worldbank.org www.nationmaster.com http://www.who.int/countries/en/ www.undp.org https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the‐world‐factbook/	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.137075	06/01/2019	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/55002/overview", "title": "Module 5: Stratification- U.S. and Global Inequality", "author": "India Stewart" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/68225/overview	Review of the Fundamentals of DC Circuits Overview This module covers fundamental DC circuit principles to help post-secondary electrical engineering technology students and engineering bound high school students, understand basic concepts and perform limited circuit analysis. Introduction This module covers some of the fundamentals of DC circuits and circuit analysis, as a supplement to a post-secondary electrical engineering technology in-class course with 128 hours of lectures and labs. Basic concepts are covered with practice questions related to each topic. In this module you will learn some basic concepts about electric circuits and how to analyze them from a Direct Current (DC) perspective. The following topics will be covered: Electron Current Flow Circuit Terminology Series and parallel Circuits Ohm’s Law Power Kirchhoff’s Laws Total Time Required: Approximately 1 hour 45 minutes minutes. Electron Current Flow Learning Outcomes: Be able to describe how electrons flow through a conductor as current. Discussion Before discussing electric circuits and DC Circuit analysis, it is important to understand the concept of how electrons can flow through a conductor to create current. A constant current or Direct Current (DC) is created when a constant voltage or DC voltage source is applied to a conductor. The following video explains how an electrical conductor works to carry current. Terms of Use: This video, How Conductors Work, by Engineering Technology is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. \| Circuit Terminology Learning Outcomes: Be able to describe the symbols for a constant voltage source and a resistor. Be able to describe resistance values with different ways to express values. Be able to describe various circuit terminology. Be able to describe an electric circuit using symbols. Discussion In order to do analysis of DC circuits you will need to understand some circuit terminology, as well as how circuit elements are represented graphically. Elements in a circuit are described using symbols to represent their physical nature and have units of measure associated with their characteristics. Some basic circuit elements are necessary to discuss DC circuits: a constant voltage source (which includes batteries) and resistors. Current is usually represented by an arrow (for the direction of the current along a path in the circuit) and the designation I for direct current. (DC) A DC voltage source is represented by the following symbols: A resistor is represented by the following symbol: Note that the term for resistance is called an Ohm and it is represented by the symbol Ω. Resistance can be expressed in a few ways: 100 Ω or 100 ohms 1kΩ or 1 kilohm or 1,000 Ω or 1,000 ohms 1MΩ or 1 megohm or 1,000,000 Ω or 1,000,000 ohms Here is a reference site for electrical symbols: Follow the tutorial below, focusing on the sections called Circuit and Schematic. Circuit Terminology, Khan Academy \| Terms of Use: This article, Circuit Terminology, by Khan Academy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. \| Series and Parallel Circuits Answers to Practice Calculating Resistance Questions: Question 1: Circuits A, C, and F are series circuits. Instructor Notes: The purpose of this question is to get students to identify what distinguishing characteristic uniquely identifies a circuit as being “series.” Once this has been identified, there are several conclusions which may be deduced (regarding voltage drops, currents, resistances, etc.). Circuit F is thrown in the mix just to show students that the non-battery components don’t have to all be the same (resistors) in order for a circuit to qualify as “series.” Learning Outcomes: Be able to describe and calculate the resistance in a series configuration circuit. Be able to describe and calculate the resistance in a parallel configuration circuit. Be able to describe and calculate the resistance in a series-parallel configuration circuit. Discussion There are two basic configurations of electrical circuits that electrical components can be organized in: series and parallel circuits. Series Configuration Circuit First, an example of a series circuit: Here, we have three resistors (labeled R1, R2, and R3) connected in a long chain from one terminal of the battery to the other. (It should be noted that the subscript labeling—those little numbers to the lower-right of the letter “R”—are unrelated to the resistor values in ohms. They serve only to identify one resistor from another.) The defining characteristic of a series circuit is that there is only one path for current to flow. In this circuit, the current flows in a clockwise direction, from point 1 to point 2 to point 3 to point 4 and back around to 1. Terms of Use: This material, Series Configuration Circuit, by All About Circuits is available through the terms of their User Agreement, which stipulates the use of their materials for educational purposes only and that the user of this information will not hold All About Circuits liable for its content. \| The total resistance in a series configuration circuit is the sum of all resistance values in the circuit. In the example above RTOTAL = R1 + R2 + R3. Parallel Circuit Configuration Now, let’s look at the other type of circuit, a parallel configuration: Again, we have three resistors, but this time they form more than one continuous path for current to flow. There’s one path from 1 to 2 to 7 to 8 and back to 1 again. There’s another from 1 to 2 to 3 to 6 to 7 to 8 and back to 1 again. And then there’s a third path from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 to 5 to 6 to 7 to 8 and back to 1 again. Each individual path (through R1, R2, and R3) is called a branch. The defining characteristic of a parallel circuit is that all components are connected between the same set of electrically common points. Looking at the schematic diagram, we see that points 1, 2, 3, and 4 are all electrically common. So are points 8, 7, 6, and 5. Note that all resistors, as well as the battery, are connected between these two sets of points. Terms of Use: This material, Parallel Circuit Configuration, by All About Circuits is available through the terms of their User Agreement, which stipulates the use of their materials for educational purposes only and that the user of this information will not hold All About Circuits liable for its content. \| The total resistance in a parallel configuration circuit is the inverse of the sum of the inverse values of each resistance values in the circuit. Terms of Use: This material, The Equation for Resistance in Parallel Circuits, by All About Circuits is available through the terms of their User Agreement, which stipulates the use of their materials for educational purposes only and that the user of this information will not hold All About Circuits liable for its content. \| Series-Parallel Configuration Circuit In this circuit, we have two loops for the current to flow through: one from 1 to 2 to 5 to 6 and back to 1 again, and another from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 to 5 to 6 and back to 1 again. Notice how both current paths pass through R1 (from point 1 to point 2). In this configuration, we’d say that R2 and R3 are in parallel with each other, while R1 is in series with the parallel combination of R2 and R3. Terms of Use: This material, Series-Parallel Configuration Circuit, by All About Circuits is available through the terms of their User Agreement, which stipulates the use of their materials for educational purposes only and that the user of this information will not hold All About Circuits liable for its content. \| Practice Calculating Resistance Question 1: Identify which of these circuits is a series circuit (there may be more than one shown!): Question 2: Calculate the resistance between points A and B (RAB) for the following resistor networks using the mathematical relationships presented in the sections for series and parallel configuration circuits. Terms of Use: This material, Series-Parallel DC Circuits and Series DC Circuits Practice Worksheet with Answers, by All About Circuits is available through the terms of their User Agreement, which stipulates the use of their materials for educational purposes only and that the user of this information will not hold All About Circuits liable for its content. \| This video provides further understanding of series and parallel circuits. Terms of Use: This video, Series and Parallel Circuits, by Engineering Technology is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License \| Ohm’s Law Answers to Practice Using Ohm’s Law Question 1: IR1 = 2.22 mA ; VR1 = 3.33 V IR2 = 2.22 mA ; VR2 = 22.2 V IR3 = 2.22 mA ; VR3 = 10.4 V Instructor Notes: Students often just want to memorize a procedure for determining answers to questions like these. Challenge your students to not only understand the procedure, but to also explain why it must be followed. Learning Outcomes: Be able to describe Ohm’s Law. Be able to use Ohm’s Law to calculate current and voltage in a circuit with a voltage source and resistive load. Description of Ohm’s Law The current that flows through most substances is directly proportional to the voltage applied to it. The German physicist Georg Simon Ohm (1787–1854) was the first to demonstrate experimentally that the current in a metal wire is directly proportional to the voltage applied: I α V This important relationship is the basis for Ohm’s law. It can be viewed as a cause-and-effect relationship, with voltage the cause and current the effect. This is an empirical law, which is to say that it is an experimentally observed phenomenon, like friction. Such a linear relationship doesn’t always occur. Any material, component, or device that obeys Ohm’s law, where the current through the device is proportional to the voltage applied, is known as an ohmic material or ohmic component. Any material or component that does not obey Ohm’s law is known as a nonohmic material or nonohmic component. Ohm’s Experiment In a paper published in 1827, Georg Ohm described an experiment in which he measured voltage across and current through various simple electrical circuits containing various lengths of wire. A similar experiment is shown in Figure 1. This experiment is used to observe the current through a resistor that results from an applied voltage. In this simple circuit, a resistor is connected in series with a battery. The voltage is measured with a voltmeter, which must be placed across the resistor (in parallel with the resistor). The current is measured with an ammeter, which must be in line with the resistor (in series with the resistor). Figure 1 The experimental set-up used to determine if a resistor is an ohmic or nonohmic device. (a) When the battery is attached, the current flows in the clockwise direction and the voltmeter and ammeter have positive readings. (b) When the leads of the battery are switched, the current flows in the counterclockwise direction and the voltmeter and ammeter have negative readings. In this updated version of Ohm’s original experiment, several measurements of the current were made for several different voltages. When the battery was hooked up as in Figure 1(a), the current flowed in the clockwise direction and the readings of the voltmeter and ammeter were positive. Does the behavior of the current change if the current flowed in the opposite direction? To get the current to flow in the opposite direction, the leads of the battery can be switched. When the leads of the battery were switched, the readings of the voltmeter and ammeter readings were negative because the current flowed in the opposite direction, in this case, counter-clockwise. Results of a similar experiment are shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 A resistor is placed in a circuit with a battery. The voltage applied varies from -10.00 V to +10.00 V, increased by 1.00 V increments. A plot shows values of the voltage versus the current typical of what a casual experimenter might find. In this experiment, the voltage applied across the resistor varies from -10.00 V to +10.00 V by increments of 1.00 V. The current through the resistor and the voltage across the resistor are measured. A plot is made of the voltage versus the current, and the result is approximately linear. The slope of the line is the resistance, or the voltage divided by the current. This result is known as Ohm’s law: V = I R Where V is the voltage measured in volts across the object in question, I is the current measured through the object in amps, and R is the resistance in units of ohms. As stated previously, any device that shows a linear relationship between the voltage and the current is known as an ohmic device. A resistor is therefore an ohmic device. Terms of Use: This material is adapted by Joe Carey from Introduction to Electricity, Magnetism, and Circuits by Daryl Janzen and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. \| The following video provides further understanding of Ohm’s Law. Terms of Use: This video, Ohm’s Law, by Engineering Technology is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. \| Practice Using Ohm’s Law Explain, step by step, how to calculate the amount of current (I) that will go through each resistor in this series circuit, and also the voltage (V) dropped by each resistor: Terms of Use: This material, Series DC Circuits Practice Worksheet with Answers, by All About Circuits is available through the terms of their User Agreement, which stipulates the use of their materials for educational purposes only and that the user of this information will not hold All About Circuits liable for its content. \| Here is a link to a series of calculators for electric circuits. Examples for Electric Circuits, WolframAlpha Terms of Use: This material, Examples for Electric Circuits, by WolframAlpha is available through their General Terms of Use agreement, which stipulates the use of their materials for non-commercial purposes only and that the user must attribute WolframAlpha for results generated from its tools through a link to the specific web page where results to the query were generated. \| Power Answers to Practice Calculating Power in Electric Circuits Questions Question 1: 6.48 watts Here, the battery is the source and the light bulb is the load. Instructor Notes: The solution to this problem simply requires the application of Ohm’s Law. As for the question of source versus load, ask your students to define each of these words in terms of energy transfer. Question 2: 4,840 watts at 110 volts; 19,360 watts at 220 volts. Instructor Notes: Many students will mistakenly calculate 9,680 watts as the power dissipation at 220 volts. However, power dissipation does not increase linearly with increases in voltage! Question 3: E1 Ω = 4 volts E2 Ω = 8 volts E3 Ω = 12 volts P1 Ω = 16 watts P2 Ω = 32 watts P3 Ω = 48 watts Follow-up question: Compare the direction of current through all components in this circuit with the polarities of their respective voltage drops. What do you notice about the relationship between current direction and voltage polarity for the battery, versus for all the resistors? How does this relate to the identification of these components as either sources or loads? Instructor Notes: The answers to this question should not create any surprises, especially when students understand electrical resistance in terms of friction: resistors with greater resistance (more friction to electron motion) require greater voltage (push) to get the same amount of current through them. Resistors with greater resistance (friction) will also dissipate more power in the form of heat, given the same amount of current. Another purpose of this question is to instill in students’ minds the concept of components in a simple series circuit all sharing the same amount of current. Challenge your students to recognize any mathematical patterns in the respective voltage drops and power dissipations. What can be said, mathematically, about the voltage drop across the 2 Ω resistor versus the 1 Ω resistor, for example? Learning Outcomes: Be able to describe what power is in an electrical circuit. Be able to calculate the power dissipated by a load in an electric circuit. Power as a Function of Voltage and Current Power is a measure of how much work can be performed in a given amount of time. In electric circuits, power is a function of both voltage and current: P = I V In this case, however, power (P) is exactly equal to current (I) multiplied by voltage (V), rather than merely being proportional to IV. When using this formula, the unit of measurement for power is the watt, abbreviated with the letter “W.” It must be understood that neither voltage nor current by themselves constitute power. Rather, power is the combination of both voltage and current in a circuit. Remember that voltage is the specific work (or potential energy) per unit charge, while current is the rate at which electric charges move through a conductor. Voltage (specific work) is analogous to the work done in lifting a weight against the pull of gravity. Current (rate) is analogous to the speed at which that weight is lifted. Together as a product (multiplication), voltage (work) and current (rate) constitute power. Just as in the case of the diesel tractor engine and the motorcycle engine, a circuit with high voltage and low current may be dissipating the same amount of power as a circuit with low voltage and high current. Neither the amount of voltage alone nor the amount of current alone indicates the amount of power in an electric circuit. Practice Calculating Power in Electric Circuits Question 1: How much electrical power is being dissipated by the light bulb in this circuit? In this circuit, identify which component is the source and which is the load. Question 2: Calculate the amount of power dissipated by this electric heating element, if the generator’s output voltage is 110 volts and the heater’s resistance is 2.5 ohms: Now, calculate the power dissipated by the same heater if the generator’s output voltage is doubled. Question 3: n this circuit, three resistors receive the same amount of current (4 amps) from a single source. Calculate the amount of voltage “dropped” by each resistor, as well as the amount of power dissipated by each resistor: Terms of Use: This material, Energy, Work, and Power and Series DC Circuits Practice Worksheet with Answers, by All About Circuits is available through the terms of their User Agreement, which stipulates the use of their materials for educational purposes only and that the user of this information will not hold All About Circuits liable for its content. \| Here is a link to a series of calculators for electric circuits. Examples for Electric Circuits, WolframAlpha Terms of Use: This material, Examples for Electric Circuits, by WolframAlpha is available through their General Terms of Use agreement, which stipulates the use of their materials for non-commercial purposes only and that the user must attribute WolframAlpha for results generated from its tools through a link to the specific web page where results to the query were generated. \| Kirchhoff's Circuit Laws Answers to Practicing Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law Questions Question 1: Red lead on “A”, black lead on ground (Digital voltmeter reads 15 volts) Red lead on “B”, black lead on ground (Digital voltmeter reads -15 volts) Red lead on “A”, black lead on “B” (Digital voltmeter reads 30 volts) Red lead on “B”, black lead on “A” (Digital voltmeter reads -30 volts) Instructor Notes: This question may be easily answered with only a voltmeter, two batteries, and a single “jumper” wire to connect the two batteries in series. It does not matter if the batteries are 15 volts each! The fundamental principle may still be investigated with batteries of any voltage, so this is a very easy demonstration to set up during discussion time. Question 2: Instructor Notes: The answer to this question is fairly simple, but the real point of it is to get students thinking about how and why it is the way it is. One thing I’ve noticed as an instructor of electronics is that most students tend to follow the rule of proximity: the resistor’s voltage drop polarity is determined by proximity to poles of the battery. The resistor terminal closest to the battery’s negative terminal must be negative as well, or so the thinking goes. In this particular circuit, though, the rule of proximity does not hold very well, and a different rule is necessary. Answers to Practicing Kirchhoff’s Current Law Questions Question 1: The total current in this circuit is 4 mA, and the load voltage is 18.8 volts. Follow-up question: indicate the polarity of the voltage across the load resistor with “+” and “-” symbols. Instructor Notes: Have your students collectively agree on a procedure they may use to accurate discern series voltage sums and polarities. Guide their discussion, helping them identify principles that are true and valid for all series circuits. Question 2: Instructor Notes: It is not necessary to know anything about series-parallel or even parallel circuits in order to solve the R4‘s current - all one needs to know is how to use Kirchhoff’s Current Law. Question 3: Instructor Notes: Discuss with your students techniques for calculating the node currents. What Laws did your students apply, and more importantly, in what order did they apply them? Learning Outcomes: Be able to describe Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law. Be able to calculate the voltage and polarity across a load in an electric circuit. Be able to describe Kirchhoff’s Current Law. Be able to calculate the currents and their directions into and out of a node in an electric circuit. What is Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL) Gustav R. Kirchhoff, a German physicist, discovered in 1847 that the algebraic sum of all voltages in a loop must equal zero. The following video explains the concept of Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law (KVL). Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law, Kahn Academy Terms of Use: This video, Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law, by Khan Academy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. \| Demonstrating Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law in a Series Circuit Let’s take another look at our example series circuit, this time numbering the points in the circuit for voltage reference: If we were to connect a voltmeter between points 2 and 1, red test lead to point 2 and the black test lead to point 1, the meter would register +45 volts. Typically, the “+” sign is not shown but rather implied, for positive readings in digital meter displays. However, for this lesson, the polarity of the voltage reading is very important and so I will show positive numbers explicitly: E2-1 = +45 V When a voltage is specified with a double subscript (the characters “2-1” in the notation “E2-1”), it means the voltage at the first point (2) as measured in reference to the second point (1). If we were to take a voltmeter and measure the voltage drop across each resistor, stepping around the circuit in a clockwise direction with the red test lead of our meter on the point ahead and the black test lead on the point behind, we would obtain the following readings: We should already be familiar with the general principle for series circuits stating that individual voltage drops add up to the total applied voltage, but measuring voltage drops in this manner and paying attention to the polarity (mathematical sign) of the readings reveals another facet of this principle: that the voltages measured as such all add up to zero: In the above example, the loop was formed by the following points in this order: 1-2-3-4-1. It doesn’t matter which point we start at or which direction we proceed in tracing the loop; the voltage sum will still equal zero. To demonstrate, we can tally up the voltages in loop 3-2-1-4-3 of the same circuit: This may make more sense if we re-draw our example series circuit so that all components are represented in a straight line: It’s still the same series circuit, just with the components arranged in a different form. Notice the polarities of the resistor voltage drops with respect to the battery: the battery’s voltage is negative on the left and positive on the right, whereas all the resistor voltage drops are oriented the other way: positive on the left and negative on the right. This is because the resistors are resisting the flow of electric charge being pushed by the battery. In other words, the “push” exerted by the resistors against the flow of electric charge must be in a direction opposite the source of electromotive force. Here we see what a digital voltmeter would indicate across each component in this circuit, black lead on the left and red lead on the right, as laid out in horizontal fashion: If we were to take that same voltmeter and read voltage across combinations of components, starting with the only R1 on the left and progressing across the whole string of components, we will see how the voltages add algebraically (to zero): The fact that series voltages add up should be no mystery, but we notice that the polarity of these voltages makes a lot of difference in how the figures add. While reading voltage across R1—R2, and R1—R2—R3 (I’m using a “double-dash” symbol “—” to represent the series connection between resistors R1, R2, and R3), we see how the voltages measure successively larger (albeit negative) magnitudes, because the polarities of the individual voltage drops are in the same orientation (positive left, negative right). The sum of the voltage drops across R1, R2, and R3 equals 45 volts, which is the same as the battery’s output, except that the battery’s polarity is opposite that of the resistor voltage drops (negative left, positive right), so we end up with 0 volts measured across the whole string of components. That we should end up with exactly 0 volts across the whole string should be no mystery, either. Looking at the circuit, we can see that the far left of the string (left side of R1: point number 2) is directly connected to the far right of the string (right side of battery: point number 2), as necessary to complete the circuit. Since these two points are directly connected, they are electrically common to each other. And, as such, the voltage between those two electrically common points must be zero. Terms of Use: This material, Demonstrating Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law in a Series Circuit, by All About Circuits is available through the terms of their User Agreement, which stipulates the use of their materials for educational purposes only and that the user of this information will not hold All About Circuits liable for its content. \| Practicing Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law Question 1: Many electronic circuits use what is called a split or a dual power supply: Determine what a digital voltmeter would indicate if connected between the following points: Red lead on “A”, black lead on ground Red lead on “B”, black lead on ground Red lead on “A”, black lead on “B” Red lead on “B”, black lead on “A” NOTE: in electronic systems, “ground” is often not associated with an actual earth-soil contact. It usually only refers to a common point of reference somewhere in the circuit used to take voltage measurements. This allows us to specify voltages at single points in the circuit, with the implication that “ground” is the other point for the voltmeter to connect to. Question 2: Determine both the polarity of voltage across the resistor in this circuit, and how much voltage will be dropped across the resistor: Explain the procedure(s) you used to answer both these questions. Terms of Use: This material, Kirchhoff’s Laws, by All About Circuits is available through the terms of their User Agreement, which stipulates the use of their materials for educational purposes only and that the user of this information will not hold All About Circuits liable for its content. \| What is Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL) Kirchhoff’s Current Law (KCL) states that the sum of the currents flowing into a node equals the sum of the currents flowing out of the node. The following video explains the concept of KCL. Kirchhoff’s Current Law, Kahn Academy Terms of Use: This video, Kirchhoff’s Current Law, by Khan Academy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. \| Also, look at this article on Kirchhoff’s Laws, paying attention the sections called Currents into a Node, Kirchhoff’s Current Law and Kirchhoff's Current Law - concept checks. Kirchhoff’s Laws, Kahn Academy Terms of Use: This article, Kirchhoff’s Laws, by Khan Academy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. \| Practicing Kirchhoff’s Current Law Question 1: Calculate the total current output to the load resistor by this set of parallel-connected current sources: Also, calculate the voltage dropped across Rload. Question 2: Use Kirchhoff’s Current Law to calculate the magnitude and direction of the current through resistor R4 in this resistor network: Question 3: Calculate and label the currents at each node (junction point) in this circuit: Terms of Use: This material, Kirchhoff’s Laws, by All About Circuits is available through the terms of their User Agreement, which stipulates the use of their materials for educational purposes only and that the user of this information will not hold All About Circuits liable for its content. \|	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.286684	06/07/2020	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/68225/overview", "title": "Review of the Fundamentals of DC Circuits", "author": "Livia Castro" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/56675/overview	12.4.1 Non-Mendelian Genetics (video) 3 types of dominance 12.4 Non-Mendelian Genetics Mendel advanced that idea that traits were discreet and were passed on as dominant and recessive only. This animated video discusses the exceptions to Mendelian Inheritance. - Such as the three types of : Complete dominance, codominance, incomplete dominance. - Linked genes - Sex-linked - Epistasis Mendel advanced that idea that traits were discreet and were passed on as dominant and recessive only. This animated video discusses the exceptions to Mendelian Inheritance. - Such as the three types of : Complete dominance, codominance, incomplete dominance. - Linked genes - Sex-linked - Epistasis	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.301851	08/05/2019	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/56675/overview", "title": "12.4.1 Non-Mendelian Genetics (video) 3 types of dominance", "author": "Urbi Ghosh" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/122921/overview	Learning Object "Phrasal Verbs with Go" Overview Learning Object "Phrasal Verbs with Go" Learning Object "Phrasal Verbs with Go" Learning Object "Phrasal Verbs with Go" TESL, TEFL	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.317871	12/11/2024	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/122921/overview", "title": "Learning Object \"Phrasal Verbs with Go\"", "author": "Lizeth Rojas" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/102490/overview	Research on Healthcare using AI Overview Research on Healthcare is a direct value-addition to the life of mankind. Artificial Intelligence has a lot of things to do in the healthcare field. Research on Healthcare Research on Healthcare Sunena Rose M V 7012375930 Research on Healthcare is a direct value-addition to the life of mankind. It can improve the quality of healthcare by providing relevant, high-quality, and safe real-world data. Quality of care can be enhanced by utilizing research to develop and implement evidence-based solutions tailored to individual patient’s needs, which can also be related to technological advancements like Artificial Intelligence and the digitalization of the industry. Artificial intelligence in medicine uses machine learning models to search medical data and uncover insights to help improve health outcomes and patient experiences. AI algorithms and other applications powered by AI are being used to support medical professionals in clinical settings and ongoing research. Currently, the most common roles for AI in medical settings are clinical decision support and imaging analysis. Clinical decision support tools help providers make decisions about treatments, medications, mental health, and other patient needs by providing them with quick access to information or research that's relevant to their patients. In medical imaging, AI tools are being used to analyze CT scans, x-rays, MRIs, and other images for lesions or other findings that a human radiologist might miss. The research and results of these tests are still being gathered, and the overall standards for the use of AI in medicine are still being defined. Yet opportunities for AI to benefit clinicians, researchers, and the patients they serve are steadily increasing. At this point, there is little doubt that AI will become a core part of the digital health systems that shape and support modern medicine. There are numerous ways AI can positively impact the practice of medicine, whether it's through speeding up the pace of research or helping clinicians make better decisions. Machine learning models could be used to observe the vital signs of patients receiving critical care and alert clinicians if certain risk factors increase. While medical devices like heart monitors can track vital signs, AI can collect the data from those devices and look for more complex conditions. Precision medicine could become easier to support with virtual AI assistance. Because AI models can learn and retain preferences, AI has the potential to provide customized real-time recommendations to patients around the clock. Rather than having to repeat information with a new person each time, a healthcare system could offer patients around-the-clock access to an AI-powered virtual assistant that could answer questions based on the patient's medical history, preferences, and personal needs. Integrating medical AI into clinician workflows can give providers valuable context while making care decisions. A trained machine learning algorithm can help reduce research time by giving clinicians valuable search results with evidence-based insights about treatments and procedures while the patient is still in the room with them. References https://www.healthanalytics.com/expertise/benefits-of-research-in-healthcare/ https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence/artificial-intelligence-healthcare Secinaro, S., Calandra, D., Secinaro, A. et al. The role of artificial intelligence in healthcare: a structured literature review. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 21, 125 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-021-01488-9 S. Gaikwad, "Study on Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare," 2021 7th International Conference on Advanced Computing and Communication Systems (ICACCS), Coimbatore, India, 2021, pp. 1165-1169, doi: 10.1109/ICACCS51430.2021.9441741.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.339516	04/02/2023	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/102490/overview", "title": "Research on Healthcare using AI", "author": "Sunena Rose M V" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/101746/overview	Topic/Research Proposal Overview The topic/research proposal assignment. Topic/Research Proposal The Topic/Research Proposal For English Composition II, you are expected to conduct a research project, where you explore, research, and then create an argument about a topic of your choosing. For this assignment, you’re going to take the first step in exploring your topic through preliminary research and proposing what further research you’re going to conduct. Remember that this paper is not an essay, with an argumentative thesis that you have to prove with evidence. It’s also not just an informative report on the topic. Think of it more as a reflection and exploration of your topic. Think of this assignment as educating me on your topic. When writing the proposal, you should imagine that your audience is a group of students or scholars who would be interested in your topic, but might not have more than a passing familiarity with it. So, your purpose should be to give a good overview of the topic. It should also be to tell where your research is going and to get your audience interested and excited about your research. Be sure to answer the following questions in your topic/research proposal: 1. What is your topic? Introduce it. Provide some background information or an overview of the subject matter. (15 sentences) 2. What is your thesis statement (i.e. research question - the thing about the topic you want to find out)? Your topic must be opinionated and well-phrased and formulated, rather than a petty observation about your topic. For example, if I argue that Kingman is the best place to live, my thesis statement might look like this: Kingman, AZ is the best place to live in Arizona because of the weather, entertainment, location, and job opportunities. Be sure to include these sub-issues within your thesis statement. (1 generally longer sentence) 3. What are some key issues or questions that surround your subject? (6 sentences) 4. What's the whole point of this topic? What motivated you to pursue this topic? So what? Why do you care about this topic? Why should your readers? (Don't be fooled by how short this question is - it's of vital importance!) (10 sentences) Format: Standard MLA. 12 pt. Double-spaced. Times New Roman. 1-inch margins. No title page—put name, instructor, class and date on first page at the top, flush left (double-spaced). Before submitting, please note that you are not able to reuse a previously written paper from high school or college. This is called dual submission/self-plagiarism. Even if it is your own words, the unethical part is that you are trying to receive credit in another course for the same exact essay/assignment that you wrote in a previous or concurrent course. If this happens, you will automatically receive a zero for the essay and possibly be kicked out of the course at my discretion.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.355104	03/10/2023	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/101746/overview", "title": "Topic/Research Proposal", "author": "John Hansen" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89585/overview	TicTacToe1DArray TicTacToe2DArray Tic Tac Toe Game in Java Overview Tic Tac Toe game in Java! in this Java source, students will learn how to develop a simple game for two persons. This game is developed in three versions. The first one does not use an array and only uses primitive variables. The second version uses a 1-dimensional array and the third one uses a 2-dimensional array No Array at all! Tic Tac Toe game in Java! in this Java source, students will learn how to develop a simple game for two persons. This version of the game does not use arrays and only uses primitive variables. This version shows the difficulty of not using arrays with a 1-dimensional array Tic Tac Toe game in Java using a 1-dimensional array! in this Java source, students will learn how to develop a simple game for two persons. This version of the game uses a 1-dimensional array to store the board game. Students will learn how to use an array! with a 2-dimensional array Tic Tac Toe game in Java using a 2-dimensional array! Students will learn how to develop a simple game for two persons in this Java source. This game version uses a 2-dimensional array to store the board game. Students will learn how to use an array of two dimensions like an actual Tic Tac Toe game board!	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.375304	Lesson	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89585/overview", "title": "Tic Tac Toe Game in Java", "author": "Case Study" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/97553/overview	Art History 2 Syllabus: Open for Antiracism (OFAR) Overview Syllabus. Syllabus Syllabus attached as PDF.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.392679	09/27/2022	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/97553/overview", "title": "Art History 2 Syllabus: Open for Antiracism (OFAR)", "author": "Open for Antiracism Program (OFAR)" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/87057/overview	Advanced C++: constexpr (and also consteval and constinit) Advanced C++: DLAF Use Case Advanced C++ for HPC: Introduction Advanced C++: GROMACS Use Case Advanced C++: Introduction to Kokkos Advanced C++: Lambdas and Functions Advanced C++: Move Semantics Advanced C++: Multithreaded Task System (Use Case) Advanced C++: Name Resolution and Type Deduction Advanced C++: Object Types and Value Initialization Advanced C++: Ranges Advanced C++: Resource Management Advanced C++: STL Advanced C++: Templates Advanced C++ for High-Performance Computing Overview The course aims at providing the fundamental tools for effective C++ programming in the context of high-performance computing. The tools include generic programming techniques, API development, and specific C++-11/14/17 constructs. Starting from a basic knowledge of C++, the attendees should be able to start using C++ language to engineer durable abstractions to develop and optimize applications. Example usage of modern C++ concepts and features are taken from scientific applications used by the HPC community, giving the attendees the opportunity to see the presented tools in action in real world cases. Exercises are provided from a GitHub repository. This material is meant to reflect the current state of the current C++ standard. As the standard changes, some aspects of this course may become outdated. This course is an integral part of the ESiWACE-2 project, and we acknowledge the partial funding from that project. The contact person is william.sawyer@cscs.ch. Overview C++ is a very powerful programming language, used worldwide to develop complex and performance critical applications. It is then an important candidate for developing HPC applications. Mastering the power of the language requires substantial effort but pays off as projects scale up in size and complexity, and, as the hardware architectures become more and more diverse and complex, C++ allows the implementation of the proper abstractions to make applications sustainable in the future. Specifically, C++ allows the development of type safe, flexible and portable functionalities, with no runtime overhead. The course has many units derived largely from our experience using C++ for HPC. It is assumed the student has a basic knowledge of C++ programming in order to put these advanced topics into a proper context. Several C++ Use Cases are provided as an illustration of how C++ can be used productively in the HPC setting. Finally, there is also a unit containing C++ exercises, which are publicly available in a repository. - Introduction - Values and Object Initialization - Name Resolution - Templates - Move Semantics - Constexpr / Consteval / Constinit - Lambdas and functions - STL - Ranges - Resource Management - Concept-based design - Use Case: DLAF - Use Case: GROMACS - Use Case: Tasking library - Use Case: Kokkos - Q&A / Exercises The course was actually given by a number of instructors: Nora Abi Akar, Software Engineer (CSCS) Anton Afanasyev, Software Engineer (CSCS) Mauro Bianco, Scientific Software & Libraries Group Lead (CSCS) Christopher Bignamini, Computational Scientist (CSCS) Nur Aiman Fadel, Software Engineer (CSCS) Sebastian Keller, Computational Scientist (CSCS) The OER editor gratefully acknowledges their contributions. Introduction to the CSCS 2021 Advanced C++ Course Object Types and Value Initialization Name Resolution and Type Deduction Templates Move Semantics Constant Expressions Lambdas and Functions Standard Template Library C++20 Ranges Resource Management Distributed Linear Algebra with Futures: Use Case Concept-based Design GROMACS Use Case Multithreaded Task System Use Case KOKKOS Use Case Exercises Examples and Exercises can be found in https://github.com/eth-cscs/examples_cpp	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.436648	10/26/2021	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/87057/overview", "title": "Advanced C++ for High-Performance Computing", "author": "William Sawyer" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/122971/overview	Learning Object "Passive voice" Overview Learning Object "Passive voice" TEFL, TESL Learning Object "Passive voice" Learning Object "Passive voice" TEFL, TESL	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.453300	Lizeth Rojas	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/122971/overview", "title": "Learning Object \"Passive voice\"", "author": "Lesson" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/56090/overview	Intermediate Algebra - De Anza College edition Overview Intermediate Algebra Student Workbook, modified by De Anza College's Professor Doli Bambhania, is based upon Intermediate Algebra Student Workbook, Fourth Edition, 2014, by Scottsdale Community College. The included content is designed to lead students through Intermediate Algebra, from a functions modeling approach, and to develop a deep understanding of the concepts associated with functions, from mathematical, computational and applications perspectives. The workbook assumes the knowledge of prealgebra, as well as topics surrounding linear and quadratic functions. Access to a graphing calculator is assumed and the use of one is required for some of the lessons and practice problems. Intermediate Algebra Student Workbook, modified by De Anza College, is based upon Intermediate Algebra Student Workbook, Fourth Edition, 2014, by Scottsdale Community College. The included content is designed to lead students through Intermediate Algebra, from a functions modeling approach, and to develop a deep understanding of the concepts associated with functions, from mathematical, computational and applications perspectives. The workbook assumes the knowledge of prealgebra, as well as topics surrounding linear and quadratic functions. Access to a graphing calculator is assumed and the use of one is required for some of the lessons and practice problems.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.468506	07/11/2019	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/56090/overview", "title": "Intermediate Algebra - De Anza College edition", "author": "Barbara Illowsky" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/91967/overview	German Level 4, Activity 01: Einleitung / Introduction (Online) Overview Students will learn activity guidelines, play bingo, and introduce themselves to each other. Activity Information Did you know that you can access the complete collection of Pathways Project German activities in our new Let’s Chat! German pressbook? View the book here: https://boisestate.pressbooks.pub/pathwaysgerman Please Note: Many of our activities were created by upper-division students at Boise State University and serve as a foundation that our community of practice can build upon and refine. While they are polished, we welcome and encourage collaboration from language instructors to help modify grammar, syntax, and content where needed. Kindly contact pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu with any suggestions and we will update the content in a timely manner.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.494712	Mimi Fahnstrom	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/91967/overview", "title": "German Level 4, Activity 01: Einleitung / Introduction (Online)", "author": "Shawn Moak" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114124/overview	Exploitation of Fish Overview Learn about the exploitation of fish in local, country, and global entities and how you can combat the issue. Cause for Concern Global fish exploitation is a complicated, composite problem that has a big influence on water bodies and their ecosystems. The fishing industry, the aquarium trade, the food industry, and medical applications are just a few of the various ways that this exploitation occurs. Aspects of ecology, society, and economy can all have an impact on water bodies, both locally and globally. Ecosystems may suffer from a number of negative repercussions from fish harvesting, including a decline in biodiversity. The decline and extinction of endangered species can be caused by overfishing and the trade in wild fish, which can upset food chains and ecosystem functioning. Fish exploitation may also have an impact on certain ecological imbalances. Fish populations that are declining have the potential to upset environmental balances when key predators go extinct or when too many species arise without enough predation. Fish farms have the potential to pollute water supplies, eutrophicate the environment, and have negative ecological effects. Exploitation of fish in our global ecosystem Fishing and aquarium trade Fishing is one of the main ways in which fish are exploited, overfishing is one of the biggest threats to the world's waters. Overfishing can lead to species decline and even extinction, upsetting the balance of the ecosystem. In addition, fishing methods can be damaging, such as bottom trawling, which can damage the seabed and other habitats. The aquarium trade can affect the wild stocks. Poorly managed trade in aquarium fish contributes to the decline of wild-caught fish stocks and the disruption of ecosystems. Food industry The consumption of fish is significant in all over the world. Fish farming is a growing industry all around the world. However, the need of farmed fish can cause eutrophication and pollution of global waters. If fish farms are in sensitive ecological areas, that will increase the pollution of waters even more. Also, fish farming is a growing sector of the food industry, and it covers a wide range of fish. Fish farming is usually done in controlled environments such as ponds or sea decks, while in developing countries it can be more decentralized and traditional. Fish farming include many environmental pressures such as and pollution or waters. Impacts of exploiting fish on our water Overfishing can lead to the collapse of certain fish populations, which in turn affects other species and the balance of the ecosystem. For example, if large predatory fish are overfished, their prey populations can grow out of control, which can disrupt the entire food chain. Fish farms can cause eutrophication (Eutrophication is a general term describing a process in which nutrients accumulate in a body of water, resulting in an increased growth of microorganisms that may deplete the water of oxygen) of waters as fish waste and excess food increase the nutrient content of the water. In addition, fish farms may use pharmaceuticals and chemicals to control diseases, which can lead to water pollution. Certain fishing methods, such as bottom trawling, can damage the seabed and other habitats such as coral reefs and kelp beds. This can lead to species loss and ecosystem degradation. Fish are sometimes used as translocated species to new water bodies, where they can become harmful invasive species. These species can compete with local species for resources and food, which can lead to the decline of local species. Fishing and fish farming can also contribute to the impacts of climate change on water bodies. For example, overfishing can reduce the genetic diversity of fish, which can make them more vulnerable to climate change impacts such as rising temperatures and acidification. Global entities Efforts have been made to enhance maritime domain awareness through tools like SeaVision and partnerships with organizations like Global Fishing Watch. However, the effectiveness of these measures remains a challenge, especially in the face of limited exposure to sanctions for foreign entities and the complex nexus between IUU ( Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing) fishing and other illicit activities like human trafficking and drug smuggling. China plays a pivotal role in global seafood production and consumption, making its participation crucial in countering IUU fishing. While China has taken some actions to address the issue, such as accepting the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and implementing regulations to promote sustainability, further commitments and international cooperation are needed to make significant progress. Moving forward, investments in maritime domain awareness technologies and enhanced capacity to respond to illegal fishing activities are essential for combating IUU fishing effectively. With coordinated efforts and international cooperation, there is hope for making measurable strides in countering IUU fishing in 2024. Exploitation of fish in the U.S.A These gilled creatures are not only integral to the health of our oceans but also serve as the backbone of coastal economies, supporting an estimated 1.7 million jobs in the United States alone. However, the 2020 Status of Stocks report from NOAA Fisheries reveals concerning trends for U.S. fisheries. Despite historic successes in sustainable fisheries management, there has been a recent increase in the number of overfished stocks, with eight stocks reverting to overfished status after previously successful rebuilding efforts. This underscores the ongoing challenge of maintaining long-term fisheries sustainability, particularly in the face of climate change-induced shifts in fish populations and extreme events like marine heat waves. While the Magnuson-Stevens Act (The Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (2007) is the primary law that governs marine fisheries management in U.S. federal waters) has been instrumental in guiding fisheries management, there is still much work to be done to prevent further depletion of fish stocks and ensure their recovery. The 2021 Status of Stocks report by NOAA highlights the ongoing efforts to rebuild and sustain U.S. fisheries, with over 90% of stocks not subject to overfishing and 80% maintaining sufficient population sizes. However, there are concerns as the number of overfished stocks slightly increased to 51 in 2021. Factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic impacted seafood landings, which decreased by 10%, and overall seafood consumption dropped to 19 pounds per person. NOAA Administrator Dr. Rick Spinrad emphasizes the importance of sustainable fisheries management amidst climate change challenges, acknowledging the United States' role as a global leader in this endeavor. Sustainable U.S. fisheries not only contribute to the economy but also support marine ecosystems and communities, emphasizing the importance of ending overfishing and prioritizing stock rebuilding efforts. The issue of overfishing in the United States is further compounded by the global problem of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which has gained recognition as a threat to national security and marine ecosystems. Despite increased awareness and efforts to combat IUU fishing, measurable improvements on a global scale have been elusive. The 2023 IUU Fishing Risk Index showed a slight deterioration in overall scores, indicating a lack of notable progress. In response, the United States has taken steps to address IUU fishing, including leveraging the Global Magnitsky Act to sanction individuals and entities involved in illegal fishing activities. Exploitation of fish in Utah History Since the beginning of pioneers moving into Utah there have been major changes and impacts that humans have had on the environment and species that call the state home. Oftentimes these settlers would resort to eating fish when crops failed or hunting was unsuccessful. The first documented commercial fishing in Utah was in the spring of 1848 when settlers formed Eutaw Fishing Company and provided fish from Utah Lake to starving people in Salt Lake City. As word spread of the abundance of fish in both Utah Lake and the Provo River more fishing companies began harvesting fish to feed hungry settlers. By the 1860’s the fishery was in decline and eventually eliminated in the 1890’s. While people depleted the natural resources including fish the biggest impact may have been the introduction of grazing animals. By 1885 Utah had 200,000 cattle and over a million sheep grazing the landscape. Ten years later these numbers had grown to 400,000 cattle and 3.8 million sheep. These animals devoured natural resources and had a negative impact on all wildlife. Over use of grasslands led to poor water quality and animals trampling waterways destroyed natural habitats for fish. Improvement When Utah became a state in 1896 The Department of Fish and Game was established and things began to improve. The state's residents realized they needed to be stewards of the land if they wanted to see wildlife populations survive. The first fish hatchery was opened in Salt Lake City in 1899 in an effort to restore fish numbers to depleted waterways. The process of replenishing fish numbers throughout Utah has been a long process but has ultimately been successful. Fish stocking has a number of benefits. For starters it provides aquatic biodiversity and helps maintain healthy waterways. It provides anglers with great opportunities for fishing. The most recent studies show that in 2018 fishing in Utah contributed $1.1 billion dollars to the economy and added over 7,000 jobs. A good portion of fees from hunting and fishing licenses go towards improving Utah’s wildlife populations and habitats making it good for the environment and people. Where fresh and saltwater meet Interconnected Most information on overfishing is focused around exploiting species of the ocean. There is an overlap though for a number of species. In North America Salmon return to the rivers for spawning. They may spawn at various times of the year depending on the species. During spawning they return to freshwater rivers and tributaries and lay their eggs to be fertilized. Once this process is complete the mature Salmon die and provide nutrients to the freshwater ecosystem. Eggs take several weeks to months to hatch and the baby fish are called fries. The fries will stay in the rivers for a few hours to years depending on species before beginning the journey to the ocean. The fish then transition in estuary locations to adapt to the saltwater environment before swimming into the ocean. Adult Salmon will spend one to six years in the ocean before returning to the rivers they were born and starting the cycle all over. Importance It is crucial for these freshwater spawning grounds to be preserved so that Salmon can live on as an important piece of the ecosystem and a healthy food supply. Pollution, damming of rivers, overfishing, and excessive water use all threaten these waterways which the Salmon rely on to survive. Current solutions The draft bill proposed by Reps. Jared Huffman and Ed Case presents an opportunity to strengthen fisheries management efforts by addressing issues such as chronic overfishing and advancing climate-ready strategies. Additionally, the Biden administration's involvement in promoting healthier and more resilient fisheries, coupled with NOAA Fisheries' initiatives to gather public input on climate adaptation, will be crucial in securing the future of our fisheries. It's a critical moment for action to safeguard the sustainability of our oceans and the livelihoods they support. Combatting the exploitation of fish is crucial for maintaining the health of our oceans and ensuring sustainable fisheries for future generations. Here are several solutions that can help address this issue: 1. Implementing and Enforcing Sustainable Fishing Practices: Governments and fisheries management organizations can establish regulations and quotas to prevent overfishing and ensure that fishing practices are sustainable. This may include setting limits on catch sizes, enforcing seasonal closures, and implementing gear restrictions to minimize bycatch. 2. Promoting Responsible Consumption: Consumers can play a role in combatting fish exploitation by choosing sustainably sourced seafood. Certification programs such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) label seafood products that meet certain sustainability criteria. Encouraging restaurants and retailers to source seafood responsibly can also make a significant impact. 3. Supporting Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): Establishing MPAs can help protect critical habitats and allow fish populations to recover. These protected areas can serve as breeding grounds and refuges for marine species, contributing to overall ecosystem health. 4. Investing in Aquaculture: Sustainable aquaculture practices can help reduce pressure on wild fish populations by providing an alternative source of seafood. However, it's important that aquaculture operations are managed carefully to minimize environmental impacts such as habitat destruction, pollution, and disease transmission. 5. Educating Communities: Raising awareness about the importance of sustainable fisheries and the impacts of overfishing can help garner support for conservation efforts. Education initiatives targeted at fishermen, policymakers, and the general public can promote responsible stewardship of marine resources. 6. International Cooperation: Many fish species migrate across national borders, making it essential for countries to collaborate on fisheries management. International agreements and organizations such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) can facilitate cooperation and coordination on issues related to sustainable fisheries management. 7. Research and Innovation: Investing in research and technology can lead to new approaches for monitoring fish populations, reducing bycatch, and improving the efficiency of fishing practices. Innovation in fishing gear, such as the development of more selective and environmentally friendly gear types, can help minimize the negative impacts of fishing activities. 8. Reducing Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing: Strengthening enforcement mechanisms and increasing transparency in the seafood supply chain can help combat IUU fishing, which undermines efforts to manage fisheries sustainably. This may involve improving monitoring and surveillance capabilities, enhancing traceability systems, and imposing stricter penalties for violators. 9. Ban Fishing Subsidies - Target subsidies for fuel, gear, and vessel construction, which incentivize overfishing by reducing the operational costs for fishing companies. These subsidies often benefit large-scale fishing operations, indirectly encouraging the use of fuel-intensive fishing methods and destructive practices such as deep-sea trawling. - The WTO's Fisheries Agreement, secured in June 2022, aims to curb harmful subsidies. It restricts support for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities and overfished stocks. The agreement allows subsidies only if they contribute to rebuilding fish stocks to a biologically sustainable level. It also emphasizes enhancing transparency and accountability in how governments subsidize the fishing industry. 10. Adopt Rights-Based Fishery Management - Rights-based management (RBM) allocates fishing rights to entities, such as individuals, communities, or companies, while imposing catch limits and other regulations to ensure sustainability. Catch-share programs, a form of RBM, allocate harvest allowances to individuals or companies, incentivizing smarter and more sustainable fishing practices. These programs help balance the needs of people, the ocean, and the economy while ensuring healthier fish populations and ecosystems. 11. Apply Regulations on Fishing Nets - By-catch, the unintended capture of non-target species, is a significant issue exacerbated by certain fishing gear, such as large nets. Implementing regulations on fishing gear, such as lowering the top end of nets, can effectively reduce bycatch. For example, lowering nets by two meters has been shown to reduce the mortality of marine mammal bycatch by 98% in some areas like the Indian Ocean. These regulations help maintain healthy marine environments and reduce the ecological impact of fishing activities. More sustainable management of fish stocks and the preservation of marine ecosystems can be achieved by combining these tactics and encouraging cooperation amongst stakeholders at the local, national, and international levels. References Barlow, J. (2017, December 7). Fish in Utah Lake and the Provo River Saved Utah’s Early Settlers from Starvation. JacobBarlow.com. https://jacobbarlow.com/2017/12/07/fish-in-utah-lake-and-the-provo-river-saved-utahs-early-settlers-from-starvation/ Cole, J. (1994). Utah history encyclopedia. Utah Education Network. https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/w/WILDLIFE_MANAGEMENT.shtml#:~:text=Fisheries%20were%20also%20exploited.,essentially%20eliminated%20by%20the%201890s. DWR stocks more than 10 million fish throughout Utah in 2023. (2023, December 14). Utah DWR. https://wildlife.utah.gov/news/utah-wildlife-news/1821-dwr-stocks-over-10-million-fish-in-utah-in-2023.html#:~:text=Over%20time,%20the%20DWR%20expanded,a%20new%20Loa%20Fish%20Hatchery. Fisheries, N. (2022, December 28). Status of Stocks 2021 \| NOAA Fisheries. NOAA. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/sustainable-fisheries/status-stocks-2021#:~:text=NOAA%20Fisheries%20manages%20460%20stocks Huffman , P. T. (2021, July 26). Huffman, Case Introduce the Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act, Legislation to Update Federal Fisheries Management \| U.S. Congressman Jared Huffman. Huffman.house.gov. https://huffman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/huffman-case-introduce-the-sustaining-americas-fisheries-for-the-future-act-legislation-to-update-federal-fisheries-management Igini, M. (2023, February 22). 7 Solutions to Overfishing We Need Right Now. Earth.org. https://earth.org/solutions-to-overfishing/ NOAA Fisheries. (2019). Understanding Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing. NOAA. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/understanding-illegal-unreported-and-unregulated-fishing LOA State Fish Hatchery. (2022). Utah DWR. https://le.utah.gov/interim/2022/pdf/00001164.pdf Raimondo, G., & Friedman, B. (2021). Status of Stocks 2020 Annual Report to Congress on the Status of U.S. Fisheries. https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/2021-05/2020%20Status%20of%20Stocks%20RtC_5-18-21_FINAL.pdf?null#:~:text=At%20the%20end%20of%202020 Salmon Life Cycle and Seasonal Fishery Planning. (2022, October 6). NOAA. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/sustainable-fisheries/salmon-life-cycle-and-seasonal-fishery-planning	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.519899	Lesson	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/114124/overview", "title": "Exploitation of Fish", "author": "Environmental Studies" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/95119/overview	BIO-061 Biome Assignment Overview Outdoor activity, 25 points. BIO-061 Biome assignment (Video assignment) 25pts	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.537941	07/12/2022	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/95119/overview", "title": "BIO-061 Biome Assignment", "author": "Alex Gavilan" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105786/overview	Reading a Ruler Overview Rulers This pdf of a ruler shows how the lengths of the tick marks correspond to different fractions of an inch. Attribution Statement Ruler image was made larger and higher resolution, with dashed lines added to indicate tick mark correspondense to fractions. Adapted from "Measurements with Fractions: Reading 8ths and 16th of an Inch" by Marcus Hall is licensed under CC BY 4.0 https://www.oercommons.org/editor/images/9824 https://oercommons.org/authoring/29112	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.557607	06/25/2023	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105786/overview", "title": "Reading a Ruler", "author": "Laura Chapuis" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/99589/overview	Getting started: Finding the gaps in community college English courses Overview The intersections of privilege, equity, and curriculum development are explored in this personal teaching essay about equity gaps in the classroom. Essay I have been teaching freshman composition at my community college and various other places for 32 years now. I am a white, 56-year-old male. My students are a mixture of high schoolers taking college classes to get the free credits; refugees and children of refugees from the diaspora, and returning adult students who have lost their jobs and are looking for a second chance. We’re all there together, in the same space. Yet, what is that space? I have had to adapt over the years. Nothing stays the same. I teach in classrooms. I teach on Zoom. I teach in online course platforms. I teach in area high schools. I teach over my cell phone. I stream videos. I use most of these methods in every course I teach. My students can’t afford textbooks any more. There was a time when I could force them to buy textbooks. But, ever since the 2008 recession, all they do is work as much as they can and try to get by on Google. I can’t blame them. Textbooks are too expensive. I think about half of my students as well, can’t afford a laptop or tablet either. They are doing all of their school work on their cell phones. I live in Minnesota. When George Floyd happened, I looked at what I was teaching in my freshman composition class to be racially balanced. In “Battle Royal”, by Ralph Ellison, a black teenager gets beat up and sent off to College. Othello strangles his wife. Ta-Nehisi Coates and Wes Moore show the perils of being young, black, and male. Now, I don’t know if I want to teach that violence or not. They’re all great writers. I just want material that is less brutal. If I felt like I had the teaching skills, maybe we could engage in race talk together. Derald Wing Sue’s “Race Talk” provides some useful suggestions, such as acknowledging my own biases as a teacher and validating discussions of students’ feelings. Should I try that? Would it even be helpful to have some old white guy–for that’s what I am–up in front of the class trying to offer some mea culpa for all of the privileges he’s received? I just don’t think it would work. Two years ago, I started using A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota, an essay collection from authors of several different backgrounds about how they live with the overt racism in my state, MInnesota. The book is great. The journal entries are simply not what I expected. I have I had several thoughtful entries, of course. However, students who strongly denied that racism even exists in Minnesota do the closest textual analysis. They scrutinize the text to fight against it. That’s not really what I wanted. I now understand that having authors from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds is not enough. I need to show students how to engage with text instead of simply reacting to it. Maybe that’s not on my students, though. Maybe that’s on me. Maybe students who deny racism, despite clear evidence to the contrary, might be picking up on those signals from me, the students I pay attention to, the texts I select, or the rather bureaucratic language of my own course syllabus. That is why, I did a deep dive on equity gaps in my own courses. My college provides the necessary statistical tools that I need to parse the student populations in my courses. I looked for equity gaps in all of my courses from the Spring 2019 to Spring 2022 semester. I am a full time community college teacher who has four full classes of 27 students a semester. So, my results are based on a very big sample size. I found out that I have a statistically significant equity gap, a large equity gap, with BIPOC students. A recent TYCA survey (Griffiths et al.) on community college English teaching during the pandemic discovered that workloads increased exponentially and that resources for curriculum transformation were limited. Some teachers found ways to adapt, like I did with Zoom and cell phone teaching. Other teachers have struggled. Many of the ways we used to teach before the pandemic have been disrupted. Teaching during this in-between phase may be part of the reason why equity gaps have been so high in my courses. Here are a few other, more personal, hypotheses I have about my equity gaps. First, I have noticed that a certain number of BIPOC students will stay in my class and not do the major assignments. They value their relationship with me more than their overall grade in the class. They procrastinate. Then, they don’t have enough time, and get poor grades. Prioritizing their relationship with me over their assignments was not a successful strategy for them. Second, I always have hope that students can get their assignments in and get a good grade, at least a C, in my courses. Since I am relaxed with deadlines, I give my BIPOC students a false sense of security that they are doing OK in a class when, in actuality, they are not. Finally, most of my bad grades happen when students simply do not do the assignments. I might have assignments that BIPOC students feel are irrelevant. Or, since academic English is, by default, white writing, I alienate BIPOC students. I asked other writing faculty at my community college what culturally responsive pedagogies they use. One teacher says that he tries to get students engaged in “what-if” conversations in class. By modeling these discussions, he hopes that students will use more hedge words and multiple positions in their papers. Another teacher says that he led a rather chaotic young adult life, like many of our students. So, he sees his earlier self in their struggles. His approach is compassion. He tries to motivate them to write about what they care about. Yet another teacher told me she uses Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime because students are fine with talking about racism in South Africa. She then lets them make connections to systemic racism here in the United States rather organically. It’s not so didactic, then, she says. What do all three of these teachers have in common? They have created an open space in their courses for student reflection. Horn-Gibson and Oshin-Martin, community college teachers themselves, (2022) concur. They encourage inclusive pedagogy and dialogue for change. Similarly, in “Minding the Obligation Gap”, Sims et al. flip the deficit focus. Instead of achievement gaps, which put the responsibility on students, research into “obligation gap” puts the emphasis squarely on institutions, in this case community colleges, to foster equity on their campuses and their classrooms. The three teachers I mentioned above all intuitively feel that obligation gap, that dialogue for change. I, perhaps, have been too focused on achievement gaps. Even my own personal equity gap research focused on grade disparities, not equivalent learning outcomes. I need to make that shift from student achievement to teacher obligation. It’s not all on the students. It’s not all on me either. We’re in this together. I’ve been teaching college freshman composition for 32 years now. Making that shift feels like a repudiation of the core teaching values I have held for most of my career. I have to, though. It’s time to get started. References Azevedo, Lauren. "Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence: Understanding and Facilitating Difficult Dialogues on Race: By Derald Wing Sue, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2015." (2018): 419-422. Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the world and me. Text publishing, 2015. Ellison, Ralph. Invisible man. Penguin UK, 2016. Griffiths, Brett, et al. "Community college English faculty pandemic teaching: Adjustments in the time of COVID-19." Community Colleges’ Responses to COVID-19. Routledge, 2022. 58-71. Moore, Wes. The other Wes Moore: One name, two fates. One World, 2011. Noah, Trevor. Born a crime: Stories from a South African childhood. Doubleday Canada, 2016. Shin, Sun Yung. Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2016. Sims, Jeremiah J., et al. "Minding the Obligation Gap in Community Colleges and Beyond: Theory and Practice in Achieving Educational Equity. Educational Equity in Community Colleges." Peter Lang Publishing Group (2020). Van Der Horn-Gibson, Jodi, and Moronke Oshin-Martin. "Toward an Equitable Pedagogy: Invitational Education in the Community College Classroom." Beyond Equity at Community Colleges. Routledge 48-66.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.580373	12/22/2022	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/99589/overview", "title": "Getting started: Finding the gaps in community college English courses", "author": "Mike Mutschelknaus" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113653/overview	Effects of Current Overview This is on lecture notes to undergraduate students in physics at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University. A few basic terms in electricals have been explained with hand-drawn diagrams. This may be useful for students at any level of education. This can be used by any student This is on lecture notes to undergraduate student in physics in Dr.B.R.Ambedkar Open University. A few basic term in electricals have been explain with hand-drawn diagram. This may be useful for students at any level of education.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.597107	03/02/2024	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/113653/overview", "title": "Effects of Current", "author": "Dr.U.Vijaya Ushasree" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89982/overview	Micrograph human cheek epithelial cells methylene blue 100X p000020 Overview This micrograph was taken at 100X total magnifcation on a brightfield microscope. The subject is human cheek epithelial cells collected fresh with a toothpick. The cells were stained with methylene blue stain prior to visualization. Image credit: Emily Fox Micrograph Light background with irregular-shaped cells with round blue nuclei.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.614386	Diagram/Illustration	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/89982/overview", "title": "Micrograph human cheek epithelial cells methylene blue 100X p000020", "author": "Health, Medicine and Nursing" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/106717/overview	Writing Know-How: Understanding Professional Communication Overview This a collection of original writing and OER materals designed to aid learners in better understanding professional communication. Introduction Overview The following book is a collection of original writing and OER materials focused on professional communication, which can be broadly separated into two categories: technical writing and business writing. These categories are meant to prepare a reader for the various situations in which they may need to create something, whether it's a resume, proposal, graphic, or something else found within a professional setting. The information found within this book is not all-encompassing, nor are there hardened "rules" for writing; rather, this book acts as a foundation from which to build. As with all writing, the best way to sharpen our skills and gain an understanding of what we're doing is to practice, yet practicing on the job may have unintended consequences. As such, take the examples, exercises, guidelines, suggestions, and advice to heart, as they are meant to aid you in becoming a successful professional communicator. *** Technical Writing Technical communication—or technical writing, as college courses often call it—is not writing about a specific technical topic such as computers, but about any technical topic. The term “technical” refers to knowledge that is not widespread, that is more the territory of experts and specialists. Whatever your major is, you are developing an expertise—you are becoming a specialist in a particular technical area. And whenever you try to write or say anything about your field, you are engaged in technical communication. https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/technicalwriting/front-matter/introduction-2/ When you hear the term “technical communication,” what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of scientific reports, specifications, instructions, software documentation, or technical manuals. And you are correct. However, technical communication is so much more than that. Technical Writing is a genre of non-fiction writing that encompasses not only technical materials such as manuals, instructions, specifications, and software documentation, but it also includes writing produced in day-to-day business operations such as correspondence, proposals, internal communications, media releases, and many kinds of reports. It includes the communication of specialized technical information, whether relating to computers and scientific instruments, or the intricacies of meditation. And because oral and visual presentations are such an important part of professional life, technical communication also encompasses these as well. We might define technical communication, then, as using various modes (oral, written, visual) of communication to manage technical information to analyze a problem, find and evaluate evidence, and draw conclusions in a way that allows people to take action. Technical communication is “transactional” – it entails a purposeful transaction between sender and receiver that provides specific information for practical and specific purposes (informing, instructing, persuading) and is usually geared towards the needs of a specific audience. Technical communicators produce a wide variety of documents and other products, such as - Proposals and requests for proposals (RFPs) - Technical or research reports - Documentation records and product specifications - User guides (step-by-step instructions, procedures, manuals) - Online help, technical support - Reference information (encyclopedia-style information) - Consumer literature (information for the public about regulations, safety issues, etc.) - Marketing literature (product specifications, brochures, promotional literature) - Technical journalism (found in trade magazines, media releases, etc.) Thus, it is a highly “designed” form of communication that requires practitioners to have a heightened awareness of the conventions (rules and expectations) and rhetorical situations (audience, purpose, context) in which they are communicating. This textbook aims to provide you with that heightened awareness – that is, to introduce you to the basic conventions of technical communications, and to train you to take a reader- and audience-centered approach to communications tasks, to find the tools and methods that will work best to communicate your ideas to your target audience, and to achieve the desired results. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/part/techcomm/ Business Writing One common concern is to simply address the question, what is good writing? As we progress through our study of written business communication we’ll try to answer it. But recognize that while the question may be simple, the answer is complex. Edward P. Bailey [1] offers several key points to remember. Good business writing - follows the rules, - is easy to read, and - attracts the reader. Let’s examine these qualities in more depth. Bailey’s first point is one that generates a fair amount of debate. What are the rules? Do “the rules” depend on audience expectations or industry standards, what your English teacher taught you, or are they reflected in the amazing writing of authors you might point to as positive examples? The answer is “all of the above,” with a point of clarification. You may find it necessary to balance audience expectations with industry standards for a document, and may need to find a balance or compromise. Bailey [2] points to common sense as one basic criterion of good writing, but common sense is a product of experience. When searching for balance, reader understanding is the deciding factor. The correct use of a semicolon may not be what is needed to make a sentence work. Your reading audience should carry extra attention in everything you write because, without them, you won’t have many more writing assignments. When we say that good writing follows the rules, we don’t mean that a writer cannot be creative. Just as an art student needs to know how to draw a scene in correct perspective before he can “break the rules” by “bending” perspective, so a writer needs to know the rules of language. Being well versed in how to use words correctly, form sentences with proper grammar, and build logical paragraphs are skills the writer can use no matter what the assignment. Even though some business settings may call for conservative writing, there are other areas where creativity is not only allowed but mandated. Imagine working for an advertising agency or a software development firm; in such situations success comes from expressing new, untried ideas. By following the rules of language and correct writing, a writer can express those creative ideas in a form that comes through clearly and promotes understanding. Similarly, writing that is easy to read is not the same as “dumbed down” or simplistic writing. What is easy to read? For a young audience, you may need to use straightforward, simple terms, but to ignore their use of the language is to create an artificial and unnecessary barrier. An example referring to Miley Cyrus may work with one reading audience and fall flat with another. Profession-specific terms can serve a valuable purpose as we write about precise concepts. Not everyone will understand all the terms in a profession, but if your audience is largely literate in the terms of the field, using industry terms will help you establish a relationship with your readers. The truly excellent writer is one who can explain complex ideas in a way that the reader can understand. Sometimes ease of reading can come from the writer’s choice of a brilliant illustrative example to get a point across. In other situations, it can be the writer’s incorporation of definitions into the text so that the meaning of unfamiliar words is clear. It may also be a matter of choosing dynamic, specific verbs that make it clear what is happening and who is carrying out the action. Bailey’s third point concerns the interest of the reader. Will they want to read it? This question should guide much of what you write. We increasingly gain information from our environment through visual, auditory, and multimedia channels, from YouTube to streaming audio, and to watching the news online. Some argue that this has led to a decreased attention span for reading, meaning that writers need to appeal to readers with short, punchy sentences and catchy phrases. However, there are still plenty of people who love to immerse themselves in reading an interesting article, proposal, or marketing piece. Perhaps the most universally useful strategy in capturing your reader’s attention is to state how your writing can meet the reader’s needs. If your document provides information to answer a question, solve a problem, or explain how to increase profits or cut costs, you may want to state this in the beginning. By opening with a “what’s in it for me” strategy, you give your audience a reason to be interested in what you’ve written. More Qualities of Good Writing To the above list from Bailey, let’s add some additional qualities that define good writing. Good writing - meets the reader’s expectations, - is clear and concise, - is efficient and effective. To meet the reader’s expectations, the writer needs to understand who the intended reader is. In some business situations, you are writing just to one person: your boss, a coworker in another department, or an individual customer or vendor. If you know the person well, it may be as easy for you to write to him or her as it is to write a note to your parent or roommate. If you don’t know the person, you can at least make some reasonable assumptions about his or her expectations, based on the position he or she holds and its relation to your job. In other situations, you may be writing a document to be read by a group or team, an entire department, or even a large number of total strangers. How can you anticipate their expectations and tailor your writing accordingly? Naturally you want to learn as much as you can about your likely audience. How much you can learn and what kinds of information will vary with the situation. If you are writing Web site content, for example, you may never meet the people who will visit the site, but you can predict why they would be drawn to the site and what they would expect to read there. Beyond learning about your audience, your clear understanding of the writing assignment and its purpose will help you to meet reader expectations. Our addition of the fifth point concerning clear and concise writing reflects the increasing tendency in business writing to eliminate error. Errors can include those associated with production, from writing to editing, and reader response. Your twin goals of clear and concise writing point to a central goal across communication: fidelity. This concept involves our goal of accurately communicating all the intended information with a minimum of signal or message breakdown or misinterpretation. Designing your documents, including writing and presentation, to reduce message breakdown is an important part of effective business communication. This leads our discussion to efficiency. There are only twenty-four hours in a day and we are increasingly asked to do more with less, with shorter deadlines almost guaranteed. As a writer, how do you meet ever-increasing expectations? Each writing assignment requires a clear understanding of the goals and desired results, and when either of these two aspects is unclear, the efficiency of your writing can be compromised. Rewrites require time that you may not have, but will have to make if the assignment was not done correctly the first time. As we have discussed previously, making a habit of reading similar documents prior to beginning your process of writing can help establish a mental template of your desired product. If you can see in your mind’s eye what you want to write, and have the perspective of similar documents combined with audience’s needs, you can write more efficiently. Your written documents are products and will be required on a schedule that impacts your coworkers and business. Your ability to produce effective documents efficiently is a skill set that will contribute to your success. Our sixth point reinforces this idea with an emphasis on effectiveness. What is effective writing? It is writing that succeeds in accomplishing its purpose. Understanding the purpose, goals, and desired results of your writing assignment will help you achieve this success. Your employer may want an introductory sales letter to result in an increase in sales leads, or potential contacts for follow-up leading to sales. Your audience may not see the document from that perspective, but will instead read with the mindset of, “How does this help me solve X problem?” If you meet both goals, your writing is approaching effectiveness. Here, effectiveness is qualified with the word “approaching” to point out that writing is both a process and a product, and your writing will continually require effort and attention to revision and improvement. https://oercommons.org/authoring/54645-professional-and-technical-writing/1/view REFERENCES: Introduction by Allison Gross, Annemarie Hamlin, Billy Merck, Chris Rubio, Jodi Naas, Megan Savage, and Michele DeSilva is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Technical Writing Essentials by Suzan Last is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. "Professional and Technical Writing" 2019 by Suzie Baker under license"Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial" What shapes my writing? Understanding the Rhetorical Situation The Rhetorical Situation To better understand professional communication it's worthwhile to discuss communication in general. In a basic sense, communication is the exchange of information, both giving and receiving. Yet, who is offering that information, and who is open to hearing it? And how will this information be conveyed and what need exists to exchange anyway? And what exactly is my purpose communicating? These questions are all rhetorically-based, which is to say these questions are interested in the use of techniques when communicating in a given situation. In fact, an effective approach to understanding all communication, professional or otherwise, is to consider the Rhetorical Situation of that communication. A rhetorical situation is a language-based interaction that draws upon five identifiable traits for giving and receiving information. These five traits are founded in the questions asked earlier, and include: - Author - Audience - Text/Genre - Purpose - Context Another common way to understand the Rhetorical Situation is to see it as something called the Rhetorical Triangle: - From the left-hand point we start with the author, which can either be you or someone you're reading. In either case, the author initiates the communication and they have the most work to do. In fact, they're the authority. - On the right-hand point we find the audience, whomever is going to be receptive to our communication. Of all the rhetorical traits this one should receive the most attention (which is why an entire chapter is dedicated to "Audience"). - The space between the author and the audience (the entire white-space of the triangle) is the text, or genre. This trait is concerned with how the author communicates with the audience, what form it takes, whether through an email, photograph, proposal or any other professional genre. Think of the text as the bridge bewtween the giver and the receiver. - The top of triangle is the purpose, what the writer hopes to accomplish in communicating. Think of it as "the point," or the intention of communicating. - Lastly, but very importantly, we have context, which as you can see, surrounds all the other traits, shaping them to some degree. Context is discussed in more detail below. As an example, let's look at the rhetorical situation of this very book, Writing Know-How: Understanding Professional Communication. - Author=Ben Greenlee, a writing instructor - Audience=a reader who has little or no professional communication training (notice that I did not write "anyone" even though anyone could read this book; I have a specific audience in mind which gives my writing more direction. More on this in the next chapter) - Text/Genre=a digital OER textbook - Purpose=to provide a collection of resources and insights for for those interested in professional communication - Context=the lack of an OER text that covers the material in the way I wish it was covered; there is a need and I'm trying to address it Notice how the rhetorical traits seem to overlap: my purpose as an instructor is to reach an audience that is interested in professional communication through a free, digital textbook because the type of textbook I'm interested in doesn't exist in the ways I want it to. This overlap strengthens our professional communication and makes it as effective as possible. So, understanding these five traits by critically thinking (asking questions), as we did earlier in the section, will significantly improve any communication, though this process takes time and practice. * The following link will take you to Susan Last's book, Technical Writing Essentials. This chapter--titled, "Understanding the Rhetorical Situation"--provides a more a thorough discussion on the five elements that make up a rhetorical situation, offering a visual understanding as well as several exercises. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/chapter/understandingrhetoricalsituation/ * A Focus on Context Though all elements of the Rhetorical Situation are important to consider in professional communication, one of the first to keep in mind is context. For the purposes of this book, context can be defined as the "circumstances surrounding," meaning there are a number of larger situations that shape who we are, what we can do, and how we're perceieved. For example, if you're an international student studying in the United States and have been invited to a football game by classmates, you may not recognize that your peers could be referring to a completely different sport than what you had in mind, and they may not have understood the different meaning of the word "football" for those outside the United States. This scenario is context in action, in which larger situations (in this case, historical and national) have shaped two different understandings. The same is true for writing. Whenever we engage in professional communication it's our responsibility as writers to consider the larger forces shaping our communication. Another way to think about context is asking yourself, "why am I creating this text?" Any answer to this question will be a matter of responding to a need, responding to a larger situation. Perhaps a supervisor needs an update on a project. Perhaps the public is unaware of a scientific breakthrough. Perhaps clarity is needed in how to complete a specific task. Perhaps you're confused over a particular detail and are seeking guidance. In all the scenarios above, there's a clear need attempting to be met, there are circumstances surrounding the situation which created that need, and they shape the way the situation is understood. A final note on context. Responding to a need is NOT the same as enacting your goal, that is, context is not the same as purpose. For instance, in the scenario where a supervisor needs an update on the project, the project itself--timeline, costs, pressure on the company, colleagues contributions--is the context, the larger circumstance that guides the creation of this text. The purpose, then, is to inform, communicating to the supervisor what has already been completed since the last update and what stills needs to be completed for the project as a whole. There is obviously a connection between context and purpose (the project itself; informing someone of the changes to the project), but, as stated earlier, each of the fivel elements interacts with and informs the others while still being unique unto themselves. Understanding the differences between all the rhetorical elements--especially context, as it surrounds the entire situation--can take time, but once these concepts start to solidify in your thinking and writing, your professional communication will become much more effective. Context in a Professional Setting Though you may already know a great deal about effective communication within an academic environment, technical communication is not limited to this area. You must know how to communicate effectively in many other settings such as a professional environment. Technical Communication Can Take Many Forms Many different types of documents are created and used every day by professionals. The most common and well known of these documents are memos and emails, which are used in every type of business. In addition to this, technical communicators also create instructions, product guides and documentation, graphs, charts, images, videos, and other forms of content. No matter what medium a technical communicator chooses to use, the main goal is always to be informative and clear. Technical Communication Serves a Practical Purpose Technical communication is employed in real world settings for practical purposes. Whether to instruct, inform, or to persuade, technical communication is used for a myriad of purposes beyond the sort of straightforward informative writing typical of educational or certain social settings. Beyond being inspiring or entertaining, technical writing must be useful to an audience trying to perform a task. Technical Communication Addresses Complex Audiences Academic papers are often addressed to a single individual or a small group of peers with very similar experiences and expectations. Technical writing, because of its practical and collaborative nature, must often be geared toward a complex audience. Technical communicators must be careful to be conscious of intended and unintended audiences, foreign and domestic readers, and individuals with vastly differing responsibilities, experiences, and expectations of a given document. The context in which a document is read will differ with each reader and it is important to keep documents concise and free of bias and excessive or unclear language to ensure that they are understood. Technical Communication is Collaborative Technical communication documents will often require input or additional work from several co-authors, depending on the complexity of the document and the nature of the task with which it is dealing. Paul Anderson's Technical Communication textbook relates an anecdote regarding the proposal to build the International Space Station which contained text and drawings from more than 300 engineers. This may be an extreme example, but even when writing a technical document alone, collaboration and consultation with coworkers or other members of the intended audience may form a part of an author's writing process. Technical Communication is Shaped by Conventions and Culture Much as with academic writing, organizational conventions as well as culture will shape the style used in technical documents. Organizations may conceive of themselves and formal and conservative or informal and innovative, and reflect this self-conception in their communication style. This reflection often extends to social dimensions within the workplace or the culture of the society in which the organization operates. A technical communicator's style will change depending on the social and organizational contexts that they are working within. Technical Communication is a complex discipline because it can occur in so many contexts. It can be encountered in nearly any professional setting from a construction yard to a courtroom. It is present when you consult a user manual for your car, microwave, computer, or un-assembled bookshelf. Adaptivity to ever changing audiences as well as legal and ethical issues and a variety of social factors is one of the most important traits of a successful technical communicator. REFERENCES: Technical Writing Essentials by Suzan Last and Candice Neveu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. The Many Contexts of Communicating Technical Information. Provided by: WikiBooks. Located at: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Professional_and_Technical_Writing/Rhetoric/Context. Project: Professional and Technical Writing. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike Who is this for? Appreciating your Audience Rhetorical Nature of Technical and Professional Writing Communication in the workplace is practiced and accomplished for many practical purposes. The goal is to effectively convey information to an audience, whether it be to co-workers or someone with greater responsibilities in the workplace. Workplace writing differs from written communication in other contexts, such as educational or social arenas. In the workplace, writing is considered a legal document and is frequently archived or retained for several years at a time. These writings can be referenced to in the future if legal complications arise. Workplace writing also varies from typical writing due to the fact that the audience is generally reading documents not for entertaining nor teaching themselves; it should contain important, relevant and needed information only, with no redundancy. Reader-Centric Writing Workplace writing should always focus on the audience; what does the reader need to know? Writing should effectively convey the precise information that the reader is seeking. If the writing is an attempt to persuade the reader, then the writer must consider what will persuade the reader most. For example, a work team may be writing a proposal to install new production machinery in a factory. Different readers in the company will want different information from this proposal. A well-written document will consider every potential reader and give the information that each reader is seeking. Throughout all of your work, constantly think about your readers. As you make each writing decision, consider your readers' characteristics, goals, expectations, situation, and other factors that will shape their response to what you say. Concentrate on crafting a communication that will be persuasive and usable in your readers' eyes. These are two important qualities of successful work-related communications. Focus specifically on the ways your readers will respond, moment by moment, while they are reading your communication. This will be the only opportunity to influence your readers directly. Effective Workplace Writing Workplace writing must be persuasive and usable to all potential readers. For a document to be efficient, it must be easily understood by the intended audience. It is important to use simple sentences, words, and structure so that all that view the document can comprehend it. A document that is hard to understand is not usable or effective, since the audience will be unable to properly understand the document. Highly usable writing should help readers quickly locate, understand, and use the information to complete their task(s). It can be used as a reference, a how-to, or a means for them to see your progress on your own tasks and what still needs to be done. Persuasive writing should convince readers that the information is accurate and should be followed. For example, a reader may be considering several different proposals. The chosen proposal is most likely to be the one that is most persuasive; however, if writing is not persuasive, then it is not likely to be followed. Thus, the entire writing effort will have been wasted. It is pertinent to understand, though, that being persuasive does NOT mean conducting unethical behavior. Do not write a document to simply to have yours preferred or chosen over others. Always be sure to use ethical practices. Some ethical practice questions to ask yourself: Did I cite my sources? Did I use credible information? Did I "twist" any information? Am I using the correct language? Am I only telling the truth, no "bluffing"? Am I being realistic? Am I being timely? Am I being accurate? Am I giving a correct assessment and perception of what will be done? How Writers and Readers Interact Writers and readers interact in unique ways. In all cases, writing is a one-way flow of information.Therefore, writers must consider and include all of their readers' needs. Every reader is different, but an effective writer must anticipate what will be most useful to the audience. Additionally, the world is extremely diverse. Some readers may be more relaxed or open-minded than others. For this reason, writers must learn to be conscientious in their writing to ensure they won't discourage or offend any of their readers. If a reader is offended, any decision made will likely not be made in the writer's favor. Effective writing eliminates unnecessary pieces of information and ensures a concise document. Different readers may construe different meanings from the same words. The meaning may be shaped by a user's previous experience, culture, or even a user's state of mind. Each reader will construct a meaning based on the context of the writing and their previous experiences. This is why when writing a document you must start with who your audience is and what they need to know. Readers react moment by moment when reading a document. Important information will usually have a greater impact if it is placed at the beginning of a document. This ensures that it will be read right away. Many readers will not finish a document, and so this "inverted pyramid" writing style is very effective. In addition, the average business professional says that they do not spend more than 30 seconds reading a resume, and no more than 5 minutes on a business proposal. It is prudent to place the most important information at the beginning of the document and least important at the end. The writer should ensure stylistic continuity as well. A writer attempting humor in a long technical document may confuse the reader; while the same humor, if used while writing about a personal anecdote, may more easily amuse the reader. To reiterate, every reader will have a different reaction to a piece of writing, and these reactions will depend on everything from the context of the writing to the reader's cultural upbringing. Types of Audiences When preparing documents, it is important to remember potential audiences for your work. Awareness of the differences between Intended and Unintended audiences may impact how an author presents or includes information in a document, and may make a difference in the event of a legal issue concerning the document. Also, awareness of a complex audience will ensure that an author's writing does not exclude any potential readers. You do not want to leave an important figure out if they need to be touched on. Intended vs. Unintended Audience Intended audiences are best thought of as the people you are initially writing to. It is the audience for which your document is intended. Unintended audiences may be anyone that comes across your writing at any point in time. In a professional setting, its important to be mindful of the unintended audience of any written work. This includes any email, memos or proposals produced in the course of business. In addition to being a good rule of thumb, it is in your best interest legally to remain professional in every document you produce as these documents may be used as evidence in court against either the author or the business from which they originated. Complex Audience Writing for a complex audience is different from academic writing. In academia, there is a specific audience for most pieces of writing, generally an instructor, teaching assistant, or a fairly small group of peers. In a professional setting, you will often write for a complex audience of people with different backgrounds, specialties, and expectations. With that in mind, avoid using terminology that is too technical so you don't unintentionally exclude portions of your audience. This can become increasingly difficult when writing for larger and more complex audiences. Tailoring Employment Documents For a Specific Audience When it comes to an employment document such as a résumé or a cover letter there is no such thing as “one size fits all”. Each document should be individually tailored to catch the attention of the employer to which the document(s) are being submitted. To do this effectively, it helps to research the company and the position. Some different ways that this can be done are: Looking at the job description – The job description usually gives a set of skills that will be required for the position. The skills outline what the employer is looking for, and therefore, what should be added into a resume. (One should never lie about applicable skills, but highlight and prioritize these skills among others). Looking at the company website – Looking at the company’s website can help with understanding the company environment and values that may not be listed in a job description. This can be most beneficial when writing a cover letter, in which it is important to acknowledge the potential employer. In addition to looking at the job description and company website, it is helpful to evaluate the type of job that you are applying for. If you are applying to a job in a design field, you would want to tailor your résumé to be more creative and avoid using any sort of generic template. Depending on your level of experience, it can be beneficial to create a list of skills and job experience in a Word document. As mentioned above, different jobs typically look for a specific set of skills. To make it easier to tailor a business document to a potential employer, it can be easy to have a Word document of skills and job experiences listed. After you determine the specific job you're applying for, copy and paste the appropriate skills into the document. It is important to remember that in employment documents you are selling yourself. Each job will be slightly different, so it is crucial to tailor your résumé to the employer. Additionally, make sure it is not cluttered with information that the employer may find unnecessary. REFERENCES: Appreciating Technical Communication Audiences. Provided by: Wikibooks. Located at: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Professional_and_Technical_Writing/Rhetoric/Audiences. Project: Professional and Technical Writing. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike What are my choices when writing? Language, Tone, and Organization How to Communicate Professionally After considering the larger shaping forces of our writing--context--,what it is we're attempting to do--purpose--, and determining who our writing is for--audience--, it's time to actually write, but which words will we place within the document? How will we place them? Where? If you've ever asked yourself these questions while staring at a blank document, wondering what to do, you're actually starting a very important writing process, which is: navigating the concept of choice. Choice is simply working through the possibilities of your writing. Everything in your writing is a matter of choice, what you decide to include and what you decide to omit, and like the choices we make in life, they often feel like a reflection of who we are and how we think. This means our writing can feel quite personal. Not so simple, then, is the possible paralyzing nature of those choices, AKA what if I make the wrong writing choice? What if this choice is a poor reflection of me and my ability? This worry is what often prevents writers from starting their writing projects, or slows those projects mid-creation, as we're preoccupied with limiting "wrong" and hoping for "right." But what exactly is wrong and right when it comes to writing? As suggested, this duality can feel quite personal and intimate, which is a close perspective; we're primarily thinking of ourselves. So, perhaps a better way to consider our communication choices is to think of the effect, that is, the result of our choices. This change in perspective moves our writing from the personal/internal and closer to the social/external, turning "is this a good choice?" into "how effective is this choice?" With this new question in mind we're starting to think rhetorically, placing our energies outwards, towards concepts such context, purpose, and, as was presented in the previous chapter, audience, and these concepts guide our choices, limiting them and expanding them with each new situation. So, what we place on the page becomes less personal and we're freer to consider all our choices that help others make choices, whether on the job or for gaining technical understanding (after all, we're trying to communicate, which is built on conveying information). With this new perspective established, aside from genre conventions of certain professional documents, which will be covered in a later chapter, a great place to start with writing choices is langauge, tone, and organization, which can be considered the elements of style. * The following link will take you to a section of Suzie Baker's book, Professional and Technical Writing (2019). This section--titled, "Style in Written Communication"--goes in-depth on the various skills necessary for effective professional communication. There are also a variety of exercises for you to practicde these skills before applying them to your own writing. https://oercommons.org/authoring/54645-professional-and-technical-writing/3/view * NOTE: For further guidance on writing choices beyond those presented in this chapter and the following chapter, review the last section of this book titled, "What if I'm a "Bad" Writer? Writing Fundamentals." What are my other choices when writing? Clarity and Accuracy How to be Heard, AKA Communicating with Clarity and Accuracy In addition to language, tone, and organization, professional communication also relies on clarity and accuracy. The common element between being coherent and intelligible--clarity--and trusted--accuracy--is that of percision. As writers we want every choice we make to be exact, meaning there is a larger purpose for everything we include in a document. This precision allows our readers to understand what we're communicating as quickly and efficiently as possible, further enacting our purpose in whatever genre we're writing. As with all writing, precision is a matter of choice and practice, and will become more comfortable as opportunities arise. * The following link will take you to a section of Susan Last's book, Technical Writing Essentials. This section--titled, "Communicating with Precision"--disscusses how to consider every word in your writing, making sure that what you're commuicating has a distinct and useful purpose. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/chapter/communicatingprecision/ What does my writing look like? Document Design and Formatting The way a text looks matters to a reader, so it should matter to a writer. Letters, reports, and blogs are more than just words on a page or a screen. How ideas are arranged and delivered in physical form, whether electronically or on paper, can make reading seem intimidating, confusing, or downright unfriendly, even if the content itself is perfect. Your text is like a room for your ideas. Sometimes you want readers to get in and get out quickly, but often, you want them to sit down and make themselves comfortable, to put their feet up and stay awhile. Whatever the case, you should be in control of the reader’s experience. And most readers are a lot like TV viewers with remote controls. In a moment, their attention is diverted to another channel if something about your content puts them off. It’s important to get their attention and hold it. Good content is a key part of this, of course, but the visual presentation of your content matters too. Reading is a difficult, cognitively demanding task, so if your design helps make your readers’ journey through the text easier, you will hold their attention longer. Give readers reasons to linger, and they will. Good document design is both science and art. The particular design of a document—what it contains, what color scheme it follows, what alignment strategy it reflects, and so on—is the result of a series of choices made by the designer. It takes a long time to master the finer points of design, and this chapter won’t turn you into a designer, but it will offer some simple ways of thinking that will help you strategize about how to make your document intuitive and reader friendly—easy to scan, search, and read. This is not a chapter on design per se; rather, it will familiarize you with a few basic truths and a way of thinking that all designers know well. Whether you’re typing up a memo on new safety policies at work, producing a newsletter for your community group, or putting together a booklet describing the new app you just finished and wish to market, you need to think about a few basic elements of document design. \| ACTIVITY: Discuss texts that you have found intimidating or hard to read because of their layout or appearance. What exactly made the text difficult to read? \| You already engage in some basic document design practices. For instance, when you format an academic essay, you center your title and regularly break to a new paragraph, which signals to the reader that it’s time for a breather, the content is shifting slightly, or you are moving on to a completely new topic. You illustrate blogs, Web pages, and PowerPoint slides with photos and graphics, animations, or videos. Even small elements of your writing help guide readers: indentation, changes in type style (bold, italics, underline), or the punctuation at the end of a sentence. Professional writers, especially those who work for well-funded web sites and mass-market print publications (like newspapers and magazines) are lucky enough to have the services of artists, graphic designers, skilled photographers, and layout experts. But most of us just want to have a cooler-looking blog, a more professional-looking report, or an eBay listing that doesn’t make buyers suspect our credibility. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/part/documentdesign/ Specifics of Document Design The following link takes us back to Susan Baker's Technical Writing Essentials. From there, you can jump to other subsections that overview document design and formatting choices, such as: readibility, headings, lists, figures and tables, and other style tips. REFERENCES: Technical Writing Essentials by Suzan Last is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. What exactly am I writing? The Different Genres of Professional Communication Genre in Writing As discussed when introducing the rhetorical situation, whatever document you're creating is considered a text (also known as a genre, and sometimes the "message"). The reason different words may be applied for this rhetorical element is that not everything created for professional communication, or otherwise, is a text as we traditionally understand it (printed or written work). For example, a verbal presentation may be considered a "text;" an infographic may be considered a "text," or a photograph. And yes, documents such as emails and reports are texts. To avoid confusion, then, the word genre may be more appropriate. You've probably heard the word genre in other contexts, such as in movies or music, and probably have a favorite genre of those categories yourself. Thinking about that genre now you may recognize similarities across the different examples, the commonalities you come to expect and appreciate about that genre; there's a level of comfort and interest present. This expectation, similarity, and comfort can be considered the conventions, or characteristics, of a genre; the specific elements of that genre which sets it apart from other genres. The same is true in writing. Each document has a particular and unique set of characteristics that set it apart from other documents, and, most importantly, a reader has expectations of that document. This means that when we're making our writing choices, as discussed in previous chapters, the type of document we're creating guides our choices, limiting them or expanding them as necessary, based on the characteristics of that genre. Whatever genre you're writing in, you want to make sure it fits the rhetorical situation, meaning: it recognizes the shaping forces of context; enacts your purspose and voice as the author; and is written with a specific audience in mind. To be successful in professional communication you need to pick the right tool, the right genre, for the job. The following long chapter is a collection of different genres one may encounter in a professional setting. Each document type has specific characteristics unique to it and may also include characterisitics that are shared with other genres. Collected here are: - Correspondence: Email - Correspondence: Letters and Memos - Instructions - Reports - Presentations - Proposals - Graphics - Resumes ****** Correspondence: Email Email is familiar to most students and workers. In business, it has largely replaced print hard copy letters for external (outside the company) correspondence, and in many cases, it has taken the place of memos for internal (within the company) communication.[4] Email can be very useful for messages that have slightly more content than a text message, but it is still best used for fairly brief messages. Many businesses use automated emails to acknowledge communications from the public, or to remind associates that periodic reports or payments are due. You may also be assigned to “populate” a form email in which standard paragraphs are used but you choose from a menu of sentences to make the wording suitable for a particular transaction. Emails may be informal in personal contexts, but business communication requires attention to detail, awareness that your email reflects you and your company, and a professional tone so that it may be forwarded to any third party if needed. Email often serves to exchange information within organizations. Although email may have an informal feel, remember that when used for business, it needs to convey professionalism and respect. Never write or send anything that you wouldn’t want read in public or in front of your company president. As with all writing, professional communications require attention to the specific writing context, and it may surprise you that even elements of form can indicate a writer’s strong understanding of audience and purpose. The principles explained here apply to the educational context as well; use them when communicating with your instructors and classroom peers. Guidelines for Effective Business Emails Open with a proper salutation: proper salutations demonstrate respect and avoid mix-ups in case a message is accidentally sent to the wrong recipient. For example, use a salutation like “Dear Ms. X” (external) or “Hi Barry” (internal). Include a clear, brief, and specific subject line: this helps the recipient understand the essence of the message. For example, “Proposal attached” or “Electrical specs for project Y.” Close with a signature: identify yourself by creating a signature block that automatically contains your name and business contact information. Avoid abbreviations: an email is not a text message, and the audience may not find your wit cause to ROTFLOL (roll on the floor laughing out loud). Be brief: omit unnecessary words. Use a good format: divide your message into brief paragraphs for ease of reading. A good email should get to the point and conclude in three small paragraphs or fewer. Reread, revise, and review: catch and correct spelling and grammar mistakes before you press “send.” It will take more time and effort to undo the problems caused by a hasty, poorly-written email than to take the time to get it right the first time. Reply promptly: watch out for an emotional response—never reply in anger—but make a habit of replying to all emails within twenty-four hours, even if only to say that you will provide the requested information in forty-eight or seventy-two hours. Use “Reply All” sparingly: do not send your reply to everyone who received the initial email unless your message absolutely needs to be read by the entire group. Avoid using all caps: capital letters are used on the Internet to communicate emphatic emotion or “yelling” and can be considered rude. Test links: if you include a link, test it to make sure it works. Email ahead of time if you are going to attach large files: audio and visual files are often quite large; be careful to avoid exceeding the recipient’s mailbox limit or triggering the spam filter. Give feedback or follow up: if you don’t get a response in twenty-four hours, email or call. Spam filters may have intercepted your message, so your recipient may never have received it. Tip: add the address of the recipient last (after you have written and proofread your message) to avoid sending prematurely. This will give you time to do a last review of what you’ve written, make sure links work, make sure you’ve added the attachment, etc., before adding the sender’s address and hitting send. Example The sample email below demonstrates the principles listed above: Dear Colleagues: Please consider signing up for the next available Safe Zone workshop offered by the College. As you know, our department is working toward increasing the number of Safe Zone volunteers in our area, and I hope several of you may be available for the next workshop scheduled for Friday, October 9. For more information on the Safe Zone program, please visit http://www.cocc.edu/multicultural/safe-zone-training/ Please let me know if you will attend. Steve Jobs \| https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/chapter/correspondence/ ****** Correspondence: Letters and Memos Memos are a major accepted method of communication within a specific business, company, or institution. The successful operation of a company depends on memos for communication between the employees of the company. Types of memos include: inquires, recommendations, problem-solution, etc. A memo's format provides employees with clear and easy access to information. The message is direct. Unless directly related to the message, references to company structure and operation are eliminated in a memo. However, a memo follows a specific format for easy access to information. A memo includes a heading block that identifies the recipient, the sender, the date, and the subject of the message. The order of the parts of the memo heading block and location of specific part of the block varies, according to different companies' expectations. However, the message has three parts, each of which is identified by a specific heading. The three parts are the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. The introduction references background information and informs the purpose of the message. The body is the message. The body can be one simple paragraph or multiple paragraphs. The conclusion expresses what you expect the recipient to do. The conclusion could be one paragraph or several paragraphs, or the conclusion could be a simple sentence that asks for the recipient to contact the sender if there are questions. Consider the following scenario: You are a consultant for a construction company. The project manager of the company has charged you with following the progress of a job that the company has contracted. To keep the project manager informed of the progress of the job, you may send him/her one of 3 types of memos: A Projection Analysis Timeline Memo, which is sent before the job begins and details the expected beginning and ending dates of the job; a Progress Memo, which is sent during the progression of the job and details the progress of the job, and a Period Report Memo, which is sent after the completion of the job and details the completion dates of all phases of the job. https://www.coursesidekick.com/business/study-guides/technicalwriting/unit-2_memos_lecture-2 Addtional Information on Professional Correspondence The following link will take you to Suzie Baker's book, Professional and Technical Writing (2019). This section--titled, "Text, Email, and Netiquette"--provides a more thorough discussion of professional correspondence while also providing videos and exercises. https://oercommons.org/authoring/54645-professional-and-technical-writing/5/view ****** Instructions One of the most common and important uses of technical writing is to provide instructions, those step-by-step explanations of how to assemble, operate, repair, or do routine maintenance on something. Although they may seems intuitive and simple to write, instructions are some of the worst-written documents you can find. Most of us have probably had many infuriating experiences with badly written instructions. This chapter will show you what professionals consider the best techniques in providing instructions. An effective set of instruction requires the following: - Clear, precise, and simple writing - A thorough understanding of the procedure in all its technical detail - The ability to put yourself in the place of the reader, the person trying to use your instructions - The ability to visualize the procedure in detail and to capture that awareness on paper - Willingness to test your instructions on the kind of person you wrote them for. Preliminary Steps At the beginning of a project to write a set of instructions, it is important to determine the structure or characteristics of the particular procedure you are going to write about. Here are some steps to follow: 1. Do a careful audience and task analysis Early in the process, define the audience and situation of your instructions. Remember that defining an audience means defining the level of familiarity your readers have with the topic. 2. Determine the number of tasks How many tasks are there in the procedure you are writing about? Let’s use the term procedure to refer to the whole set of activities your instructions are intended to discuss. A task is a semi-independent group of actions within the procedure: for example, setting the clock on a microwave oven is one task in the big overall procedure of operating a microwave oven. A simple procedure like changing the oil in a car contains only one task; there are no semi-independent groupings of activities. A more complex procedure like using a microwave oven contains several semi-independent tasks: setting the clock; setting the power level; using the timer; cleaning and maintaining the microwave, among others. Some instructions have only a single task, but have many steps within that single task. For example, imagine a set of instructions for assembling a kids’ swing set. In my own experience, there were more than a 130 steps! That can be a bit daunting. A good approach is to group similar and related steps into phases, and start renumbering the steps at each new phase. A phase then is a group of similar steps within a single-task procedure. In the swing-set example, setting up the frame would be a phase; anchoring the thing in the ground would be another; assembling the box swing would be still another. 3. Determine the best approach to the step-by-step discussion For most instructions, you can focus on tasks, or you can focus on tools (or features of tools). In a task approach (also known as task orientation) to instructions on using a phone-answering service, you’d have these sections: - Recording your greeting - Playing back your messages - Saving your messages - Forwarding your messages - Deleting your messages, and so on These are tasks—the typical things we’d want to do with the machine. On the other hand, in a tools approach to instructions on using a photocopier, there likely would be sections on how to use specific features: - Copy button - Cancel button - Enlarge/reduce button - Collate/staple button - Copy-size button, and so on If you designed a set of instructions on this plan, you’d write steps for using each button or feature of the photocopier. Instructions using this tools approach are hard to make work. Sometimes, the name of the button doesn’t quite match the task it is associated with; sometimes you have to use more than just the one button to accomplish the task. Still, there can be times when the tools/feature approach may be preferable. 4. Design groupings of tasks Listing tasks may not be all that you need to do. There may be so many tasks that you must group them so that readers can find individual ones more easily. For example, the following are common task groupings in instructions: - Unpacking and setup tasks - Installing and customizing tasks - Basic operating tasks - Routine maintenance tasks - Troubleshooting tasks. Common Sections in Instructions The following is a review of the sections you’ll commonly find in instructions. Don’t assume that each one of them must be in the actual instructions you write, nor that they have to be in the order presented here, nor that these are the only sections possible in a set of instructions. For alternative formats, check out the example instructions. A Set of Instructions Often Includes the Following Introduction: plan the introduction to your instructions carefully. It might include any of the following (but not necessarily in this order): - Indicate the specific tasks or procedure to be explained as well as the scope (what will and will not be covered) - Indicate what the audience needs in terms of knowledge and background to understand the instructions - Give a general idea of the procedure and what it accomplishes - Indicate the conditions when these instructions should (or should not) be used - Give an overview of the contents of the instructions. General warning, caution, danger notices: instructions often must alert readers to the possibility of ruining their equipment, screwing up the procedure, and hurting themselves. Also, instructions must often emphasize key points or exceptions. For these situations, you use special notices—note, warning, caution, and danger notices. Notice how these special notices are used in the example instructions listed above. Technical background or theory: at the beginning of certain kinds of instructions (after the introduction), you may need a discussion of background related to the procedure. For certain instructions, this background is critical—otherwise, the steps in the procedure make no sense. For example, you may have had some experience with those software applets in which you define your own colors by nudging red, green, and blue slider bars around. To really understand what you’re doing, you need to have some background on color. Similarly, you can imagine that, for certain instructions using cameras, some theory might be needed as well. Equipment and supplies: notice that most instructions include a list of the things you need to gather before you start the procedure. This includes equipment, the tools you use in the procedure (such as mixing bowls, spoons, bread pans, hammers, drills, and saws) and supplies, the things that are consumed in the procedure (such as wood, paint, oil, flour, and nails). In instructions, these typically are listed either in a simple vertical list or in a two-column list. Use the two-column list if you need to add some specifications to some or all of the items—for example, brand names, sizes, amounts, types, model numbers, and so on. Discussion of the steps: when you get to the actual writing of the steps, there are several things to keep in mind: (1) the structure and format of those steps, (2) supplementary information that might be needed, and (3) the point of view and general writing style. Structure and format: normally, we imagine a set of instructions as being formatted as vertical numbered lists. And most are in fact. Normally, you format your actual step-by-step instructions this way. There are some variations, however, as well as some other considerations: - Fixed-order steps are steps that must be performed in the order presented. For example, if you are changing the oil in a car, draining the oil is a step that must come before putting the new oil. These are numbered lists (usually, vertical numbered lists). - Variable-order steps are steps that can be performed in practically any order. Good examples are those troubleshooting guides that tell you to check this, check that where you are trying to fix something. You can do these kinds of steps in practically any order. With this type, the bulleted list is the appropriate format. - Alternate steps are those in which two or more ways to accomplish the same thing are presented. Alternate steps are also used when various conditions might exist. Use bulleted lists with this type, with OR inserted between the alternatives, or the lead-in indicating that alternatives are about to be presented. - Nested steps may be used in cases when individual steps within a procedure are rather complex in their own right and need to be broken down into sub-steps. In this case, you indent further and sequence the sub-steps as a, b, c, and so on. - “Step-less” instructions can be used when you really cannot use numbered vertical list or provide straightforward instructional-style directing of the reader. Some situations must be so generalized or so variable that steps cannot be stated. Supplementary discussion: often, it is not enough simply to tell readers to do this or to do that. They need additional explanatory information such as how the thing should look before and after the step; why they should care about doing this step; what mechanical principle is behind what they are doing; even more micro-level explanation of the step—discussion of the specific actions that make up the step. The problem with supplementary discussion, however, is that it can hide the actual step. You want the actual step—the specific actions the reader is to take—to stand out. You don’t want it all buried in a heap of words. There are at least two techniques to avoid this problem: you can split the instruction from the supplement into separate paragraphs; or you can bold the instruction. Writing Style for Instructions Placing the key user steps in bold can a very helpful way to signal clearly what the reader needs to do. Often the command verb is bolded; sometimes bold font highlights the key component being discussed. Use of the passive voice in instructions can be problematic. For some strange reason, some instructions sound like this: “The Pause button should be depressed in order to stop the display temporarily.” Not only are we worried about the pause button’s mental health, but we wonder who’s supposed to depress the thing (ninjas?). It would be more helpful to indicate when the reader must “press the Pause button.” Consider this example: “The Timer button is then set to 3:00.” Again, one might ask, “is set by whom? Ninjas?” The person following these instructions might think it is simply a reference to some existing state, or she might wonder, “Are they talking to me?” Using the third person can also lead to awkwardness: “The user should then press the Pause button.” Instructions should typically be written using command verb forms and using “you” to make it perfectly clear what the reader should do. Illustrating Your Instructions Perhaps more than in any other form of technical writing, graphics are crucial to instructions. Sometimes, words simply cannot explain the step. Illustrations are often critical to the readers’ ability to visualize what they are supposed to do. Be sure that the graphics represent the image from the reader’s perspective. Formatting Your Instructions Since people rarely want to read instructions, but often have to, format your instructions for reluctant readability. Try to make your reader want to read them, or at least not resistant to the idea of consulting them. Highly readable format will allow readers who have figured out some of the instructions on their own to skip to the section where they are stuck. Use what you have learned about headings, lists, visuals, and passive space to create effective and readable instructions: Headings: normally, you’d want headings for any background section you might have, the equipment and supplies section, a general heading for the actual instructions section, and subheadings for the individual tasks or phases within that section. Lists: similarly, instructions typically make extensive use of lists, particularly numbered vertical lists for the actual step-by-step explanations. Simple vertical lists or two-column lists are usually good for the equipment and supplies section. In-sentence lists are good whenever you give an overview of things to come. Special Notices: you may have to alert readers to possibilities in which they may damage their equipment, waste supplies, cause the entire procedure to fail, injure themselves or others—even seriously or fatally. Companies have been sued for lack of these special notices, for poorly written special notices, or for special notices that were out of place. See special notices for a complete discussion of the proper use of these special notices as well as their format and placement within instructions. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/technicalwriting/chapter/writinginstructions/ Addtional Information on Instruction Writing The following link will take you to Suzie Baker's book, Professional and Technical Writing (2019). This section--titled, "Creating Rhetorically Effective Instruction Manuals"--provides a more thorough discussion of instruction writing while also providing examples. https://oercommons.org/authoring/54645-professional-and-technical-writing/9/view ****** Reports Out of the many genres collected here, reports may be the most formal while also being the most diverse. Regardless of the variety of reports a professional communicator may encounter, the core characteristic of the report is objectivity. Think of the word "reporter" from the different context of a TV news channel. That reporter is on location trying to find information and then share that information as clearly and as objective as possible; their purpose is to offer the facts as they've been collected so far. When writing a report, your purspose is quite similar. * The following link will take you to Suzie Baker's book, Professional and Technical Writing (2019). This section--simply titled, "Report"--provides a more thorough discussion of reports, including sections on the types and functions of reports, design, and exercises for understanding this common genre in professional communication. https://oercommons.org/authoring/54645-professional-and-technical-writing/8/view ****** Presentations Informative presentations focus on helping the audience to understand a topic, issue, or technique more clearly. You might say, “Is that all?” and the answer is both yes and no. An affirmative response underscores the idea that informative speeches do not seek to motivate the audience to change their minds, adopt a new idea, start a new habit, or get out there and vote. They may, however, inform audiences on issues that may be under consideration in an election or referendum. On the other hand, a negative response reaffirms the idea that to communicate a topic, issue, or subject clearly is a challenge in itself and shouldn’t be viewed as a simplistic process. There are distinct functions inherent in a speech to inform, and you may choose to use one or more of these functions in your speech. Let’s take a look at the functions and see how they relate to the central objective of facilitating audience understanding. Share The basic definition of communication highlights the process of understanding and sharing meaning. An informative speech follows this definition in the aspect of sharing content and information with an audience. You won’t be asking the audience to actually do anything in terms of offering a response or solving a problem. Instead you’ll be offering to share with the audience some of the information you have gathered relating to a topic. This act of sharing will reduce ignorance, increase learning, and facilitate understanding of your chosen topic. Increase Understanding How well does your audience grasp the information? This should be a guiding question to you on two levels. The first involves what they already know—or don’t know—about your topic, and what key terms or ideas might be necessary for someone completely unfamiliar with your topic to grasp the ideas you are presenting. The second involves your presentation and the illustration of ideas. A bar chart, a pie graph, and a video clip may all serve you and the audience well, but how will each ingredient in your speech contribute to their understanding? The audience will respond to your attention statement and hopefully maintain interest, but how will you take your speech beyond superficial coverage of content and effectively communicate key relationships that increase understanding? These questions should serve as a challenge for your informative speech, and by looking at your speech from an audience-oriented perspective, you will increase your ability to increase the audience’s understanding. Change Perceptions How you perceive stimuli has everything to do with a range of factors that are unique to you. We all want to make sense of our world, share our experiences, and learn that many people face the same challenges we do. Many people perceive the process of speaking in public as a significant challenge, and in this text, we have broken down the process into several manageable steps. In so doing, we have to some degree changed your perception of public speaking. When you present your speech to inform, you may want to change the audience member’s perceptions of your topic. You may present an informative speech on air pollution and want to change common perceptions such as the idea that most of North America’s air pollution comes from private cars, or that nuclear power plants are a major source of air pollution. You won’t be asking people to go out and vote, or change their choice of automobiles, but you will help your audience change their perceptions of your topic. Gain Skills Just as you want to increase the audience’s understanding, you may want to help the audience members gain skills. If you are presenting a speech on how to make salsa from fresh ingredients, your audience may thank you for not only the knowledge of the key ingredients and their preparation but also the product available at the conclusion. If your audience members have never made their own salsa, they may gain a new skill from your speech. In the same way, perhaps you decide to inform your audience about eBay, a person-to-person marketplace much like a garage sale in which items are auctioned or available for purchase over the Internet. You may project onto a screen in class the main Web site and take the audience through a step-by-step process on how to sell an item. The audience may learn an important skill, clean out the old items in their garage, and buy new things for the house with their newfound skills. Your intentions, of course, are not to argue that salsa is better than ketchup or that eBay is better than Amazon, but to inform the audience, increasing their understanding of the subject, and in this case, gaining new skills. Exposition versus Interpretation When we share information informally, we often provide our own perspective and attitude for our own reasons. But when we set out to inform an audience, taking sides or using sarcasm to communicate attitude may divide the audience into groups that agree or disagree with the speaker. The speech to inform the audience on a topic, idea, or area of content is not intended to be a display of attitude and opinion. Consider the expectations of people who attend a formal dinner. Will they use whatever fork or spoon they want, or are there expectations of protocol and decorum? In any given communication context there are expectations, both implicit and explicit. If you attend a rally on campus for health care reform, you may expect the speaker to motivate you to urge the university to stop investing in pharmaceutical companies, for example. On the other hand, if you enroll in a biochemistry course, you expect a teacher to inform you about the discipline of biochemistry—not to convince you that pharmaceutical companies are a good or bad influence on our health care system. The speech to inform is like the classroom setting in that the goal is to inform, not to persuade, entertain, display attitude, or create comedy. If you have analyzed your audience, you’ll be better prepared to develop appropriate ways to gain their attention and inform them on your topic. You want to communicate thoughts, ideas, and relationships and allow each listener specifically, and the audience generally, to draw their own conclusions. The speech to inform is all about sharing information to meet the audience’s needs, not your own. While you might want to inform them about your views on politics in the Middle East, you’ll need to consider what they are here to learn from you and let your audience-oriented perspective guide you as you prepare. Exposition This relationship between informing as opposed to persuading your audience is often expressed in terms of exposition versus interpretation. Exposition means a public exhibition or display, often expressing a complex topic in a way that makes the relationships and content clear. Expository prose is writing to inform; you may have been asked to write an expository essay in an English course or an expository report in a journalism course. The goal is to communicate the topic and content to your audience in ways that illustrate, explain, and reinforce the overall content to make your topic more accessible to the audience. The audience wants to learn about your topic and may have some knowledge on it as you do. It is your responsibility to consider ways to display the information effectively. Interpretation and Bias Interpretation involves adapting the information to communicate a message, perspective, or agenda. Your insights and attitudes will guide your selection of material, what you focus on, and what you delete (choosing what not to present to the audience). Your interpretation will involve personal bias. Bias is an unreasoned or not-well-thought-out judgment. Bias involves beliefs or ideas held on the basis of conviction rather than current evidence. Beliefs are often called “habits of the mind” because we come to rely on them to make decisions. Which is the better, cheapest, most expensive, or the middle-priced product? People often choose the middle-priced product and use the belief “if it costs more it must be better” (and the opposite: “if it is cheap it must not be very good”). The middle-priced item, regardless of actual price, is often perceived as “good enough.” All these perceptions are based on beliefs, and they may not apply to the given decision or even be based on any evidence or rational thinking. By extension, marketing students learn to facilitate the customer “relationship” with the brand. If you come to believe a brand stands for excellence, and a new product comes out under that brand label, you are more likely to choose it over an unknown or lesser-known competitor. Again, your choice of the new product is based on a belief rather than evidence or rational thinking. We take mental shortcuts all day long, but in our speech to inform, we have to be careful not to reinforce bias. Bias is like a filter on your perceptions, thoughts, and ideas. Bias encourages you to accept positive evidence that supports your existing beliefs (regardless of whether they are true) and reject negative evidence that does not support your beliefs. Furthermore, bias makes you likely to reject positive support for opposing beliefs and accept negative evidence (again, regardless of whether the evidence is true). So what is positive and what is negative? In a biased frame of mind, that which supports your existing beliefs is positive and likely to be accepted, while that which challenges your beliefs is likely to be viewed as negative and rejected. There is the clear danger in bias. You are inclined to tune out or ignore information, regardless of how valuable, useful, or relevant it may be, simply because it doesn’t agree with or support what you already believe. Point of View Let’s say you are going to present an informative speech on a controversial topic like same-sex marriage. Without advocating or condemning same-sex marriage, you could inform your audience about current laws in various states, recent and proposed changes in laws, the number of same-sex couples who have gotten married in various places, the implications of being married or not being able to marry, and so on. But as you prepare and research your topic, do you only read or examine information that supports your existing view? If you only choose to present information that agrees with your prior view, you’ve incorporated bias into your speech. Now let’s say the audience members have different points of view, even biased ones, and as you present your information you see many people start to fidget in their seats. You can probably anticipate that if they were to speak, the first word they would say is “but” and then present their question or assertion. In effect, they will be having a debate with themselves and hardly listening to you. You can anticipate the effects of bias and mitigate them to some degree. First, know the difference between your point of view or perspective and your bias. Your point of view is your perception of an idea or concept from your previous experience and understanding. It is unique to you and is influenced by your experiences and also factors like gender, race, ethnicity, physical characteristics, and social class. Everyone has a point of view, as hard as they may try to be open-minded. But bias, as we’ve discussed previously, involves actively selecting information that supports or agrees with your current belief and takes away from any competing belief. To make sure you are not presenting a biased speech, frame your discussion to inform from a neutral stance and consider alternative points of view to present, compare and contrast, and diversify your speech. The goal of the speech to inform is to present an expository speech that reduces or tries to be free from overt interpretation. This relates to our previous discussion on changing perceptions. Clearly no one can be completely objective and remove themselves from their own perceptual process. People are not modern works of minimalist art, where form and function are paramount and the artist is completely removed from the expression. People express themselves and naturally relate what is happening now to what has happened to them in the past. You are your own artist, but you also control your creations. Objectivity involves expressions and perceptions of facts that are free from distortion by your prejudices, bias, feelings or interpretations. For example, is the post office box blue? An objective response would be yes or no, but a subjective response might sound like “Well, it’s not really blue as much as it is navy, even a bit of purple, kind of like the color of my ex-boyfriend’s car, remember? I don’t care for the color myself.” Subjectivity involves expressions or perceptions that are modified, altered, or impacted by your personal bias, experiences, and background. In an informative speech, your audience will expect you to present the information in a relatively objective form. The speech should meet the audience’s need as they learn about the content, not your feelings, attitudes, or commentary on the content. Here are five suggestions to help you present a neutral speech: - Keep your language neutral and not very positive for some issues while very negative for others. - Keep your sources credible and not from biased organizations. The National Rifle Association (NRA) will have a biased view of the Second Amendment, for example, as will the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on civil rights. - Keep your presentation balanced. If you use a source that supports one clear side of an issue, include an alternative source and view. Give each equal time and respectful consideration. - Keep your audience in mind. Not everyone will agree with every point or source of evidence, but diversity in your speech will have more to offer everyone. - Keep who you represent in mind: Your business and yourself. Exercises - Consider the courses you have taken in the past year or two, and the extent to which each class session involved an informative presentation or one that was more persuasive. Do some disciplines lend themselves more to informing rather than interpretation and attitude? Discuss your findings with your classmates. - Visit a major network news Web site and view a video of a commentator such as Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann (MSNBC) or Glenn Beck or Bill O’Reilly (Fox News). Identify the commentator’s point of view. If you were giving a presentation to inform, would you express your point of view in a similar style? - On the same network news Web site you used for Exercise no. 2, view a video reporting a news event (as opposed to a commentator’s commentary). Do you feel that the reporter’s approach conveys a point of view, or is it neutral? Explain your feelings and discuss with your classmates. - What is the difference between an informative presentation and a persuasive one? Provide an example in your response. - Consider a sample speech to inform on a topic where you have a strong opinion. In what ways would you adjust your key points so as not to persuade your listeners? Discuss your ideas with a classmate. * Additional Information on Professional Presentations The following link will take you to Suzie Baker's book, Professional and Technical Writing (2019). This section--simply titled, "Presentations to Inform"--provides a very thorough discussion of presenting, including sections on presentation theory, tips for the act of presenting, guidelines for what to include in your presentation, persuasion and argumentation, and numerous exercises to practice understanding presentations. https://oercommons.org/authoring/54645-professional-and-technical-writing/12/view ****** Proposals In a technical writing course, the proposal assignment is an opportunity for you to present an idea to a specific, named audience about an idea you have to improve a certain aspect of that company, organization, center, or other business. Whatever topic you choose, you must be able to conduct thorough research that you will integrate into your final report. To begin planning a proposal, remember the basic definition: a proposal is an offer or bid to complete a project for someone. Proposals may contain other elements—technical background, recommendations, results of surveys, information about feasibility, and so on. But what makes a proposal a proposal is that it asks the audience to approve, fund, or grant permission to do the proposed project. A proposal should contain information that would enable the audience of that proposal to decide whether to approve the project, to approve or hire you to do the work, or both. To write a successful proposal, put yourself in the place of your audience—the recipient of the proposal—and think about what sorts of information that person would need in order to feel confident having you complete the project. It is easy to confuse proposals with other kinds of documents in technical writing. Imagine that you have a terrific idea for installing some new technology where you work, and you write up a document explaining how it work, showing the benefits, and then urging management to install it. Is that a proposal? All by itself, this would not be a complete proposal. It would be more like a feasibility report, which studies the merits of a project and then recommends for or against it. However, all it would take to make this document a proposal would be to add elements that ask management for approval for you to go ahead with the project. Additionally, for some technical writing classes offered in college, one of those elements may be scholarly research. Check with your instructor to see if this is the case. Certainly, some writers of proposals must sell the projects they propose, but in all cases, proposals must sell the writer (or the writer’s organization) as the one to complete the project. https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/technicalwriting/chapter/3-1-some-preliminaries/ * The following provides a review of the sections you will commonly find in proposals. Do not assume that each one of them has to be in the actual proposal you write, nor that they have to be in the order they are presented here. Refer to the assignment sheet provided by your instructor and consider other kinds of information unique to your topic that should be included in your particular proposal. Introduction. Plan the introduction to your proposal carefully. Make sure it does all of the following things (but not necessarily in this order) that apply to your particular proposal: - Indicate that the content of the memo is a proposal for a specific project. - Develop at least one brief motivating statement that will encourage the recipient to read on and to consider approving the project (especially if it is an unsolicited or competitive proposal). - Give an overview of the contents of the proposal. Background on the problem, opportunity, or situation. Often occurring just after the introduction, the background section discusses what has brought about the need for the project—what problem, what opportunity exists for improving things, what the basic situation is. For example, management of a chain of day care centers may need to ensure that all employees know CPR because of new state mandates requiring it, or an owner of pine timber land in eastern Oregon may want to get the land producing saleable timber without destroying the environment. While the named audience of the proposal may know the problem very well, writing the background section is useful in demonstrating your particular view of the problem. Also, if the the proposal is unsolicited, a background section is almost a requirement—you will probably need to convince the audience that the problem or opportunity exists and that it should be addressed. Benefits and feasibility of the proposed project. Most proposals briefly discuss the advantages or benefits of completing the proposed project. This acts as a type of argument in favor of approving the project. Also, some proposals discuss the likelihood of the project’s success. In an unsolicited proposal, this section is especially important—you are trying to “sell” the audience on the project. Description of the proposed work (results of the project). Most proposals must describe the finished product of the proposed project. In a technical writing course, that means describing the written document you propose to write, its audience and purpose; providing an outline; and discussing such things as its length, graphics, binding, and so forth. In the scenario you define, there may be other work such as conducting training seminars or providing an ongoing service. At this early stage, you might not know all that it will take to complete your project, but you should at least have an idea of some of the steps required. Method, procedure, theory. In some proposals, you will need to explain how you will go about completing the proposed work. This acts as an additional persuasive element; it shows the audience you have a sound, thoughtful approach to the project. Also, it serves to demonstrate that you have the knowledge of the field to complete the project. Schedule. Most proposals contain a section that shows not only the projected completion date but also key milestones for the project. If you are doing a large project spreading over many months, the timeline would also show dates on which you would deliver progress reports. If you cannot cite specific dates, cite amounts of time for each phase of the project. Costs, resources required. Most proposals also contain a section detailing the costs of the project, whether internal or external. With external projects, you may need to list your hourly rates, projected hours, costs of equipment and supplies, and so forth, and then calculate the total cost of the complete project. Internal projects, of course, are not free, so you should still list the project costs: hours you will need to complete the project, equipment and supplies you will be using, assistance from other people in the organization, and so on. Conclusions. The final paragraph or section of the proposal should bring readers back to a focus on the positive aspects of the project. In the final section, you can urge them to contact you to work out the details of the project, remind them of the benefits of doing the project, and maybe make one last argument for you or your organization as the right choice for the project. Special project-specific sections. Remember that the preceding sections are typical or common in written proposals, not absolute requirements. Always ask yourself what else might your audience need to understand the project, the need for it, the benefits arising from it, your role in it, and your qualifications to do it. What else do they need to see in order to approve the project and to approve you to do it? https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/technicalwriting/chapter/3-4-common-sections-in-proposals/ * Additional Information on Proposals The following link will take you to Suzie Baker's book, Professional and Technical Writing (2019). This section--simply titled, "Proposals"--provides a very thorough discussion of proposals, including sections on the rhetorical nature of proposals, audience appeals, argumentation, logical fallacies, and exercises in better understanding proposals. https://oercommons.org/authoring/54645-professional-and-technical-writing/7/view ****** Graphics in Professional Communication We're familair with the old adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words" and the inclusion of graphics in professional communication holds to that belief. Often, a reader can grasp an idea or concept or fact much quicker if it's presented to them visually rather than described textually. However, you don't want to only rely on visual elements as the viewer may miss vital aspects of what you're attempting to communicate. The idea, then, is to find a balance between the textual and the visual, with each element enhancing the other. Some graphics may be simple while others highly complex, yet whatever is shown to the reader needs to adhere to the same principles discussed so far: whatever you communicate to your audience is intentional. * Photos and Illustrations Photos are used in professional documents as tools for communicating a message that a writer feels can be strengthened through the use of proper imagery. Photographs can do many things to enhance a message, some examples can be seen here: Illustration Checklist Planning - What kinds of illustrations are your audience familiar with? - Do you have information that could be more easily or quickly communicated to your audience visually or in a combination of words and graphics? - Do you have definitions that could be displayed visually in whole or in part? - Do you have any processes or procedures that could be depicted in a flowchart? - Do you have information on trends or relationships that could be displayed in tables and graphics? - Do you have masses of statistics that could be summarized in tables? - Do you need to depict objects? If so, what do you need to display about the objects? Do you need to focus attention on specific aspects of the objects? Do you require the realism of photographs? - What are the design conventions of your illustrations? - Are there suitable illustrations you could borrow or adapt? Or will you need to create them yourself? Revising - Are you illustrations suited to your purpose and audience? - Do your illustrations communicate information ethically? - Are your illustrations effectively located and easy to find? - Are your illustrations numbered and labeled? - Do your verbal and visual elements reinforce each other? - Are your illustrations genuinely informative instead of simply decorative? - When necessary, have you helped your readers to interpret your illustrations with commentary or annotations? - Have you acknowledged the sources for borrowed or adapted tables and figures? How To Perform an Action Pictures are an effective tool for giving visual representation of how to do something. They can can stand alone or work in conjunction with the given text, and they can enhance a message if used properly. If you are using pictures in conjunction with text: As in a set of instructions, the imagery increases understanding of the task, in addition to decreasing confusion that may arise from text that stands alone.When using a picture to help portray how to perform a task, it is your responsibility to make sure the picture matches up with the text. You must explain the picture using text, and vice versa, explain the text using a picture. Also, the viewer will accomplish the task more often when the picture looks how it would if they were watching the task, not necessarily if they were experiencing it. An example would be: if your task was doing a cartwheel, you wouldn't want the pictures at an angle where the person is looking through the eyes of the one doing the cartwheel. You would want the pictures to be from someone watching the event, so that the viewer isn't confused by what they can't see (such as where their feet are when they're looking at their hands). It's the simple things that make or break a document when using pictures. Think and re-think the pictures you are using and how someone seeing them for the first time will react to them. How a Finished Product Should Look When textual information does not capture the essence of what your trying to describe, try putting an actual photo of what your trying to describe in the document. This type of picture enables you to come as close to reality as possible. Make sure your pictures are in color and of high quality. Black and white photos tend to blur easily on paper and lack the detail needed to fully understand a photo. Images cut down on excessive use of describing words. "A picture is worth a thousand words" relates to this situation. Be sure to use the text wrap abilities of most word processors. A well placed picture with clean text wrapping can make an otherwise overwhelming block of text seem reasonably approachable. Looking at 25 pages of block, justified alignment, plain black text is one of the most boring ways to see a report. A picture can liven up a report, make it more memorable, and help clarify the report all in one motion. Map Out an Object, Place, or Process An example of these types of pictures can be found in an automotive manual or a science textbook. This canbe anything from a picture of a machine to an example of how photosynthesis works. Arrows and labels can be used in order to show where everything is and how the process takes place. The picture should include a big enough background so that the reader can locate the area in relation to things around it. Photographs can also play a major role in connecting with the audience. They are useful in multi-cultural situations when a shared written language may not exist. Pictures can speak louder than words, and usually portray the message quicker. It is very important to keep the first initial reaction in mind when choosing the image you will place within your document. Be sure to avoid photos that may have several meanings, or the true meaning may be unclear. In order to avoid this type of situation, put yourself in the audience that you are writing for and try to be unbiased when you view the image. Better yet, test the image on someone who does not know much about your photo's topic and ask them what message the photo sends to them. Clarity is essential in conveying your message. Do not rely too heavily on pictures though. Pictures and text should be used simultaneously in order to give the audience the most accurate direction. Pictures can make a great break in words, but are not always as useful to get a point across as words are. Software Can Tremendously Increase Photograph Effectiveness There are a great deal of photo editing programs for computers that can be utilized to bring out the right angle, zoom, view, and color of a photo. Some of the most popular photo editing software includes Photoshop, Corel, and Image Smart. Many computers now come with basic image editing software, which allows one to adjust color, brightness, crop, and other basic edits. Cropping is an essential key feature that allows you to enlarge the area of the photo you want the reader to see, while omitting the background and obsolete area of the background. Cropping is equivalent to looking at an image under a microscope where you can focus on the areas you want the readers to see the clearest. However, this can decrease image quality and make the image hard to see. When possible, it is best to use images that need little to no editing. When using imagery make sure it is of high image resolution (300 dpi for print, 72 dpi for screen) and the proper format to be inserting into your document. Typically, sticking with images from original sources, such as a camera or other .jpg or .tif file are best. If you find your photograph is not using the right coloring, computer programs such as Photoshop, Corel, etc. will allow you to adjust the color balance and light in many different variations. This is an important feature, especially when the photograph was not professionally taken or lacks the appropriate lighting for the setting. Be careful not to over or under expose the photography. Labeling is also another feature you can do in a computer program. You can insert boxes with text and arrows into a photograph in order to label key details. Labeling your photographs keeps the information you are trying to convey to the reader clear. These computer programs may take some time to become familiar with how they work. It might be necessary to take a course or tutorial on how to use them to their full advantages, but it's worth it for all the features these programs have. There are some free tutorials available on the internet or through the actual program. Using Graphics From the Artists, Internet, and Other Misc. Sources Graphics can be found for just about any topic relatively easily if you know how to search for them and cite the artist properly. Like any written material, pictures are also property of the original artist in many cases. It is important to use good ethics and cite artists when necessary. The internet and your computer's clip art file have countless pictures and graphics as well. Knowing how to use these techniques and tools will make finding and using images easier. Citing Images In order to use or manipulate an image or graphic not your own, from either the Internet or any other source, you must obtain permission from whoever created or has rights to that image. Usually some type of arrangement between you and this person or organization will have to be negotiated. This could be anything from paying for the rights to use the image, or citing the image in the way that is expressed by the owner. Sometimes graphics will be considered public domain. Studying the copyright information of an image is one way to determine whether or not it is public domain. Images belonging to a government agency or even to your employer would typically be considered public domain. Even so, these images should still be cited. A quick guide to citing images from books and internet can be found at, [[1]] Finding Images on the Internet If you are looking for a high resolution image from the internet, you can select in the Google header bar that you want it only to search for "large images, or extra large images". If you are not finding what you are looking for, there are many stock photography sites out there that allow you to have the image, royalty free for very little of your own money. Some sites to consider would be: Stock.XCHNG (this is a free site, with some restrictions), Stock Xpert, Corbis, Getty, or others, just type in stock photography in the search bar. Clip Art/Illustrations An example of Clip Art Illustrations are a great way to convey information easily and effectively to an audience of all ages. However, when using illustrations be sure that there is relevance from the illustration to the topic your discussing. Illustrations can serve as tangents if they have no relevance to the topic being discussed. Illustrations must be chosen to highlight the topic you are discussing and not to distract readers from it. Graphics can portray ideas more easily than a picture. They give a different type of quality than text in the document. However, when presenting the ideas to well-educated and technologically savvy professionals, clip art may not present the information efficiently. Illustrations that have a low image resolution can take away from the details you are trying to portray to your audience.If this is the case then photos may be a better choice because they are more clear and may get you point across better. Headline text Headline text is used to introduce or even explain graphics. It is expected that you label all of your graphics in one way or another so that when you reference them in you document the reader knows which graphic you are talking about. Headline text can be as simple as a title for a graph or as complex as a short paragraph below a photo explaining the origin and context of the image. Your images and text may seem to go together logically without headlines to you, but your readers will not have your same familiarity. https://www.coursesidekick.com/business/study-guides/technicalwriting/photos-and-illustrations * Quick Tips for Visual Enhancement in Professional Communication Keep the following in mind as you consider possible visual enhancements to your report: - Use graphics to supplement or clarify information provided within the body of your report. - Make sure your graphics are appropriate to your audience, subject matter, and purpose. - Discuss graphics in nearby text preceding the graphic. Don’t just insert a graphic in your report unexplained. Orient readers to the graphic; explain its basic meaning, easily done in introductory and follow-up sentences before and after your graphic. - Intersperse graphics and text on the same page. Don’t put graphics on pages by themselves; ideally, no visual should take up more than one-third of any page in your report. - Use figure numbers and titles for graphics. Additionally, include identifying detail within the graphics such as illustration labels, axis labels, keys, and so on. - Make sure graphics fit within normal margins. Leave at least one blank line above and below graphics. - Place graphics as near to the point in the text where they are relevant as is reasonable. However, if a graphic does not fit properly on one page, indicate that it appears on the next page and put it at the top of the next, continuing with regular text on the preceding page. Don’t leave half a page blank just to keep a graphic near the text it is associated with. - Cite all images that you create from any source material. You should do this in your introductory sentences before the visual as well as include a citation, if relevant, at the bottom of the visual. See samples above. - Cite any images you use created by another writer which you include in your report. While it is perfectly legal to borrow graphics—to trace, photocopy, scan, or extract subsets of data from them, you are obligated to accurately cite your sources for graphics just as you are for the words you borrow. ****** Resumes Perhaps the professional document everyone enounters at some point, the resume is designed to extentuate and communicates one very important thing: yourself. This document is a summary of whatever history, skills, training, expereince you may posses which sets you apart from someone else. Unlike the other genres presemtd so far, a resume can be quite personal, and the desire to communicate our "best self" can be daunting. However, gain confidence in this genre can open a whole host of other writing opportunities, so we've saved the best for last. * The following link will take you to Suzie Baker's book, Professional and Technical Writing (2019). This section--titled, "Preparing Job Materials: Reading Job Ads"--provides a very thorough discussion of looking for employment, how to read employment advertisements, the rhetorical nature of your resume, cover letters, the resume as a genre, and smaller tips to make the most of your resume. https://oercommons.org/authoring/54645-professional-and-technical-writing/6/view REFERENCES: 7.1 Correspondence: Text Messages, Emails, Memos, and Letters by Suzan Last is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Technical Writing. Authored by: Dr. Elizabeth Lohman. Provided by: Tidewater Community College. Located at: https://www.tcc.edu/. Project: Z Degree Program. License: CC BY: Attribution "Professional and Technical Writing" 2019 by Suzie Baker under license"Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial" Functions of the Presentation to Inform. Provided by: Writing Commons. Located at: http://web.archive.org/web/20150320234217/http://writingcommons.org/open-text/genres/professional-business-and-technical-writing/presentations-to-inform/809-functions-of-the-presentation-to-inform. License: CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Technical Writing by Allison Gross, Annemarie Hamlin, Billy Merck, Chris Rubio, Jodi Naas, Megan Savage, and Michele DeSilva is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Additional Examples of Different Genres Though several of the genres and links included in the previous chapter included examples, collected here are even more examples of professional communication; as you've learned, it's always worth examining and questioning how other writers create their documents. You may see choices that you'd like to incorporate in your own writing, or examples of practices you'd want to avoid. Regardless of how you use them, engaging with diverse examples is one of the best practices in better understanding your own writing and how you communicate, in a professional context or otherwise. ****** Example Emails Dear Colleagues, For those interested in presenting for an being involved in the Narrative Medicine thread for the conference, I am organizing a conversation about possible workshops and gatherings for the 4th and 5th at Norman Community College. We have space for two workshops during that time, and I believe we have a wonderful chance to exchange ideas and information. Please email me at rlv123@ncc.edu , and I will get you on a discussion list. We defiantly want you to be there! In addition, we can exchange ideas for other sessions in Narrative Medicine and Medical Humanities. Best and Happy Holidays, Campus Connection will be unavailable while end of term processing occurs from 6 to 10 p.m. CT Sunday, Dec. 30. All access to Campus Connection will be unavailable during this time. Touchnet access will also be interrupted. On your website, you are advertising positions for the upcoming season. I believe that my background and experience can be an asset to your organization. Attached is a copy of my resume. For the past few years, I have been working in a restaurant and have extensive experience in most of the service positions – from bussing to waiting and bartending. I am planning to arrive in the US in the beginning of June and am available to work through the end of September. I would very much like to have an opportunity to work for your restaurant and am confident that I can bring an international flare to your staffing. You may reach me through this email or at 44 22 929444 between the hours of 3 and 5pm your time. Dear Hiring Manager, I am writing to express my interest in the Web Content Manager position listed on MediaBistro.com. I have experience building large, consumer-focused health-based content sites.. While much of my experience has been in the business world, I understand the social value of the non-profit sector and my business experience will be an asset to your organization. My responsibilities include the development and management of the site’s editorial voice and style, the editorial calendar, and the daily content programming and production of the web site. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Welcome to [company name]. Dear [customer’s name], Thank you for registering with the [company name]. You can manage your personal information from the “My Account” section of the site when you sign in to [company name]. You can change your contact details and password, track recent orders, add alternate shipping addresses, and manage your preferences and customer profile all in this one convenient location. Thank you for your interest in [company name]. We look forward to your next visit. To: Harriet Adamo, Physical Plant Manager, XYZ Corporation From: Mel Vargas, Construction Site Manager, Maxim Construction Company Sent: Monday 10/25/09 8:14 AM Subject: construction interruptions Harriet, I know employees of XYZ Corp. are looking forward to moving into the new ABC Street building in January, but recently groups of employees who do not have business here have been walking through the building. These visits create a safety hazard, interrupt the construction workers, and could put your occupancy date in jeopardy. Would you please instruct your staff members who haven’t already been moved to ABC Street to stay out of the building? If they need to meet here with someone who has already moved, they should conduct their business and leave promptly via the nearest staircase. We need to avoid further interruptions so our construction workers can get the building ready for occupancy on schedule. If you have any questions, please call me. Thanks, Mel Melvin R. Vargas Construction Site Manager, Maxim Construction Co. 1234 Main Street, Big City, USA 98765-1111 (111) 123-4567, ext. 89 ****** Example Cover Letters E-2 Apartment Heights Dr. Blacksburg, VA 24060 (540) 555-0101 abcd@vt.edu February 22, 2011 Dr. Michelle Rhodes Principal, Wolftrap Elementary School 1205 Beulah Road Vienna, VA 22182 Dear Dr. Rhodes: I enjoyed our conversation on February 18th at the Family and Child Development seminar on teaching elementary children and appreciated your personal input about balancing the needs of children and the community during difficult economic times. This letter is to follow-up about the Fourth Grade Teacher position as discussed at the seminar. I will complete my M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction at Virginia Tech in May 2011, and will be available for employment as soon as needed for the 2011-12 school year. My teacher preparation program at Virginia Tech has included a full academic year of student teaching. Last semester I taught second grade and this semester am teaching fourth grade. These valuable experiences have afforded me the opportunity to: - Develop lesson plans on a wide range of topics and varying levels of academic ability, - Work with emotionally and physically challenged students in a total inclusion program, - Observe and participate in effective classroom management approaches, - Assist with parent-teacher conferences, and - Complete in-service sessions on diversity, math and reading skills, and community relations. My experience includes work in a private day care facility, Rainbow Riders Childcare Center, and in Virginia Tech’s Child Development Laboratory. Both these facilities are NAEYC-accredited and adhere to the highest standards. At both locations, I led small and large group activities, helped with lunches and snacks, and implemented appropriate activities. Both experiences also provided me with extensive exposure to the implementation of developmentally appropriate activities and materials. I enthusiastically look forward to putting my knowledge and experience into practice in the public school system. Next week I will be in Vienna, and I plan to call you then to answer any questions that you may have. I can be reached before then at (540) 555-7670. Thank you very much for your consideration. Sincerely, (handwritten signature) Donna Harrington Enclosure * Subject line: Application for sales representative for mid-Atlantic area April 14, 2010 Mr. William Jackson Employment Manager Acme Pharmaceutical Corporation 13764 Jefferson Parkway Roanoke, VA 24019 jackson@acmepharmaceutical.com Dear Mr. Jackson: From the Acme web site I learned about your need for a sales representative for the Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina areas. I am very interested in this position with Acme Pharmaceuticals, and believe that my education and employment background are appropriate for the position. You indicate that a requirement for the position is a track record of success in meeting sales goals. I have done this. After completion of my B.S. in biology, and prior to beginning my master’s degree in marketing, I worked for two years as a sales representative with a regional whole foods company. My efforts yielded success in new business development, and my sales volume consistently met or exceeded company goals. I would like to repeat that success in the pharmaceutical industry, using my academic background in science and business. I will complete my M.S. in marketing in mid-May and will be available to begin employment in early June. Attached is a copy of my resume, which more fully details my qualifications for the position. I look forward to talking with you regarding sales opportunities with Acme Pharmaceuticals. Within the next week I will contact you to confirm that you received my e-mail and resume and to answer any questions you may have. Thank you very kindly for your consideration. Sincerely, Layne A. Johnson 5542 Hunt Club Lane, #1 Blacksburg, VA 24060 (540) 555-8082 lajohnson@vt.edu Resume attached as MS Word document (assuming company web site instructed applicants to do this) * 1000 Terrace View Apts. Blacksburg, VA 24060 (540) 555-4523 stevemason@vt.edu March 25, 2010 Ms. Janice Wilson Personnel Director Anderson Construction Company 3507 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20895 Dear Ms. Wilson: I read in the March 24th Washington Post classified section of your need for a Civil Engineer or Building Construction graduate for one of your Washington, DC, area sites. I will be returning to the Washington area after graduation in May and believe that I have the necessary credentials for the project. Every summer for the last five years I have worked at various levels in the construction industry. As indicated on my enclosed resume, I have worked as a general laborer, and moved up to skilled carpentry work, and last summer served as assistant construction manager on a two million dollar residential construction project. In addition to this practical experience, I will complete requirements for my B.S. in Building Construction in May. As you may know, Virginia Tech is one of the few universities in the country that offers such a specialized degree for the construction industry. I am confident that my degree, along with my years of construction industry experience, make me an excellent candidate for your job. The Anderson Construction Company projects are familiar to me, and my aspiration is to work for a company that has your excellent reputation. I would welcome the opportunity to interview with you. I will be in the Washington area during the week of April 12th and would be available to speak with you at that time. In the next week to ten days I will contact you to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, (handwritten signature) Jesse Mason Enclosure ****** Example Letter of Recommendations Letter of Recommendation for Ms. X Department of Y, PhD Program I first knew X in the spring of l986 when she was a member of my Freshman Seminar, '. . . .` In such small groups teacher and students come to know one another in a way that is seldom, if ever, possible in large lecture courses. In either forum something can be learned about a student's academic ability, but only in the former can one get a reliable measure of the student as a person. . . . Having kept in touch with X in the intervening years, I am confident in my knowledge of her. To begin with, she is an excellent student, with a lively curiosity that makes her dissatisfied with superficial explanations. That curiosity frequently led our seminar down avenues and into areas that, otherwise, would have remained unexplored. . . . One has only to speak to her to recognize her openness and eagerness. It is easy to mistake this for naiveté, an error I made when she first told me she had signed up to be an apprentice teacher in one of Boston's more notorious inner city high schools. . . . Throughout the term, often at great cost to her own peace of mind, and sometimes in explicit conflict with the regular teacher, she continued to insist on a high level of performance from her students. She not only survived the term but won the admiration and respect of students accustomed to being patronized by teachers content to believe that nothing much can be expected. I would expect X to bring these same qualities of character to . . . . That is, an openness to new places, peoples, cultures and customs; a keen intelligence, with which to analyze and order her experience; irrepressible curiosity; and an unusual ability for dealing with people of all ages and conditions. Those qualities, combined with her toughness of character. . ., will enable her to understand and empathize with others while never losing touch with who she is. * Letter of Recommendation for Jane Doe Office of Graduate Admissions, Institute of Design I'm honored to recommend Jane Doe for admission to graduate studies at the Institute of Design. Since Jane will be visiting you soon, the following information should help introduce her as well as convey my wholehearted recommendation that she be admitted to your program. My association with Jane--I've known Jane closely for three years, during which we've collaborated on many projects. Her role has been that of a consultant to our architectural firm. Jane and I have also conversed privately on theoretical and practical matters of style, aesthetics, and philosophies of design. I've always been impressed by her know-how--from how to design an arboretum to good principles of document design. Jane's integrity--The hallmark of Jane's character is her honesty. This extends from those areas where we easily see it (in relationships and business transactions) to integrity of thought. Scientific, thorough, and meticulous, she approaches any analytical task with an exacting eye. This is the kind of care and concern I mean by integrity of thought. Jane's scholarship and balanced education--As a student of the humanities, Jane pursued a course of study that could serve as a model for any general education curriculum. She knows not only Shakespeare but mathematics. She's as comfortable in a wood shop as at the opera. Her professional manner--Jane Doe is one of the most pleasant persons you'll ever meet or work with. She's forthright, but neither intimidates nor intrudes. She's open, friendly, and authentic--the Jane you'll soon meet is the Jane you'll get, without any surprises. Jane has my unqualified professional endorsement and my deep personal respect. Please feel free to call at any time if I can be of further assistance. ******** Examples of Proposals Narrative of OER Plan Project Description Conversations regarding science-based issues—most recently COVID-19/vaccines and for decades, climate change—are often met with skepticism and distrust, with many people not understanding science as a process, typically only engaging with conclusions which can create a barrier for appreciating how those conclusions were reached. The Composition course CO301B, Writing in the Sciences, was created specifically to have STEM-based CSU students practice reducing this barrier, showing their readers the step-by-step processes of their majors and teaching those same readers to be scientifically-minded, i.e. believe in the conclusions as proven by the process. However, this reader-as-scientist approach is not without its own blind spots, often focusing on Westernized characteristics such as objectivity and quantitative value—empirical qualities—which inherently undermine other knowledge systems, specifically, traditional and indigenous knowledge. If CSU students are to appreciate their own scientific backgrounds, and in turn communicate to a wider audience the necessity to understand science-based situations, then they must also be able to work with and recognize Traditional Knowledge (TK) as an equal system in knowledge creation, learning from local and diverse communities across the globe who often view science as a spiritual and subjective experience. My proposed OER will act as a collection of scholarly articles focused on TK in the larger discourse communities of Health, Environment, and Technology—which correspond to most CO301B student major demographics. Students will use this collection in tandem with other scholarly works, a requirement of a 300-level course, to deepen their individual projects and engage with diverse communities by expanding the concept of “scientific thought.” As an OER, this collection will expose students to scientific practices not generally covered, at no additional cost to them, and further enact CSU’s commitment to diversity and inclusion across curriculums. Note that this OER cannot fully replace the current CO301B textbook listed above as these proposed materials are not rhetorically focused—a requirement of CO courses. This OER will be best used as a supplement/compliment to other scholarly readings and course concepts within the CO301B content criteria, specifically writing as a rhetorical practice. Essentially, this proposed OER is intended for discussion and implementation of traditional scientific knowledge within a larger science-based course. Format of OER Given that my OER is text-based I will use a format that many assistive technologies recognize: PDF. Beyond the format itself, to the best of my ability, and through the aid of accessibility checkers, I will use common design considerations such as: logical page structure, consistent placement of information from page-to-page, true text throughout, standard font families, easily recognizable links, and other elements that follow POUR (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) guidelines. Goals and Assessment of OER A major goal of the OER is to have students thoughtfully work with/understand TK as being in relationship with modern science and to further recognize science as a process—one spanning cultures and centuries, not merely study to study. Ideally, students will synthesize current scientific processes alongside indigenous knowledge systems, equating the two and promoting the concept of “local” expertise as a valid and valuable means of knowledge creation. In turn, given that 301B is centered on writing about science to general audiences, students will communicate that synthesis to imagined readers and, hopefully, to individuals in their future careers—such as patients, stakeholders, and clients. A parallel goal is to have instructors, from a variety of discourse communities, use the OER as a way to include diverse perspectives in their science-based courses. In terms of assessment, I will use similar evaluation metrics as other critical thinking and writing techniques found within a writing course, usually through asking “how?” in relation to effectiveness of communication: how well has this student used their TK source in regards to their overall topic? How well are they communicating the information found within their TK source? How well are they thinking of their TK source in relation to their other sources? Etcetera. As with other critical thinking and writing techniques implementation is a practice and cannot be assessed completely in a single setting. Funding Request and Use I am requesting funding of $4,000 to create OER and to be used as summer salary for a faculty member on a 9-month appointment schedule. Through the months of June and July 2021 I plan to set aside roughly 15 hours a week to create this OER, culminating in 120 hours of labor. Through CSU’s library databases and Open-Access repositories this time will be spent finding, analyzing, and categorizing potential scholarly articles related to TK. This time will also be spent in creating supplemental writings such as a larger introduction to the collection, how to use the collection in a science-based writing course, placing TK in context, introduction to the sections, and smaller text-based activities for potential instructor use. Timeline for OER Creation My estimated timeline is assembling a sample collection of TK scholarly texts within the aforementioned three discourse communities over the summer of 2021. My hope is to collect and analyze at least 25 scholarly texts for each of the three communities of the framework—so roughly 75+—and organize them into distinct sections. Once my scheduled classes begin in Fall 2021 I will integrate the collection into the course and have students choose sources that fit their individual projects, which then culminates in student feedback/course evaluations, allowing me to modify/revise the collection. After that semester, and if I teach the course in Spring 2022, I will reintegrate the modified collection into that course, culminating once again in student feedback/course evaluations. My hope is to have a “near complete” draft of the collection by the end of Summer 2022 fully informed by student use and engagement. Implementation of OER The first full implementation of a working draft will be in the Fall 2021 semester. I am scheduled to teach 3 sections of CO301B, so roughly 72 students will interact with this text. The OER will be further “tested” in the Spring 2022 semester, if I am scheduled to teach this course then. The OER will be used as a supplemental text, deepening course content criteria and allowing for other instructional opportunities. Sustained Use of OER The sustained use of this specific OER is dependent on my teaching schedule as offered by my department. To date, I have been a full-time instructor at CSU from Fall 2019-Spring 2021 (further scheduled to teach in the 2021/2022 schoolyear). Of these 6 semesters, 4 have included teaching CO301B, the initial intended course for this OER. I believe I will be scheduled to teach this course again in future semesters. Beyond this specific OER material, I am an OER Ambassador and have been granted course releases to aid in the creation and development of OER at CSU with Dr. Mike Palmquist (Spring 2020, Summer 2020, & Spring 2021), all of which have been funded by the Colorado OER Council. When possible, I intend to use OER materials for the remainder of my professional teaching career. * Request For Professional Development Funds: 2018-2019 Ben Greenlee From: Ben Greenlee To: Graduate Professional Development Awards Committee Introduction: With our current political, social, and environmental changes I am constantly considering the future. I oscillate between fears of all things becoming worse, or hope that humanity can overcome any obstacle. I occupy a space of in-between-ness, never quite settling into either emotion, unsure of which reigns supreme. As a writer, the genre of speculative fiction best encompasses this split of the self, allowing me to project and imagine what comes next, both the negative and the positive, so as to better understand what to do now; I can fling myself into the future or past from the relatively safety of the present. Contemporary writers also seem to embrace this position, turning to this genre in order to imagine their own worries. Award winning/nominated books such as Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, George Saunders’ Lincoln in the Bardo, Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, Carmen Maria Machado’s Her Body and Other Parties, and recent MacArthur Fellow recipient Kelly Link, to name a few, all represent the genre of speculative fiction. They, like myself, project themselves outward using a genre that seeks out the horizon. In order to deepen my own projections to craft necessary fictions, I am requesting $765 in professional development funds to finance my acceptance into the competitive three-day speculative fiction workshop at the Futurescapes Writing Conference. Brief Description: The Futurescapes Writing Conference is an annual conference that discusses and practices the writing of speculative fictions (science fiction, fantasy, horror, paranormal, graphic novels, etc.). As indicated on the Futurescapes website, the competitive workshop portion of the conference will be held over a three-day period where each participant will be paired with three faculty mentors (an author, and editor, and an agent) and engage in multiple workshop critiques, craft lessons, and talks on the commercial aspects of writing [as referenced on document “D”]. Relevance to Graduate Work: My thesis novel is heavily influenced by the speculative fiction subgenre of a possible future where ecological change and crisis has strengthened the notion of a surveillance state. I would not call this a dystopian narrative, rather a forecast into what may be based on what is, speculative fiction’s greatest characteristic. Another element of my novel is the interplay of masculine and feminine approaches to preparing for potential catastrophic events, aka doomsday prepping. My desire is that these two elements combine to offer some commentary on what it means to have hope in a seemingly hopeless world. In terms of other graduate work that speaks to the Futurescapes workshop, I have taken a course on Hybridity and another on the Philosophy of Science Fiction. The Hybrid class taught me how the blending of outwardly different modes of writing can create a richer reading experience while also suggesting a more realized reflection of our current world of information overload, while the Philosophy of Science Fiction course raised questions of what it means to be human, and how the genre of speculative fictions ask those questions in nuanced and entertaining ways; both courses have been invaluable in the development of my thesis novel. Lastly, in regards to the Futurescapes workshop itself, with critique groups of a student-to-mentor ratio of 7:1, individual attention will be given to each manuscript as well as creating space for the development of professional relationships. My goals for this workshop are to gain specialized feedback for my thesis novel, practice techniques specific to the genre of writing speculative fictions, gain greater insight into the commercial aspect of writing, and, outside of my thesis project, have an opportunity for professional discussions of the graphic novel mode of writing, a mode I have only enjoyed as a reader thus far. Dates of Travel: Thursday evening April 11th through Sunday April 14th, 2019, Sundance, Utah. Budget: - Early Bird registration $436 - Lodging @ local AirBNB, 3 nights (halved) $150 - Mini-workshop w/ writer Ted Chiang $89 - Travel for round-trip and inter-city commuting (halved) $60 - Per diem, 3 meals $30 TOTAL: $765 Notes on Budget: - Registration=This pricing is based off the Early Bird registration fee, local rooming rate (meaning not purchasing a room on the resort grounds), and a 20% discount based on student status [as referenced on document “C”]. Purchased October 31st 2018. - Lodging=This pricing is based on an average of local AirBNB 2-bedroom rates in the town of Provo, Utah, 26 miles away from the Workshop setting, for the weekend of April 12th-14th for a three-night stay. I have indicated “halved” as another CSU graduate student will also be staying with us, consolidating expenses and providing additional care for, during that time, her 5 month-old baby. This shared pricing is more individually cost effective than the private room rate with the partner rate [as referenced on document “C”], saving myself and CSU Partner $245 each. - Mini-workshop=Ted Chiang is a high-profile writer in the speculative fiction and fantasy genres, earning multiple Locus, Hugo, and Nebula awards, the highest honors in the speculative fiction and fantasy genres. Working with Mr. Chiang in a more intimate setting beyond the larger workshop would be invaluable for developing my craft and techniques in these two genres, respectively. Purchased October 31st 2018. - Travel=I will be driving my own vehicle, so this pricing is based on the average price of gas and the ability of my specific vehicle in conjunction with the round-trip distance of Fort Collins, CO and the Sundance Resort, UT. I have indicated “halved” as another CSU student will be sharing the costs. Together, we have added an additional $20 for inter-city commuting ($10 each). This total has been calculated by the website, “GasBuddy” [as referenced on document “E”]. - Per diem=This pricing is based on three meals, at $10 a meal, not provided during the workshop [as referenced on document “D”]. All other meals are provided by the workshop. Needed meals for myself only: dinner Friday 12th, dinner Saturday 13th, and lunch Sunday 14th. Additional Information: Attached are: a current Curriculum vitae; proof of workshop acceptance [“A”]; proof of purchase for registration [“B”]; general information on the workshop [“C”]; workshop schedule [“D”]; and travel distance with cost [“E”]. Conclusion: The Futurescapes Workshop will enable me to gain a deeper practice while surrounding myself with other writers who excel in the speculative fiction genre, a genre I am currently exploring through my thesis novel and CSU course load. The workshop will also be a much appreciated developmental space to discover writing beyond my thus far academic writing life, diversifying into a professional field, creating relationships with writers, editors and agents that could strengthen my writing career, opening a future with greater possibilities. Thank you for your time and consideration. Ben Greenlee When will I use my Writing on the Job? Career-Based Readings As with many college courses, especially courses that focus on writing, there is the constant thought of how to apply learned skills in a "real-world" setting. After reading all the previous chapters a student may ask themselves "can I really keep all this in mind?", "do my writing choices matter in the ways we've been learning?", "is a future job going to care that I took a course on professional communication?" Rather than responding with an enthusiastic "YES!", and telling you developing professional communication skills is important, this chapter collects several instances of professionals (experts and students) speaking of their own practical application of writing techniques previously discussed. Hopefully by including these voices here you'll gain a wider perspective on what your future writing life may include. *** - “Writing in Criminal Justice: The Process” - Book Excerpt with Reflection - LaNina Cooke https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/processes/chapter/writing-in-criminal-justice-the-process/ * - “Writing in Science: Creating a Lab Write-Up" - Article Excerpt with Reflection - Cesar Hernandez and Thawanhathai Kiatsutthakorn https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/processes/chapter/writing-in-science-creating-a-lab-write-up/ * - “My Education in Writing as a Nurse” - Reflection - Darcy McRedmond https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/processes/chapter/my-education-in-writing-as-a-nurse/ * - “How Nursing Taught Me to Write Scholarly” - Student Writing Excerpts with Reflection - Ricky Hsiao https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/processes/chapter/how-nursing-taught-me-to-write-scholarly/ *** Readings taken from Processes: Writing Across Academic Careers, edited by Christopher Iverson and Dan Ehrenfeld; 9781942341818. March 31, 2023. https://milneopentextbooks.org/processes-writing-across-academic-careers/ REFERENCES: Processes by LaNina Cooke is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. What if I'm a "Bad Writer"? Writing Fundamentals You may think that some people are simply born better writers than others, but in fact writing is a reflection of experience and effort. If you think about your successes as a writer, you may come up with a couple of favorite books, authors, or teachers that inspired you to express yourself. You may also recall a sense of frustration with your previous writing experiences. It is normal and natural to experience a sense of frustration at the perceivedinability to express oneself. The emphasis here is on your perception of yourself as a writer as one aspect of how you communicate. Most people use oral communication for much of their self-expression, from daily interactions to formal business meetings. You have a lifetime of experience in that arena that you can leverage to your benefit in your writing. Reading out loud what you have written is a positive technique we’ll address later in more depth. Martin Luther King Jr.’s statement, “Violence is the language of the unheard” emphasizes the importance of finding one’s voice, of being able to express one’s ideas. Violence comes in many forms, but is often associated with frustration born of the lack of opportunity to communicate. You may read King’s words and think of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, or perhaps of the violence of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, or of wars happening in the world today. Public demonstrations and fighting are expressions of voice, from individual to collective. Finding your voice, and learning to listen to others, is part of learning to communicate. You are your own best ally when it comes to your writing. Keeping a positive frame of mind about your journey as a writer is not a cliché or simple, hollow advice. Your attitude toward writing can and does influence your written products. Even if writing has been a challenge for you, the fact that you are reading this sentence means you perceive the importance of this essential skill. This text and our discussions will help you improve your writing, and your positive attitude is part of your success strategy. There is no underestimating the power of effort when combined with inspiration and motivation. The catch then is to get inspired and motivated. That’s not all it takes, but it is a great place to start. You were not born with a key pad in front of you, but when you want to share something with friends and text them, the words (or abbreviations) come almost naturally. So you recognize you have the skills necessary to begin the process of improving and harnessing your writing abilities for business success. It will take time and effort, and the proverbial journey starts with a single step, but don’t lose sight of the fact that your skillful ability to craft words will make a significant difference in your career. READING Reading is one step many writers point to as an integral step in learning to write effectively. You may like Harry Potter books or be a Twilight fan, but if you want to write effectively in business, you need to read business-related documents. These can include letters, reports, business proposals, and business plans. You may find these where you work or in your school’s writing center, business department, or library; there are also many Web sites that provide sample business documents of all kinds. Your reading should also include publications in the industry where you work or plan to work, such as Aviation Week, InfoWorld, Journal of Hospitality, International Real Estate Digest, or Women’s Wear Daily, to name just a few. You can also gain an advantage by reading publications in fields other than your chosen one; often reading outside your niche can enhance your versatility and help you learn how other people express similar concepts. Finally, don’t neglect general media like the business section of your local newspaper, and national publications like the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and the Harvard Business Review. Reading is one of the most useful lifelong habits you can practice to boost your business communication skills. In the “real world” when you are under a deadline and production is paramount, you’ll be rushed and may lack the time to do adequate background reading for a particular assignment. For now, take advantage of your business communication course by exploring common business documents you may be called on to write, contribute to, or play a role in drafting. Some documents have a degree of formula to them, and your familiarity with them will reduce your preparation and production time while increasing your effectiveness. As you read similar documents, take notes on what you observe. As you read several sales letters, you may observe several patterns that can serve you well later on when it’s your turn. These patterns are often called conventions, or conventional language patterns for a specific genre. WRITING Never lose sight of one key measure of the effectiveness of your writing: the degree to which it fulfills readers’ expectations. If you are in a law office, you know the purpose of a court brief is to convince the judge that certain points of law apply to the given case. If you are at a newspaper, you know that an editorial opinion article is supposed to convince readers of the merits of a certain viewpoint, whereas a news article is supposed to report facts without bias. If you are writing ad copy, the goal is to motivate consumers to make a purchase decision. In each case, you are writing to a specific purpose, and a great place to start when considering what to write is to answer the following question: what are the readers’ expectations? When you are a junior member of the team, you may be given clerical tasks like filling in forms, populating a database, or coordinating appointments. Or you may be assigned to do research that involves reading, interviewing, and note taking. Don’t underestimate these facets of the writing process; instead, embrace the fact that writing for business often involves tasks that a novelist might not even recognize as “writing.” Your contribution is quite important and in itself is an on-the-job learning opportunity that shouldn’t be taken for granted. When given a writing assignment, it is important to make sure you understand what you are being asked to do. You may read the directions and try to put them in your own words to make sense of the assignment. Be careful, however, not to lose sight of what the directions say versus what you think they say. Just as an audience’s expectations should be part of your consideration of how, what, and why to write, the instructions given by your instructor, or in a work situation by your supervisor, establish expectations. Just as you might ask a mentor more about a business writing assignment at work, you need to use the resources available to you to maximize your learning opportunity. Ask the professor to clarify any points you find confusing, or perceive more than one way to interpret, in order to better meet the expectations. Before you write an opening paragraph, or even the first sentence, it is important to consider the overall goal of the assignment. The word assignment can apply equally to a written product for class or for your employer. You might make a list of the main points and see how those points may become the topic sentences in a series of paragraphs. You may also give considerable thought to whether your word choice, your tone, your language, and what you want to say is in line with your understanding of your audience. We briefly introduced the writing process previously, and will visit it in depth later in our discussion, but for now writing should about exploring your options. Authors rarely have a finished product in mind when they start, but once you know what your goal is and how to reach it, you writing process will become easier and more effective. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND TARGETED PRACTICE Mentors can also be important in your growth as a writer. Your instructor can serve as a mentor, offering constructive criticism, insights on what he or she has written, and life lessons about writing for a purpose. Never underestimate the mentors that surround you in the workplace, even if you are currently working in a position unrelated to your desired career. They can read your rough draft and spot errors, as well as provide useful insights. Friends and family can also be helpful mentors—if your document’s meaning is clear to someone not working in your business, it will likely also be clear to your audience. The key is to be open to criticism, keeping in mind that no one ever improved by repeating bad habits over and over. Only when you know what your errors are—errors of grammar or sentence structure, logic, format, and so on—can you correct your document and do a better job next time. Writing can be a solitary activity, but more often in business settings it is a collective, group, or team effort. Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities to seek outside assistance before you finalize your document. Learning to be a successful business writer comes with practice. Targeted practice, which involves identifying your weak areas and specifically working to improve them, is especially valuable. In addition to reading, make it a habit to write, even if it is not a specific assignment. The more you practice writing the kinds of materials that are used in your line of work, the more writing will come naturally and become an easier task—even on occasions when you need to work under pressure. CRITICAL THINKING Critical thinking means becoming aware of your thinking process. It’s a human trait that allows us to step outside what we read or write and ask ourselves, “Does this really make sense?” “Are there other, perhaps better, ways to explain this idea?” Sometimes our thinking is very abstract and becomes clear only through the process of getting thoughts down in words. As a character in E. M. Forster’s Aspects of the Novel said, “How can I tell what I think till I see what I say?” (1976, p. 99). Did you really write what you meant to, and will it be easily understood by the reader? Successful writing forms a relationship with the audience, reaching the reader on a deep level that can be dynamic and motivating. In contrast, when writing fails to meet the audience’s expectations, you already know the consequences: they’ll move on. Learning to write effectively involves reading, writing, critical thinking, and hard work. You may have seen The Wizard of Oz and recall the scene when Dorothy discovers what is behind the curtain. Up until that moment, she believed the Wizard’s powers were needed to change her situation, but now she discovers that the power is her own. Like Dorothy, you can discover that the power to write successfully rests in your hands. Excellent business writing can be inspiring, and it is important to not lose that sense of inspiration as we deconstruct the process of writing to its elemental components. You may be amazed by the performance of Tony Hawk on a skateboard ramp, Mia Hamm on the soccer field, or Michael Phelps in the water. Those who demonstrate excellence often make it look easy, but nothing could be further from the truth. Effort, targeted practice, and persistence will win the day every time. When it comes to writing, you need to learn to recognize clear and concise writing while looking behind the curtain at how it is created. This is not to say we are going to lose the magic associated with the best writers in the field. Instead, we’ll appreciate what we are reading as we examine how it was written and how the writer achieved success. https://oercommons.org/authoring/54645-professional-and-technical-writing/1/view *** Further Guidance on Writing Fundamentals The following link will take you to a section of Suzie Baker's book, Professional and Technical Writing (2019). This section--titled, "Writing Basics"--includes lessons, examples, and exercises on writing fundamentals, such as: - Sentence Writing (17.1) - Subject-Verb Agreement (17.2) - Verb Tense (17.3) - Capitalization (17.4) - Pronouns (17.5) - Adjectives and Adverbs (17.6) - Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers (17.7) https://oercommons.org/authoring/54645-professional-and-technical-writing/17/view REFERENCES: "Professional and Technical Writing" 2019 by Suzie Baker under license"Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial"	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.742582	Ben Greenlee	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/106717/overview", "title": "Writing Know-How: Understanding Professional Communication", "author": "Textbook" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/112162/overview	Welding-121 Mid term Welding-121 Quiz Questions and Asnwers WLD__121_GMAW_MIG_FCAW-Plate WLD 121 GMAW [MIG] FCAW-Plate Overview This course is meant to be an introduction to MIG welding. It was created in conjuction with the AWESM grant constoritum led by Forsyth Tech. The material has been reviewed and acknowleged by the eight colleges within the program.The PDF includes the course layout, embedded readings, and links to video content. WLD 121 GMAW [MIG] FCAW-Plate This course is meant to be an introduction to MIG welding. It was created in conjuction with the AWESM grant constoritum led by Forsyth Tech. The material has been reviewed and acknowleged by the eight colleges within the program.The PDF includes the course layout, embedded readings, and links to video content. Odigia was the platform used to create the course.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.774456	Module	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/112162/overview", "title": "WLD 121 GMAW [MIG] FCAW-Plate", "author": "Lecture" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/107933/overview	Factoring - Supplemental Learning Module Overview The Factoring module is separated into two parts -- factoring numbers and factoring algebraic expressions. Each part has subtopics. Each subtopic has a video lecture and a practice assignment. The video lecture page includes guided notes in pdf form and videos that follow the guided notes. Each video lecture page also includes supplemental YouTube videos which are optional for students and may be used if further instruction is needed. The practice assignment is a set of exercises in Derivita that correspond to the skills covered in the video lecture. This work, by Magdalene (Maxie) Inigo, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Links to an external site. CC-BY Factoring - Learning Module The Exponents and Radicals module is separated into two parts -- exponents and radicals. Each part has two subtopics. Each subtopic has a video lecture page and a practice assignment. The video lecture page includes guided notes in pdf form and videos that follow the guided notes. There are also Word document versions of the notes in the "files" section of this course for instructor convenience. Each video lecture page also includes supplemental YouTube videos which are optional for students and may be used if further instruction is needed. The practice assignment is a set of exercises in Derivita that correspond to the skills covered in the video lecture. There are also two review assignments in this module -- one for exponents and one for radicals. These assignments cover everything from that part of the module, rather than being broken up into parts like the practice assignments. So there are a total of six assignments in the module and instructors can choose which assignments are most appropriate for their students' needs. This work, by Magdalene (Maxie) Inigo, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. CC-BY Material Attachment It is preferred if you include the material in multiple formats, such as a public link and an attachment. Factoring Learning Module (common cartridge) Factoring Common Cartridge to import into your learning management system. Instructions for Module Import 1. Go to the Canvas Course where you want to import the module into ... 2. Click Home. 3. Click Import Existing Content. 4. Content Type: Select – Common Cartridge 1.x Package. 5. Click Choose File. ... 6. Content: Click – Select Content. … 7. Click the check box next to everything EXCEPT course settings 7. Click Import. 8. Wait for Canvas to complete processing the file.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.796674	Trigonometry	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/107933/overview", "title": "Factoring - Supplemental Learning Module", "author": "Mathematics" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/93389/overview	Micrograph Candida albicans Gram stain 1000x p000024 Overview This micrograph was taken at 1000X total magnifcation on a brightfield microscope. The subject is Candida albicans cells grown in broth culture at 30 degrees Celsius. The cells were heat-fixed to a slide and Gram stained prior to visualization. Image credit: Emily Fox micrograph Light background with dozens of dark purple oblong cells.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.813233	Emily Fox	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/93389/overview", "title": "Micrograph Candida albicans Gram stain 1000x p000024", "author": "Diagram/Illustration" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/92735/overview	Creating Study Guides Final Draft Guidelines Norco College English 1B Spring 2022 Syllabus OFAR Action Plan Peer Workshop Assignment Guidelines Practicing Analysis Proposal Assignment Guidelines Rough Draft Guidelines Tutor Feedback Assignment Wikipedia Assignment Guidelines English 1B--Critical Thinking and Writing: Open for Antiracism (OFAR) Overview The Open for Antiracism (OFAR) Program – co-led by CCCOER and College of the Canyons – emerged as a response to the growing awareness of structural racism in our educational systems and the realization that adoption of open educational resources (OER) and open pedagogy could be transformative at institutions seeking to improve. The program is designed to give participants a workshop experience where they can better understand anti-racist teaching and how the use of OER and open pedagogy can empower them to involve students in the co-creation of an anti-racist classroom. The capstone project involves developing an action plan for incorporating OER and open pedagogy into a course being taught in the spring semester. OFAR participants are invited to remix this template to design and share their projects and plans for moving this work forward. Action Plan There are many ways that OER and open pedagogy have helped promote anti-racism in my course. First, utilizing an OER textbook eliminates a cost barrier for students taking my course (and in the long-term should help me work towards more inclusive pedagogy as I remix and reuse). Second, utilizing the Wiki Edu training platform to create a Wikipedia assignment helps me increase students' intellectual confidence as I turn them into co-creators of knowledge, increase representation and diverse perspectives as they contribute to an online body of knowledge, and much more. In addition to these core uses, there are many other smaller uses that I have encountered along the way. Course Description English 1B: Critical Thinking & Writing Course Description Students will critically read diverse literary texts in order to compose inquiry-driven writing. Students will write a minimum of 7500 words of assessed writing. Classroom instruction integrates writing lab activities. Students may not receive credit for both ENG-1B and 1BH. Student Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following skills: - Analyze diverse literary texts through various social, historical, cultural, psychological, or aesthetic contexts. - Critical Thinking: Students will be able to demonstrate higher-order thinking skills about issues, problems, and explanations for which multiple solutions are possible. Students will be able to explore problems and, where possible, solve them. Students will be able to develop, test, and evaluate rival hypotheses. Students will be able to construct sound arguments and evaluate the arguments of others. - Develop written arguments in response to diverse literary texts. - Communication Skills: Students will be able to communicate effectively in diverse situations. They will be able to create, express, and interpret meaning in oral, visual, and written forms. They will also be able to demonstrate quantitative literacy and the ability to use graphical, symbolic, and numerical methods to analyze, organize, and interpret data. Anti-Racist Assignment / Module Attached here are the following: - Wikipedia Assignment: There's one main document, "Wikipedia Assignment Guidelines" and six supporting documents related to that main document. The purpose (and value) of these documents is to provide a framework to faculty who may be seeking to implement a Wikipedia Assignment using the Wiki Edu dashboard (which does not always integrate well on its own). The scope of this assignment was about 8 weeks for this course, but it can be adjusted to more weeks. - Creating Study Guides: This assignment offers a framework for turning "busy work" studying into a productive exercise that can benefit both your current students as well as future students (the document specifically applies to Samanta Schweblin's Mouthful of Birds but the general parameters can be applied to anything). - Practicing Analysis: This is a culturally relevant series of exercises meant to encourage students to think critically about literary analysis.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.849549	Ryan Hitch	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/92735/overview", "title": "English 1B--Critical Thinking and Writing: Open for Antiracism (OFAR)", "author": "Syllabus" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/84262/overview	CHEM 143 Syllabus Chemistry 143: Introduction to College Chemistry Overview Chemistry 143 is an introductory course designed to provide an overview of basic chemical concepts, specifically designed for those pursuing a career in the health sciences. In providing the framework of basic chemistry, the student will obtain the background necessary for continuing course work in subjects such as organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, molecular biology, pharmacology and physiology. The student will also be better prepared to deal with chemical questions outside the laboratory setting. Syllabus and Sample Assignment Chemistry 143 is an introductory course designed to provide an overview of basic chemical concepts, specifically designed for those pursuing a career in the health sciences. In providing the framework of basic chemistry, the student will obtain the background necessary for continuing course work in subjects such as organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, molecular biology, pharmacology and physiology. The student will also be better prepared to deal with chemical questions outside the laboratory setting.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.867047	Syllabus	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/84262/overview", "title": "Chemistry 143: Introduction to College Chemistry", "author": "Homework/Assignment" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/112082/overview	American Indian Sovereignty Syllabus Overview This 16-week course examines Native American sovereignty from the perspectives of Historical Studies and Anthropology. It covers the history and unique position of American Indian Nations in relation to American political systems, as well as the politics within these indigenous groups as independent nations. The Historical Studies perspective will focus on understanding the historical context of Indian-White relations, while the Anthropology perspective will explore the variety of Native American perspectives on these relations from within their own cultures. Attachments The attachment for this resource is a sample syllabus for a course on Native American sovereignty. About This Resource The sample syllabus here was submitted by a participant in a one-day workshop entitled, "Teaching Indigenous History as World History" for world history teachers hosted by the Alliance for Learning in World History. This resource was contributed by Robert Paulette.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.885144	Syllabus	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/112082/overview", "title": "American Indian Sovereignty Syllabus", "author": "U.S. History" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/87411/overview	Learning Theories Overview This is a basic overview of the three main learning theories: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Behaviorism Behaviorism is one of the three main learning theories used in an attempt to explain our observations of learning. Learning does not have "laws" like science and math does, as of right now. Behaviorism was first theorized in the 1920s, and was proposed and conceptualized greatly by Ivan Pavlov and John Watson. - The learning theory of behaviorism believes that the learning of humans is no different than that of any other animal. When a teacher uses behaviorism, the instructor will design the lesson, and the students will be largely passive or simply responding to stimuli. - The theory of behaviorisim believes that people have no free will, and their environment determines their behavior. Their behavior is predicable, and is the result of stimulus. An instructor's role is simply that of providing different stimuli according to needs. The students will then provide observable responses as a response to their stimuli, allowing the teacher to observe and determine the next move. - Most classroom games - both tangible and online - are created based on this learning theory. - Behaviorism is also said to provide only surface learning and basic skills. Cognitivism Cognitivism is the next of the three main learning theories used today. Cognitivism was first theorized in the 1960s by Jerome Bruner and is widely used in modern education. - This learning theory is focused on thinking and problem solving. The spotlight is on how information is processed, organized, stored, and recalled. - This involves looking into short term, long term, and working memory. - Your working memory can only hold 4 - 6 items. - The brain will "chunk" information to overcome this working memory limitation. - Your short term memory has limitations as well, while your long term memory has much more "room". When a teacher uses cognitivism, the instructor will manage problem solving and structure search activities for a classroom. The students will be more likely than with behaviorism to actively process, store, and retrieve information for use. - Memory mapping software, note taking applications, and flash card sites such as quizlet all operate using cognitivism. Constructivism Constructivism is the last of the three main learning theories touched on here. Constructivism was first theorized in the 1980s and is widely known to have been conceptualized by Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. - This learning theory is focused on creating meaning from personal experiences, and uses generative learning, discovery learning, and situated learning. - This involves possible social interaction with peers and experts, with time then given for both experiences and reflection. - Students use "failures" to reflect and learn from. When a teacher uses constructivism, the instructor will mentor peer interaction and the continuity of building on concepts already known by the students. The teacher is more of a helping guide to the students' learning, as opposed to a professor on a stage. Teachers who use this learning theory recognize that they are not the sole posessors of knowledge, and can learn with the students while they guide. - All students will have a unique learning experience because learning is based on prior experience. - Real world learning such as field trips, and information that is presented in a variety of ways for students to choose from both use constructivism as a learning theory. Collaborative learning platforms also allow for use of real world learning.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.901521	11/01/2021	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/87411/overview", "title": "Learning Theories", "author": "Hannah Lazarus" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/115795/overview	https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FNY89sEvuOf5jCjS9sRRWYzZXpt-Inyrsn7uRiJIqrs/edit PSY 101 Course Map - Arizona Rural Colleges Overview This resource is a course map that aligns with Psychology 2e and includes module level outcomes and suggested activities/resources/assignments. The course map was authored by four faculty from three different community colleges in Arizona including, Central Arizona College, Eastern Arizona College, and Yavapai College. PSY 101 Course Map This resource is a course map that aligns with OpenStax's Psychology 2e. The 8 module couse map, includes module level outcomes and suggested activities/resources/assignments. The course map was authored by four faculty from three different community colleges in Arizona including, Central Arizona College, Eastern Arizona College, and Yavapai College. Faculty authors include, Tara O'Neill, Gustavo Conzalez-Cuevas, Steve Ornelas, and Nan Pennington. Icon, an image about psychology, by EpicTop10.com is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.921026	Tara O'Neill	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/115795/overview", "title": "PSY 101 Course Map - Arizona Rural Colleges", "author": "Homework/Assignment" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/85244/overview	Effect of Covid-19 on Education And Teachers Overview In this article we describe and highlight the main problems and Suggestion regarding the education system due to Covid-19. Effect of Covid-19 on education and teachers: Effect of Covid-19 on education and teachers: Teacher training and continued, on-going relevant professional development is essential if benefits from investments in ICTs are to be maximized. In development country like our due to covid-19 we face very difficulties regarding education. Due to lockdown we have to stop our education system. No one knows what to do? How to do? In all the crises we see hope in the form of ICT. But there is a problem, in the past we use ICT but not in effective way, due to this we don’t have trained teachers, or tools like Internet access, devices so we can continue our education system. All of the sudden it is a great change that changed our daily life. Its changed our way of thinking that helps us to realize that the education is not face to face learning it is more than that. We can use the technology and overcome this situation, when we see back it’s not an easy task in the start we face some problems some difficulties but the passage of time, hard work and courage to learn we overcome this problem. Now we have trained teacher that can transfer the knowledge through ICT. Following are some impact of ICT on teachers due to Covid-19. 1. Lack of training ICT is not any easy task we need some background some knowledge about computer but all sadden we have to switch our face to face program to online platform like Google Meet, Moodle, Zoom, Big Blue Button etc. when we take this step its change every in education. In this entire scenario one thing is common that we don’t have trained teacher that can transfer education through ICT. One of the main reason is that our majority of teacher not interested in technology like mobile, computer etc., and they don’t want to use it they prefer traditional method. But when we transfer our education system to online they don’t have any choice so they have to learn it. With the passage of time and our hard work we overcome this problem. Now they realized that online study is much simple and effective and every one can access through internet, they don’t have to ready for school, bring books, and other study martial. Everything is available in just one click. They feel very comfort both teachers and students. 2. Course content When we switch our education system to online with the help of ICT we face some difficulties regarding course because in face to face learning we monitor our student’s behavior, interest, routine health. But in online study our previous education content is not very effective, we can say that our curriculum is not design for online study, if we use this previous course and curriculum we can’t overcome this problem. Its 21th century we have to evolve we have to change for our future generation so they can achieved their goals. As a teacher we can’t tolerance any difficulties regarding our education system we have to overcome for the sake of student’s future. We must transform our education system so we can relay our information our knowledge in much better way 3. Lack of education material In our county we have lack of education material regarding online study. In the start due to lack of education resources teacher have to create slides and other material that takes plenty of time. We have to promote OER (Open Education Resource) because education not someone personal domain it has to be free so everyone in this world can access it and take advantage. Our society need awareness and need about OER (Open Education Resource), we have to promote that if we reuse the education material we save time, money and effort and also improve the quality of material. 4. Availably of Internet This is most important part in online education. Because when we don’t have internet access we can’t communicate with each other. Availability of internet in our country in not good most of the population not has access to stable and affordable internet. Due to this most of the students can’t take online classes and online workshops. All governments and private sector should corporate each other so we can solve this problem. Education is for everyone that’s the slogan of Open Education Resource (OER). We can’t achieve this unless we all have access of stable and affordable internet connectivity. 5. Assessment Let’s say we have internet, we communicate, we study very hard, we follow every rules and regulation regarding online education but the main part of this entire education is how we can assess the students. We use different methods like online paper, but deep down we all know that online paper is not effective way. It’s time we have to evolve our education system we have to update our curriculum. With the help of this we can tech our students in better way. If we achieve our goal so we can assess our student’s better way.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.941325	08/22/2021	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/85244/overview", "title": "Effect of Covid-19 on Education And Teachers", "author": "Arslan Ahmad" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105702/overview	FOOTHILL COLLEGE IHE Accessibility in OER Implementation Guide Overview In this section, you and your team will engage in a Landscape Analysis to uncover key structures and supports that can guide your work to support Accessibility in OER. You may or may not answer all of these questions, but this is an offering. Section One: Landscape Analysis for Accessibility in OER in Local Context In this section, you and your team will engage in a Landscape Analysis to uncover key structures and supports that can guide your work to support Accessibility in OER. We exnourage to explore some of the questions from each category. You may or may not answer all of these questions, but this is an offering. We ask that you complete Parts One, Two and Six. Part One: Initial Thoughts What is your team's initial goal for this series? - to familiarize ourselves with the principles and tools of accessibility in OER Part Two: Introductory probing questions: - What does accessibility look like in our organization? How do we measure accessibility? - Online environment - faculty just learning how to make courses accessible. It is still an add-on/retrofit rather than embedded in design. Use Pope Tech to gauge accessibility. Focus on bringing awareness and learning how to make (online) materials accessible. It is the P button; it is not Bruno the little guy (he is not accurate). - At a recent student forum many asked for accessibility. "If there aren't captions I'm not watching it." They use mobile devices - need headers to find what they need. Colors are also problematic - too creative with colors = hard for students. - Physical accessibility - problems with doors not working (the push button does not work!) - F2F instructors still go through Canvas certification so they get exposure to accessibility that way. - If other accessibility accommodations needed the students work with DRC (Disability Resource Center) to get their specific needs met. (Ask DRC) - How to reengage faculty who went thru POCR (Peer Online Course Review) in one of the first cohorts - MEETINGS need to be accessible! What does OER look like in our organization? How do we measure access to OER? - Optional, increasingly used. - Only a fraction of ZTC (Zero Textbook Cost) sections use OER. Many are ZTC b/c no text, etc. - Still some hesitation/concern around "quality" - ZTC grant in motion, movement to support OER adoption. - Best traction is with OERs that faculty feel they can use as-is, off the shelf - Opportunity to work together in the discipline? Others who teach the same course - OER language added to the new "Guidelines for Equitable Course Outlines of Record" document! - Collection development librarian has OER in position description - being more formalized as part of librarian job responsibilities. Becoming part of what the library does. - The library’s LibGuide on OER is robust. But faculty do not know about them! Part Three: Clarifying questions for accessibility: What is the organizational structure that supports accessibility? Who generates most of the accessibility structures/conversation in our organization? Where do most educators get support with accessibility? What content areas might have the largest gaps in access to accessibility? Part Four: Clarifying questions for OER: What is our organizational structure that supports curricular resources? (what does curriculuar resources mean?) What is our organizational structure that supports OER? Who generates most of the curricular resources in our organization? Where do most educators get support with curricular resources? What content areas might have the largest gaps in access to curricular resources/OER? Part Five: Clarifying questions for Faculty learning and engagement: What Professional Learning (PL) structures have the best participation rates for our educators? What PL structures have the best "production" rates for our educators? What incentive do we have to offer people for participating in learning and engagement? Who are the educators that would be most creative with accessibility and OER? Who are the educators that would benefit the most from accessibility and OER? Part Six: Final Probing questions: What is our current goal for Accessibility in OER and why is that our goal? to familiarize ourselves and our colleagues with the principles and tools of accessibility in OER Who have we not yet included while thinking about this work? - College governance committees including Academic Senate and COOL (Committee on Online Learning) - DRC, Student Services, Educational Technology Services (ETS,) ASFC (Associated Students of Foothill College) (student voice) What barriers remain when considering this work? - Knowledge of the resources - Understanding the how of OER - Concerns about the quality of OER - Time: learning, finding, and curating OER - Financial incentives - Goes against “past practice” What would genuine change look like for our organization for this work? - A certain percentage of courses using accessible OER - Verifying current OER texts in use are accessible - What classes would have the biggest impact on our students for adopting OER Section Two: Team Focus (Finish before May 25th to share during Implementation Session Two) Identifying and Describing a Problem of Practice The following questions should help your team ensure that you are focusing your collaboration. - What is your Team’s specific goal for this series? You may consider using AEM Quality Indicators for Creating Accessible Materials to help add to or narrow your work. Written guidelines through adoption of Pope Tech dashboard .Comprehensive learning opportunities through the revision and promotion of OER LibGuide - What other partners might support this work? Online Learning, Library, Professional Development Coordinator, DRC - What is your desired timeframe for this work? The next academic year, 2023-24 - How will you include diverse voices and experiences in this work? Working throughout the campus, visits to different groups to build awareness of importance of project - Please create a Focus Question that explains your goal and provides specific topics that you would like feedback on. This is what you will share in your breakout groups for feedback. How can we promote and encourage adoption of accessible OER - (Save for during May 25th's session.) What feedback did you receive from another team during the May 25th Implementation Session? We engaged in conversation about challenges at both of our institutions. Section Three: Team Work Time and Next Steps (Complete by the end of Implementation Session Three) Sharing and Next Steps What was your redefined goal for this series? Promoting the Pope Tech dashboard and Revised/Accessible OER LibGuide What does your team want to celebrate? Working together and learning more. What did your team accomplish? If you have links to resources, please include them here. Expanded our knowledge about accessibility in OER. What are your team’s next steps? Breakdown our redefined goal into smaller strategic steps.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:56.993607	Micaela Agyare	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105702/overview", "title": "FOOTHILL COLLEGE IHE Accessibility in OER Implementation Guide", "author": "Module" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105099/overview	Unit prefix number line Overview This contains a number line with the metric prefixes. It allows the user to figure out how many places to move the decimal place to the right or left in order to make the conversion. This is a line with the metric prefixes which you can use from converting from a metric unit with one prefix to another prefix.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.005870	06/12/2023	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/105099/overview", "title": "Unit prefix number line", "author": "James Buell" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/75183/overview	Técnicas de autoexamen de mamas dirigidas a mujeres mayores de 20 años de edad del Ministerio Cristo es la Salvación, institución evangélica, San Carlos de Bariloche durante el 2020/2021 Overview Planificacion Socio-Educativa con el fin de promocionar técnicas de autoexamen de mamas dirigidas a mujeres mayores de 20 años de edad del Ministerio Cristo es la Salvación, institución evangélica, San Carlos de Bariloche durante el 2020/2021. Contenidos de la Planificacion Socio-Educativa "Técnicas de autoexamen de mamas dirigidas a mujeres mayores de 20 años de edad del Ministerio Cristo es la Salvación, institución evangélica, San Carlos de Bariloche durante el 2020/2021": Cáncer de mama, Anatomía de la mama femenina, autoexamen de mamas y técnicas de autoexamen de mamas.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.022954	11/27/2020	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/75183/overview", "title": "Técnicas de autoexamen de mamas dirigidas a mujeres mayores de 20 años de edad del Ministerio Cristo es la Salvación, institución evangélica, San Carlos de Bariloche durante el 2020/2021", "author": "Virginia Alvarez" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/115946/overview	Understanding Political Change in Ghana through Sources Overview This assignment asks students to engage with different primary sources and perspectives to understand political change in the Gold Coast between World War II and 1950. Through close readings of documents, students can recognize how historical events, in this case, the experience of the Second World War and the Accra riots of 1948, transformed what was politically possible in the context of the Gold Coast. Students should see that national independence and the establishment of Ghana as a nation state were far from inevitable in the late 1940s as different actors, on the ground in the Gold Coast and from the vantage of the colonial government, negotiated changing expectations and aspirations. Attachments The attachment for this resource is a sample activity for a course in modern African history that asks students to analyze political changes in Ghana through six different primary sources. About This Resource The sample assignment included here was submitted by a participant in a one-day virtual workshop entitled, "Teaching the Global African Diaspora" for world history teachers hosted by the Alliance for Learning in World History. This was a draft document that may subsequently have been revised in light of feedback and discussion during the event. This resource was contributed by Dr. Carly Goodman, Department of History, La Salle University.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.041267	Primary Source	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/115946/overview", "title": "Understanding Political Change in Ghana through Sources", "author": "Homework/Assignment" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/122028/overview	OER ANTH101 Visit a virtual or actual primate rescue/research center or zoo Overview - Visit to a virtual via live webcam or actual via foot wildlife/primate rescue center, lab or zoo. - Visit a wildlife primate (baboons, orangs, monkeys, chimps, etc. ) rescue center or sanctuary (eg. GRACE, Born Free, Sanaga-Yong, Chimp Haven), lab (Oregon Prinate Center) or a zoo (eg. Oregon Zoo, Bristol Zoo, National Zoo, San Diego Zoo, etc.) via the Internet (view a live web cam only not a recorded video) or in-person. - You have three options for your observations. - Option One: Discuss two specific animals of the same species within one exhibit. - Option Two: Discuss one animal from two different species or exhibits from the same location. - Option Three: Discuss one animal from two different locations (eg., maybe one from a Zoo and one from a Sanctuary and compare). Visit to a virtual via live webcam or actual via foot wildlife/primate rescue center, lab or zoo. - Visit to a virtual via live webcam or actual via foot wildlife/primate rescue center, lab or zoo. - Visit a wildlife primate (baboons, orangs, monkeys, chimps, etc. ) rescue center or sanctuary (eg. GRACE, Born Free, Sanaga-Yong, Chimp Haven), lab (Oregon Prinate Center) or a zoo (eg. Oregon Zoo, Bristol Zoo, National Zoo, San Diego Zoo, etc.) via the Internet (view a live web cam only not a recorded video) or in-person. - You have three options for your observations. - Option One: Discuss two specific animals of the same species within one exhibit. - Option Two: Discuss one animal from two different species or exhibits from the same location. - Option Three: Discuss one animal from two different locations (eg., maybe one from a Zoo and one from a Sanctuary and compare). - Visit to a virtual via live webcam or actual via foot wildlife/primate rescue center, lab or zoo. - Visit a wildlife primate (baboons, orangs, monkeys, chimps, etc. ) rescue center or sanctuary (eg. GRACE, Born Free, Sanaga-Yong, Chimp Haven), lab (Oregon Prinate Center) or a zoo (eg. Oregon Zoo, Bristol Zoo, National Zoo, San Diego Zoo, etc.) via the Internet (view a live web cam only not a recorded video) or in-person. - You have three options for your observations. - Option One: Discuss two specific animals of the same species within one exhibit. - Option Two: Discuss one animal from two different species or exhibits from the same location. - Option Three: Discuss one animal from two different locations (eg., maybe one from a Zoo and one from a Sanctuary and compare).	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.060221	sharon methvin	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/122028/overview", "title": "Visit a virtual or actual primate rescue/research center or zoo", "author": "Activity/Lab" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/115956/overview	Recreate Hammurabi’s Babylon in Comics Overview In this assignment, students are asked to look at the Code of Hammurabi and use comics to visually represent information from the Code. Students create a storyboard using their understanding of the Code and write a reflection paper summarizing their observations about Babylonian society. Attachments The attachment for this resource is a set of guideline's for an assignment where students use Hammurabi's Code to recreate a view of Babylonian society in a comic. About This Resource The sample assignment included here was submitted by a participant in a one-day workshop entitled, "Hot Topics in World History" for world history teachers hosted by the Alliance for Learning in World History. This was a draft document that may subsequently have been revised in light of feedback and discussion during the event. This resource was contributed by Dr. Cynthia Parayil, Raritan Valley Community College.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.078397	Alliance for Learning in World History	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/115956/overview", "title": "Recreate Hammurabi’s Babylon in Comics", "author": "Homework/Assignment" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/70780/overview	Critical Thinking and Evaluating Information Overview LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this section, you will be able to: Define critical thinking - Describe the role that logic plays in critical thinking - Describe how both critical and creative thinking skills can be used to problem-solve - Describe how critical thinking skills can be used to evaluate information - Apply the CRAAP test to evaluate sources of information - Identify strategies for developing yourself as a critical thinker Critical Thinking and Evaluating Information Critical Thinking and Evaluating Information Critical Thinking As a college student, you are tasked with engaging and expanding your thinking skills. One of the most important of these skills is critical thinking because it relates to nearly all tasks, situations, topics, careers, environments, challenges, and opportunities. It is a “domain-general” thinking skill, not one that is specific to a particular subject area. What Is Critical Thinking? Critical thinking is clear, reasonable, reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do. It means asking probing questions like “How do we know?” or “Is this true in every case or just in this instance?” It involves being skeptical and challenging assumptions rather than simply memorizing facts or blindly accepting what you hear or read. Imagine, for example, that you’re reading a history textbook. You wonder who wrote it and why, because you detect certain biases in the writing. You find that the author has a limited scope of research focused only on a particular group within a population. In this case, your critical thinking reveals that there are “other sides to the story.” Who are critical thinkers, and what characteristics do they have in common? Critical thinkers are usually curious and reflective people. They like to explore and probe new areas and seek knowledge, clarification, and new solutions. They ask pertinent questions, evaluate statements and arguments, and they distinguish between facts and opinion. They are also willing to examine their own beliefs, possessing a manner of humility that allows them to admit lack of knowledge or understanding when needed. They are open to changing their mind. Perhaps most of all, they actively enjoy learning, and seeking new knowledge is a lifelong pursuit. This may well be you! No matter where you are on the road to being a critical thinker, you can always more fully develop and finely tune your skills. Doing so will help you develop more balanced arguments, express yourself clearly, read critically, and glean important information efficiently. Critical thinking skills will help you in any profession or any circumstance of life, from science to art to business to teaching. With critical thinking, you become a clearer thinker and problem solver. \| Critical Thinking IS \| Critical Thinking is NOT \| \|---\|---\| \| Skepticism \| Memorizing \| \| Examining assumptions \| Group thinking \| \| Challenging reasoning \| Blind acceptance of authority \| \| Uncovering biases \| Critical Thinking and Logic Critical thinking is fundamentally a process of questioning information and data. You may question the information you read in a textbook, or you may question what a politician or a professor or a classmate says. You can also question a commonly-held belief or a new idea. With critical thinking, anything and everything is subject to question and examination for the purpose of logically constructing reasoned perspectives. What Is Logic? The word logic comes from the Ancient Greek logike, referring to the science or art of reasoning. Using logic, a person evaluates arguments and reasoning and strives to distinguish between good and bad reasoning, or between truth and falsehood. Using logic, you can evaluate the ideas and claims of others, make good decisions, and form sound beliefs about the world.[1] Questions of Logic in Critical Thinking Let’s use a simple example of applying logic to a critical-thinking situation. In this hypothetical scenario, a man has a Ph.D. in political science, and he works as a professor at a local college. His wife works at the college, too. They have three young children in the local school system, and their family is well known in the community. The man is now running for political office. Are his credentials and experience sufficient for entering public office? Will he be effective in the political office? Some voters might believe that his personal life and current job, on the surface, suggest he will do well in the position, and they will vote for him. In truth, the characteristics described don’t guarantee that the man will do a good job. The information is somewhat irrelevant. What else might you want to know? How about whether the man had already held a political office and done a good job? In this case, we want to think critically about how much information is adequate in order to make a decision based on logic instead of assumptions. The following questions, presented in Figure 1, below, are ones you may apply to formulating a logical, reasoned perspective in the above scenario or any other situation: - What’s happening? Gather the basic information and begin to think of questions. - Why is it important? Ask yourself why it’s significant and whether or not you agree. - What don’t I see? Is there anything important missing? - How do I know? Ask yourself where the information came from and how it was constructed. - Who is saying it? What’s the position of the speaker and what is influencing them? - What else? What if? What other ideas exist and are there other possibilities? Figure 1 Problem-Solving with Critical Thinking For most people, a typical day is filled with critical thinking and problem-solving challenges. In fact, critical thinking and problem-solving go hand-in-hand. They both refer to using knowledge, facts, and data to solve problems effectively. But with problem-solving, you are specifically identifying, selecting, and defending your solution. Below are some examples of using critical thinking to problem-solve: - Your roommate was upset and said some unkind words to you, which put a crimp in the relationship. You try to see through the angry behaviors to determine how you might best support the roommate and help bring the relationship back to a comfortable spot. - Your campus club has been languishing due to lack of participation and funds. The new club president, though, is a marketing major and has identified some strategies to interest students in joining and supporting the club. Implementation is forthcoming. - Your final art class project challenges you to conceptualize form in new ways. On the last day of class when students present their projects, you describe the techniques you used to fulfill the assignment. You explain why and how you selected that approach. - Your math teacher sees that the class is not quite grasping a concept. She uses clever questioning to dispel anxiety and guide you to a new understanding of the concept. - You have a job interview for a position that you feel you are only partially qualified for, although you really want the job and you are excited about the prospects. You analyze how you will explain your skills and experiences in a way to show that you are a good match for the prospective employer. - You are doing well in college, and most of your college and living expenses are covered. But there are some gaps between what you want and what you feel you can afford. You analyze your income, savings, and budget to better calculate what you will need to stay in college and maintain your desired level of spending. Problem-Solving Action Checklist Problem-solving can be an efficient and rewarding process, especially if you are organized and mindful of critical steps and strategies. Remember to assume the attributes of a good critical thinker: if you are curious, reflective, knowledge-seeking, open to change, probing, organized, and ethical, your challenge or problem will be less of a hurdle, and you’ll be in a good position to find intelligent solutions. The steps outlined in this checklist will help you adhere to these qualities in your approach to any problem: \| STRATEGIES \| ACTION CHECKLIST[2] \| \| \|---\|---\|---\| \| 1 \| Define the problem \| \| \| 2 \| Identify available solutions \| \| \| 3 \| Select your solution \| \| Critical and Creative Thinking Critical and creative thinking (described in more detail in Chapter 6: Theories of Learning) complement each other when it comes to problem-solving. The following words, by Dr. Andrew Robert Baker, are excerpted from his “Thinking Critically and Creatively” essay. Dr. Baker illuminates some of the many ways that college students will be exposed to critical and creative thinking and how it can enrich their learning experiences. THINKING CRITICALLY AND CREATIVELY Critical thinking skills are perhaps the most fundamental skills involved in making judgments and solving problems. You use them every day, and you can continue improving them. The ability to think critically about a matter—to analyze a question, situation, or problem down to its most basic parts—is what helps us evaluate the accuracy and truthfulness of statements, claims, and information we read and hear. It is the sharp knife that, when honed, separates fact from fiction, honesty from lies, and the accurate from the misleading. We all use this skill to one degree or another almost every day. For example, we use critical thinking every day as we consider the latest consumer products and why one particular product is the best among its peers. Is it a quality product because a celebrity endorses it? Because a lot of other people may have used it? Because it is made by one company versus another? Or perhaps because it is made in one country or another? These are questions representative of critical thinking. The academic setting demands more of us in terms of critical thinking than everyday life. It demands that we evaluate information and analyze myriad issues. It is the environment where our critical thinking skills can be the difference between success and failure. In this environment we must consider information in an analytical, critical manner. We must ask questions—What is the source of this information? Is this source an expert one and what makes it so? Are there multiple perspectives to consider on an issue? Do multiple sources agree or disagree on an issue? Does quality research substantiate information or opinion? Do I have any personal biases that may affect my consideration of this information? It is only through purposeful, frequent, intentional questioning such as this that we can sharpen our critical thinking skills and improve as students, learners and researchers. While critical thinking analyzes information and roots out the true nature and facets of problems, it is creative thinking that drives progress forward when it comes to solving these problems. Exceptional creative thinkers are people that invent new solutions to existing problems that do not rely on past or current solutions. They are the ones who invent solution C when everyone else is still arguing between A and B. Creative thinking skills involve using strategies to clear the mind so that our thoughts and ideas can transcend the current limitations of a problem and allow us to see beyond barriers that prevent new solutions from being found. Brainstorming is the simplest example of intentional creative thinking that most people have tried at least once. With the quick generation of many ideas at once, we can block-out our brain’s natural tendency to limit our solution-generating abilities so we can access and combine many possible solutions/thoughts and invent new ones. It is sort of like sprinting through a race’s finish line only to find there is new track on the other side and we can keep going, if we choose. As with critical thinking, higher education both demands creative thinking from us and is the perfect place to practice and develop the skill. Everything from word problems in a math class, to opinion or persuasive speeches and papers, call upon our creative thinking skills to generate new solutions and perspectives in response to our professor’s demands. Creative thinking skills ask questions such as—What if? Why not? What else is out there? Can I combine perspectives/solutions? What is something no one else has brought-up? What is being forgotten/ignored? What about ______? It is the opening of doors and options that follows problem-identification. Consider an assignment that required you to compare two different authors on the topic of education and select and defend one as better. Now add to this scenario that your professor clearly prefers one author over the other. While critical thinking can get you as far as identifying the similarities and differences between these authors and evaluating their merits, it is creative thinking that you must use if you wish to challenge your professor’s opinion and invent new perspectives on the authors that have not previously been considered. So, what can we do to develop our critical and creative thinking skills? Although many students may dislike it, group work is an excellent way to develop our thinking skills. Many times I have heard from students their disdain for working in groups based on scheduling, varied levels of commitment to the group or project, and personality conflicts too, of course. True—it’s not always easy, but that is why it is so effective. When we work collaboratively on a project or problem we bring many brains to bear on a subject. These different brains will naturally develop varied ways of solving or explaining problems and examining information. To the observant individual we see that this places us in a constant state of back and forth critical/creative thinking modes. For example, in group work we are simultaneously analyzing information and generating solutions on our own, while challenging other’s analyses/ideas and responding to challenges to our own analyses/ideas. This is part of why students tend to avoid group work—it challenges us as thinkers and forces us to analyze others while defending ourselves, which is not something we are used to or comfortable with as most of our educational experiences involve solo work. Your professors know this—that’s why we assign it—to help you grow as students, learners, and thinkers! —Dr. Andrew Robert Baker, Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom Evaluating Information with Critical Thinking Evaluating information can be one of the most complex tasks you will be faced with in college. But if you utilize the following four strategies, you will be well on your way to success: - Read for understanding - Examine arguments - Clarify thinking - Cultivate “habits of mind” Read for Understanding When you read, take notes or mark the text to track your thinking about what you are reading. As you make connections and ask questions in response to what you read, you monitor your comprehension and enhance your long-term understanding of the material. You will want to mark important arguments and key facts. Indicate where you agree and disagree or have further questions. You don’t necessarily need to read every word, but make sure you understand the concepts or the intentions behind what is written. See the chapter on Active Reading Strategies for additional tips. Examine Arguments When you examine arguments or claims that an author, speaker, or other source is making, your goal is to identify and examine the hard facts. You can use the spectrum of authority strategy for this purpose. The spectrum of authority strategy assists you in identifying the “hot” end of an argument—feelings, beliefs, cultural influences, and societal influences—and the “cold” end of an argument—scientific influences. The most compelling arguments balance elements from both ends of the spectrum. The following video explains this strategy in further detail: Clarify Thinking When you use critical thinking to evaluate information, you need to clarify your thinking to yourself and likely to others. Doing this well is mainly a process of asking and answering probing questions, such as the logic questions discussed earlier. Design your questions to fit your needs, but be sure to cover adequate ground. What is the purpose? What question are we trying to answer? What point of view is being expressed? What assumptions are we or others making? What are the facts and data we know, and how do we know them? What are the concepts we’re working with? What are the conclusions, and do they make sense? What are the implications? Cultivate “Habits of Mind” “Habits of mind” are the personal commitments, values, and standards you have about the principle of good thinking. Consider your intellectual commitments, values, and standards. Do you approach problems with an open mind, a respect for truth, and an inquiring attitude? Some good habits to have when thinking critically are being receptive to having your opinions changed, having respect for others, being independent and not accepting something is true until you’ve had the time to examine the available evidence, being fair-minded, having respect for a reason, having an inquiring mind, not making assumptions, and always, especially, questioning your own conclusions—in other words, developing an intellectual work ethic. Try to work these qualities into your daily life. CRAAP Test In 2010, a textbook being used in fourth-grade classrooms in Virginia became big news for all the wrong reasons. The book, Our Virginia by Joy Masoff, had caught the attention of a parent who was helping her child do her homework, according to an article in The Washington Post. Carol Sheriff was a historian for the College of William and Mary and as she worked with her daughter, she began to notice some glaring historical errors, not the least of which was a passage which described how thousands of African Americans fought for the South during the Civil War. Further investigation into the book revealed that, although the author had written textbooks on a variety of subjects, she was not a trained historian. The research she had done to write Our Virginia, and in particular the information she included about Black Confederate soldiers, was done through the Internet and included sources created by groups like the Sons of Confederate Veterans, an organization which promotes views of history that de-emphasize the role of slavery in the Civil War. How did a book with errors like these come to be used as part of the curriculum and who was at fault? Was it Masoff for using untrustworthy sources for her research? Was it the editors who allowed the book to be published with these errors intact? Was it the school board for approving the book without more closely reviewing its accuracy? There are a number of issues at play in the case of Our Virginia, but there’s no question that evaluating sources is an important part of the research process and doesn’t just apply to Internet sources. Using inaccurate, irrelevant, or poorly researched sources can affect the quality of your own work. Being able to understand and apply the concepts that follow is crucial to becoming a more savvy user and creator of information. When you begin evaluating sources, what should you consider? The CRAAP test is a series of common evaluative elements you can use to evaluate the Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose of your sources. The CRAAP test was developed by librarians at California State University at Chico and it gives you a good, overall set of elements to look for when evaluating a resource. Let’s consider what each of these evaluative elements means. You can visit the ACC Library’s Web page for a tutorial on Evaluating Information using the CRAAP test. Currency One of the most important and interesting steps to take as you begin researching a subject is selecting the resources that will help you build your thesis and support your assertions. Certain topics require you to pay special attention to how current your resource is—because they are time sensitive, because they have evolved so much over the years, or because new research comes out on the topic so frequently. When evaluating the currency of an article, consider the following: - When was the item written, and how frequently does the publication come out? - Is there evidence of newly added or updated information in the item? - If the information is dated, is it still suitable for your topic? - How frequently does information change about your topic? Relevance Understanding what resources are most applicable to your subject and why they are applicable can help you focus and refine your thesis. Many topics are broad and searching for information on them produces a wide range of resources. Narrowing your topic and focusing on resources specific to your needs can help reduce the piles of information and help you focus in on what is truly important to read and reference. When determining relevance consider the following: - Does the item contain information relevant to your argument or thesis? - Read the article’s introduction, thesis, and conclusion. - Scan main headings and identify article keywords. - For book resources, start with the index or table of contents—how wide a scope does the item have? Will you use part or all of this resource? - Does the information presented support or refute your ideas? - If the information refutes your ideas, how will this change your argument? - Does the material provide you with current information? - What is the material’s intended audience? Authority Understanding more about your information’s source helps you determine when, how, and where to use that information. Is your author an expert on the subject? Do they have some personal stake in the argument they are making? What is the author or information producer’s background? When determining the authority of your source, consider the following: - What are the author’s credentials? - What is the author’s level of education, experience, and/or occupation? - What qualifies the author to write about this topic? - What affiliations does the author have? Could these affiliations affect their position? - What organization or body published the information? Is it authoritative? Does it have an explicit position or bias? Accuracy Determining where information comes from, if the evidence supports the information, and if the information has been reviewed or refereed can help you decide how and whether to use a source. When determining the accuracy of a source, consider the following: - Is the source well-documented? Does it include footnotes, citations, or a bibliography? - Is information in the source presented as fact, opinion, or propaganda? Are biases clear? - Can you verify information from the references cited in the source? - Is the information written clearly and free of typographical and grammatical mistakes? Does the source look to be edited before publication? A clean, well-presented paper does not always indicate accuracy, but usually at least means more eyes have been on the information. Purpose Knowing why the information was created is a key to evaluation. Understanding the reason or purpose of the information, if the information has clear intentions, or if the information is fact, opinion, or propaganda will help you decide how and why to use information: - Is the author’s purpose to inform, sell, persuade, or entertain? - Does the source have an obvious bias or prejudice? - Is the article presented from multiple points of view? - Does the author omit important facts or data that might disprove their argument? - Is the author’s language informal, joking, emotional, or impassioned? - Is the information clearly supported by evidence? When you feel overwhelmed by the information you are finding, the CRAAP test can help you determine which information is the most useful to your research topic. How you respond to what you find out using the CRAAP test will depend on your topic. Maybe you want to use two overtly biased resources to inform an overview of typical arguments in a particular field. Perhaps your topic is historical and currency means the past hundred years rather than the past one or two years. Use the CRAAP test, be knowledgeable about your topic, and you will be on your way to evaluating information efficiently and well! Developing Yourself As a Critical Thinker Critical thinking is a fundamental skill for college students, but it should also be a lifelong pursuit. Below are additional strategies to develop yourself as a critical thinker in college and in everyday life: - Reflect and practice: Always reflect on what you’ve learned. Is it true all the time? How did you arrive at your conclusions? - Use wasted time: It’s certainly important to make time for relaxing, but if you find you are indulging in too much of a good thing, think about using your time more constructively. Determine when you do your best thinking and try to learn something new during that part of the day. - Redefine the way you see things: It can be very uninteresting to always think the same way. Challenge yourself to see familiar things in new ways. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes and consider things from a different angle or perspective. If you’re trying to solve a problem, list all your concerns: what you need in order to solve it, who can help, what some possible barriers might be, etc. It’s often possible to reframe a problem as an opportunity. Try to find a solution where there seems to be none. - Analyze the influences on your thinking and in your life: Why do you think or feel the way you do? Analyze your influences. Think about who in your life influences you. Do you feel or react a certain way because of social convention, or because you believe it is what is expected of you? Try to break out of any molds that may be constricting you. - Express yourself: Critical thinking also involves being able to express yourself clearly. Most important in expressing yourself clearly is stating one point at a time. You might be inclined to argue every thought, but you might have greater impact if you focus just on your main arguments. This will help others to follow your thinking clearly. For more abstract ideas, assume that your audience may not understand. Provide examples, analogies, or metaphors where you can. - Enhance your wellness: It’s easier to think critically when you take care of your mental and physical health. Try taking activity breaks throughout the day to reach 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Scheduling physical activity into your day can help lower stress and increase mental alertness. Also, do your most difficult work when you have the most energy. Think about the time of day you are most effective and have the most energy. Plan to do your most difficult work during these times. And be sure to reach out for help if you feel you need assistance with your mental or physical health (see Maintaining Your Mental and Physical Health for more information). Complete Section #2 Below: ACTIVITY: REFLECT ON CRITICAL THINKING KEY TAKEAWAYS - Critical thinking is logical and reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do. - Critical thinking involves questioning and evaluating information. - Critical and creative thinking both contribute to our ability to solve problems in a variety of contexts. - Evaluating information is a complex, but essential, process. You can use the CRAAP test to help determine if sources and information are reliable. - You can take specific actions to develop and strengthen your critical thinking skills. ACTIVITY: REFLECT ON CRITICAL THINKING Objective - Apply critical thinking strategies to your life Directions: - Think about someone you consider to be a critical thinker (friend, professor, historical figure, etc). What qualities does he/she have? - Review some of the critical thinking strategies discussed on this page. Pick one strategy that makes sense to you. How can you apply this critical thinking technique to your academic work? - Habits of mind are attitudes and beliefs that influence how you approach the world (i.e., inquiring attitude, open mind, respect for truth, etc). What is one habit of mind you would like to actively develop over the next year? How will you develop a daily practice to cultivate this habit? - Write your responses in journal form, and submit according to your instructor’s guidelines.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.114878	Mary Johnson	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/70780/overview", "title": "Critical Thinking and Evaluating Information", "author": "Assessment" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/77630/overview	Table Formatting Overview This assignment provides information formatting three types of tables. In section two is a resource on the appropriate placement of tables in documents. Table Types - A Document Formatting Assignment Tables Tables are made up of grid lines formatted into horizontal rows and vertical columns. When looking at the structure of a table we identify the columns by a letter and the rows by a number. When formatting a table first decide what information should be included in that table, then determined the number of rows and columns a table will need. A table gives readers the ability to quickly see patterns and identify data variations. Formatting Notes: In this assignment you will be creating three types of tablesAdd a centered title to each table that is part of the table structure--you may need to include this row when calculating your table design. The title should read as "Gardening Experts--(use the specific expertise). Apply vertically centering to all the tables that are completed below. Gardening Experts Table Boxed table Using the information from the Gardening Experts Table, create a Boxed table listing the Annuals and Perennials Experts. Open table Using the information from the Gardening Experts Table above, create a Open table listing the Sustainability and Natives Experts. Add the title Sustainability and Natives Experts to the table structure. Ruled Table Using the information from the Gardening Experts Table above, create a Ruled table listing the Cacti and Succulents Experts. Add the title Cacti and Succulents Experts to the table structure. Center a Table in a Document A table should be formatted, veritcally centered, between the top and bottom of a document's page margins. To Center a Table in a Document 1. Position the insertion point anywhere on the page you want centered (the insertion point should not be inside the table). 2. From the Layout tab, Page Setup group, click the Dialog Box Launcher to display the Page Setup dialog box. 3. From the Page Setup dialog box, Layout tab, Page group, Vertical alignment, click the list arrow; click Center, OK.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.133131	Sherie Guess	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/77630/overview", "title": "Table Formatting", "author": "Homework/Assignment" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/77673/overview	LONDON SMOG Overview I HAVE MADE THIS IMAGE ON ON CANVA APP AND IT CONSISTS OF TOPIC LONDON SMOG WITH SUBTOPICS OF REASON, POLLUTANTS , HEALTH EFFECTS ETC I HAVE MADE THIS IMAGE ON ON CANVA APP AND IT CONSISTS OF TOPIC LONDON SMOG WITH SUBTOPICS OF REASON, POLLUTANTS , HEALTH EFFECTS ETC	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.148027	SHARVANI DESHPANDE	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/77673/overview", "title": "LONDON SMOG", "author": "Diagram/Illustration" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/115620/overview	Activity: SESMag Cognitive Styles Reflection Overview What are your facet values when using software? What's one situation when your facet values might change? How did identifying your facet values affect your understanding of how you use software? Cognitive Styles Reflection What are your facet values when using software? One or more sentences each. Facet \| Your facet value Ex: I prefer to tinker with most software and usually skip tutorials. \| Access to Reliable Technology \| AccessToReliableTechnologyFacetValue \| Communication Literacy/Education/Culture \| CommunicationLiteracyFacetValue \| Attitudes Toward Technology Risk \| AttitudeTowardTechnologyRiskFacetValue \| \| Technology Privacy and Security \| TechnologyPrivacyandSecurityFacetValue \| Perceived Control and Attitude Toward Authority \| PerceivedControlandAttitudeTowardAuthorityFacetValue \| Technology Self-Efficacy \| TechnologySelfEfficacyFacetValue \| What's one situation when your facet values might change? Two or more sentences. Be specific. SituationWhenFacetValuesChange \| How did identifying your facet values affect your understanding of how you use software? Two or more sentences. Be specific. HowIdentificationAffectedUnderstanding \|	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.166030	Activity/Lab	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/115620/overview", "title": "Activity: SESMag Cognitive Styles Reflection", "author": "Information Science" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/116779/overview	Chemistry I Laboratory Manual Overview Chemistry I Laboratory Manual This is a hyperlink to the Lumen Learning Chemistry I lab collection. It provides instructor notes, overviews, pre-lab lectures, content videos, and lab introductions, materials and safety lists, and worksheets for the lab topics listed below. It also gives a final exam review that covers all these topics. This is a great resource for an introductory chemistry class (Mohave's CHM 130, would be an example). Direct link: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/chemistry1labs/ Module 1: Fun with Dimensional Analysis Module 2: Density of a Sucrose Solution Module 3: Percent Composition Laboratory Module 4: Stoichiometry/Reactions of Calcium Module 5: Limiting Reactant Laboratory Module 6: Reactions and Solubility Laboratory Module 7: Titration of a Carbonated Beverage Module 8: Molar Mass of a Volatile Liquid Module 9: Calorimetry/Thermochemistry to the Rescue Module 10: Hess Law Module 11: Molecular Geometry Material Description Add your material description here including the course name and number, and learning outcomes. Add a public link to the material here. Please be sure the setting are for public access so others can view and/or download the material. For example, if sharing through Canvas, be sure the material is shared through the Canvas Commons. Attached your syllabus (if applicable) here by clicking the Attach Section paperclick image below, then choose the correct file form from your computer, name your syllabus, and save. Material Attachement Attach the resource here by clicking the Attach Section paperclick image below, then choose the correct file form from your computer, name your material(s), and save.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.181699	Homework/Assignment	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/116779/overview", "title": "Chemistry I Laboratory Manual", "author": "Assessment" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/18959/overview	Team GreBar-Cen-SKei-Du! OSP NGSS4Oregon Module #2 - Talk & Equity Overview The Oregon Science Project Module #2 is designed for K-12 and nonformal educators who want to learn more about NGSS, with an emphasis on the central role student discourse and talk play in the K-12 NGSS classroom. It is designed to provide 3-4 hours of work and asks learners to create something new to contribute to the work. Who talks and why? Engaging All Students Why Is Science Talk Important? Individual Work C Module #2 Components: Task #1 - Why is Science Talk Important? Individual Work Task #2 - Why is Science Talk Important? Group Reflection and Discussion Task #3 - What Does Science Talk in the Classroom Look Like? Individual Work Task #4 - What Does Science Talk in the Classroom Look Like? Group Reflection and Discussion Task #5 - How Do We Increase Science Talk? How Do We Show Others? Individual Work Task #6 - How Do We Increase Science Talk? How Do We Show Others? Group Reflection and Discussion On Your Own: Components: Readings, visuals, and survey response to prepare for Task #2 Relevance: Choose between primary, elementary, and secondary options Preparation: This individual work portion prepares you to engage in reflective discussion with a small group in Task #2 Questions driving our work together in this module: Q: Why is it important to engage all of our students in science talk? Q: How do students engage in talk during science in your classroom (what protocols, norms, or framing do you use)? Q: How would you like them to engage? Students' attitude, motivation, and identity greatly impact how, and if, they participate productively in science in the classroom. The impact of these traits on student learning vary greatly K-12. Research also shows that it is the teacher's framing of the classroom that is essentail for promoting students' feeling of belonging and participation necessary for them to share their ideas and make their thinking public. "I can do science." "I want to do science." "I belong." Please click on the resources below that best relate to your practice and interests. As you engage with them, think about how you frame your classroom to promote productive participation for your students, and what is needed to include more students. You will need to use these resources to complete Survey #1 at the end of this task below. Once you have completed that survey, you can proceed to Task #2. Primary Resources to Complete this Task Upper Elementary Resources to Complete this Task Secondary Resources to Complete this Task Survey #1 - complete after engaging with relevant resources Why is Science Talk Important? Group Reflection and Discussion c In A Small Group: Components: Survey with question prompts to drive reflective discussion. Every person completes their own survey. Relevance: Although the resources vary by grade level, this group task is not grade-level specific. Bring your thinking and reflections from Task 1 so you are ready to contribute to the group discussion. Please collaboratively complete the survey by discussing questions together as each of you fills out your own survey. Survey #2 Why is Science Talk Important? Group Reflection and Discussion What Does Science Talk in the Classroom Look Like? Individual Work c On Your Own: Components: Grade-appropriate video examples and resources (NO SURVEY) Relevance: Choose between primary, elementary, and secondary options Preparation: This individual work portion prepares you to engage in reflective group discussion "Instruction can be designed in ways that foster a positive orientation toward science and promote productive participation in science classrooms. Such approaches include offering choice, providing meaningful tasks and an appropriate level of challenge, giving students authority over their learning while making sure their work can be examined by others, and making sure they have access to the resources they need to evaluate their claims and communicate them to others." - Taking Science to School. Questions from prior work continues to drive your discussion and should be considered as you engage with the materials below: Q: Why is it important to engage all of our students in science talk? Q: How do students engage in talk during science in your classroom (what protocols, norms, or framing do you use)? Q: How would you like them to engage? Please select the grade level that is most relevant for your practice and watch all video segments and engage with any readings or articles. Be ready to bring your observations and questions to your small group discussion in Task #4. As you engage, make connections to your own practice and your vision for increased productive participation by more of your students. Primary Grades Upper Elementary Talk Moves Primer (read pages 7-11) Secondary Discourse Primer (read pages 5-14 paying attention to "discourse moves") There is no survey for this task. Be ready to engage in active discussion around what talk looks like for the next task. What Does Science Talk in the Classroom Look Like? Group Reflection and Discussion c In A Small Group: Components: Survey with question prompts to drive reflective discussion. Every person completes their own survey. Relevance: Although the resources vary by grade level, this group task is not grade-level specific. As a small group, please collaboratively complete the survey by discussing questions together as each of you fills out your own survey. Be sure to bring in your impressions, observations, and wonderings prompted by the resources in Task #3. Survey #3 Group Reflection and Individual Survey How Do We Increase Student Science Talk? How Do We Show Others? Individual Work c On Your Own: Components: Blog post reading, task analysis survey, exploration of gradeband NGSS storylines Preparation: This individual work portion prepares you to engage in reflective group discussion When we think of framing we are referring to "a set of expectations an individual has about the situation in which she finds herself that affects what she notices and how she thinks to act." - Resources, Framing, and Transfer Please read this short blog post comparing two different classrooms using the idea of framing to set the context for student exploration, learning, and understanding of what they are learning in science as envisioned by the NGSS. Look at these norms and think of your own classroom. As you set the context and frame your classroom for productive participation, look closely to see how you are asking students to productively participate. Below is an example from the Inquiry Project where teachers worked collaboratively when approaching their students to develop norms for equitable participation. Please complete this task analysis survey below on your own by imagining a hypothetical group of students. Please consider a group of students engaged in the task who are similar to students you work with in your own practice. How can the NGSS practices guide planning for rich language use and development by students? One tool that can help us is a task analysis process. Please read the first pages of a relevant grade and/or core idea storyline below in preparation to think about a relevant task to create and analyze that could provide opportunities for productive participation by students by engaging them in NGSS practices. Remember, the task should be very small requiring only 10-20 minutes of work by students. Any larger grain size of task and the task analysis is no longer a useful tool. We are having you use the storyline as a tool because it covers the core ideas of your grade(s) and lets us connect to our ideas of hands-on explorations. You are also welcome to go further into the documents and work from a performance expectation, but the task for this must be at a very small grain size in comparison to the gigantic performance expectations. You will be crafting the task with the support of your small group in Task #5. NGSS Storylines How Do We Increase Student Science Talk? How Do We Show Others? Group Reflection and Discussion c In a Small Group: Components: Two surveys to drive reflection and creation. Collaboratively complete Survey #4. Utilizing your experience learning more about framing, productive partcipation norms, and task analysis please collaboratively go through Survey #4 below. One at a time each participant should share their draft ideas for a task they planned on their own in Task 5. You will submit your task (remember small grain size!) on this survey and you will be able to see others' tasks as well. Survey #4: Collaborative Survey for Task Creation Here is an image of the 3 dimensions to quickly reference as you create your tasks. Collaboratively complete Survey #5. Each person will have the group analyze their newly created task and then each person submits their survey for their task only. Directions on survey. Survey #5: Collaborative Survey for Analysis of Your Tasks Once everyone has completed the surveys and the discussion has wrapped up: Look at the collective responses and discuss how you could use this in your practice to communicate the importance of talk in the science classroom.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.208986	11/26/2017	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/18959/overview", "title": "Team GreBar-Cen-SKei-Du! OSP NGSS4Oregon Module #2 - Talk & Equity", "author": "Jennie Richard" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/55012/overview	Ch. 17 Government and Politics: Supplemental Review Slides Voting and Political Knowledge: Data Collection Guide Module 7- Institutions: Education, Government and Politics Overview Text, slides, and classroom activities related to education and government. Primary text: OpenStax Introduction to Sociology 2e Institutions- Education, Government and Politics: Learning Objectives Distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate exercises of power Compare and contrast Weber’s ideal types of authority Identify patterns in voting behavior (U.S.) and describe the relationship between social factors and political participation Compare and contrast functionalist (pluralism) and conflict (power elite) perspectives on political power Describe the relationship between education and industrialization Identify manifest and latent functions of formal education (functionalist perspective) Explain the role of the educational system in maintaining and reproducing inequality (conflict perspective) Institutions- Education, Government and Politics: Readings Institutions- Education, Government and Politics: Supplemental Review Slides The attached slides provide a useful review of concepts from chapters 16 and 17 in your textbook. Institutions- Education, Government and Politics: Class Activities Activity 18: Design an Educational System Learning Objectives: Identify and think critically about issues associated with ensuring equal access to educational opportunities, recognize challenges and opportunities within the educational system CSSS: Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication Instructions: Your group has been charged with creating an educational system for the newly-independent country of Xelportem, an island nation with a similar size and demographic profile as the DFW Metroplex. You may structure this system any way that you choose in order to reach your goal of ensuring that all Xelportemi youth have the knowledge and skills necessary in contemporary society. On a separate sheet of paper, create a proposal for a new system by answering the following questions: - What is the purpose of education in Xelportem? What values and goals are most important? - Curriculum (what subjects will be taught, why?) - What ages (and/or grades) will be included? Why? - Will participation be mandatory or voluntary? Why? - How will schools be funded? (Note: 25% of Xelportmenis are poor and pay no property taxes, the wealthiest 5% of citizens pay property taxes but generally hire private tutors, the shrinking middle class have concerns about school quality and tax rates.) - How will you ensure that all students have an equal education? (Note: Roughly 10% of Xelportemi youth have significant social and emotional issues related to the country’s long civil war. These students require extra additional resources, but can be successful. Nodistani immigrants account for 10% [and growing] of the population. Bilingual education for these students requires additional funds.) - What educational requirements will you have for teachers? - How will you evaluate teacher effectiveness? - How will you evaluate student progress? Will you use standardized tests? Why or why not? - How will you address issues such as discipline, cheating, bullying, and violence? Activity 19: Voting and Political Knowledge Learning Objectives: Apply the scientific method/research process to uncover political behavior in the local environment CSSS: Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Organization Instructions: Conduct a mini-research project examining voting behaviors and political knowledge at <Insert College>. Follow these steps (in this order!) to create your report: Step 1: Generate Hypotheses—what do you expect to find and why? Step 2: Data Collection—using the attached form as a guide, collect basic demographic information and ask at least 8 people whether they voted in the last state or local election and how many of the listed officials they can correctly identify: the current Governor, at least one Senator (TX), and at least one County Commissioner. Step 3: Analyze and Interpret Data—compare your results with your hypotheses and information from the text. Are your findings similar or different? How? Why? What are some possible explanations for these results? Step 4: Present Findings—create two graphs: (1.) Voting by Gender, and (2.) Knowledge of Elected Officials	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.241613	06/02/2019	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/55012/overview", "title": "Module 7- Institutions: Education, Government and Politics", "author": "India Stewart" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/56709/overview	3.4 Macromolecule Nucleic Acid 3.4 Macromolecule: Nucleic Acid This animated lecture video explores the topics of nucleic acids, structure , and types of bonding which occurs. This video lecture corresponds with Chapter 3 of Openstax Biology 2e. This animated lecture video explores the topics of nucleic acids, structure,and types of bonding which occurs.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.254238	08/06/2019	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/56709/overview", "title": "3.4 Macromolecule Nucleic Acid", "author": "Urbi Ghosh" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/63703/overview	Zine Handout Overview Zine handout created for an introductory course on feminist theories and foundations at MacEwan University in Edmonton, AB. Zine handout created for a gender studies class discussing zines, the Riot Grrrl movement, and zine culture. Save to PDF before printing. Fold paper vertically, then horizontally into quarters. Cut vertically along the two middle sections then push the inside sections outward to form a little 6 page booklet.	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.272592	robyn hall	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/63703/overview", "title": "Zine Handout", "author": "Primary Source" }
https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/80318/overview	Aegean Sea circled on world map Andes Mountains Bantu migration on Africa map Bantu Migrations Video Transcript Ch 2 Rivers Cities & First States Vocab List Ch 3 Nomads Territorial States Microsocieties Vocab List H250 ONL(1) Ch 4 First Empires & Common Cultures Vocabulary List Ch 4 quiz and answers Ch 8 The Rise of Universalizing Religions Vocab List China Circled on World Map China Circled on World Map Comparison of Brahmanism and Jainism in India Egypt in square on Africa with Nile River map Eurasian Steppes in box on world map Greece on mediterranean region map India circled on World Map Indus river Valley on world map Introduce yourself Map of Vedic Migration into Northern India Mayan area in mesoamerica on americas map Mediterranean on world map Mesoamerica on Americas map Neo-Assyrian Empire on Middle East Close Up Map Neo-Assyrian Empire on World Map Nicene Creed Note Taking Skills Post Test Note Taking Skills PreTest Nubia on Africa map Pakistan and India on World Map Persian Empire Middle East Close Up Persian Empire on World Map Phoenicia & Israel on Mediterranean Map Pre-Test Quiz & Answer Key REVIEW OF TOPIC 1 Sea Peoples Migration Map SubSaharan Africa on world map Syllabus Quiz The Americas on the World Map Topic 1 Journal Assignment Topic 1 Lucy and the Fruit Tree (Australopithecines) Topic 1 Quiz & Answers Topic 1 Vocabulary List Topic 2 Discussion Assignment Topic 2 Journal Assignment Topic 2 Quiz & Answers Topic 3 Journal Assignment Topic 3 Quiz and Answers topic 4 journal assignment Topic 5 Journal Assignment Topic 5 Journal Assignment Topic 5 quiz with answers Topic 5 Worlds Turned Inside Out Vocab List Topic 8 Journal Assignment Topic 8 Vocab Quiz Answer Key Topics 1-3 Review World Map World Map Vedic Migration Pakistan India World map with middle east square History of World Civilizations to 1750 Syllabus Overview This course surveys the rise, growth, and flowering of world civilizations in Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. It emphasizes diversity as well as universal themes which unite all human cultures. It is appropriate for grades 11-12, community college stidents, and university underclassmen. Syllabus The online text lectures are derived from my lecture notes from past courses. Supplemental audio, video, readings, and games are open educational resources. This course does not use a textbook. South Carolina State University Spring 2021 \| H250-45 History of World Civilizations: Beginnings to 1750 Online \| \| \|\|\| Jan 4 – Apr 27 ONLINE Instructor: Susan Kwosek \| Department of Social Sciences -HISTORY Email: skwosek@scsu.edu \| \| \|\|\| Office Hours Office: NH 307-0 \| Monday & Wednesday 10:00-11:30 Tuesday & Thursday 2:00-3:00 \| \| \|\|\| Virtual office meetings are available upon request. To connect to Dr. Kwosek’s virtual office, plug in a headset to your computer; open a web browser, then copy and paste the following URL into the web browser: \| \|\|\|\|\| https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/a4859dfe68304c088dffca4996ef4229 \| \|\|\|\|\| \| \| \|\|\|\| I am a DREAMer & LGBTQ Ally \| \| \|\|\|\| Note: Syllabus may change without notice in response to unanticipated events \| \| \|\|\|\| Course Description \| This course surveys the rise, growth, and flowering of world civilizations in Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. It emphasizes diversity as well as universal themes which unite all human cultures. \| \| \|\|\| Disciplinary Approach \| Historical inquiry is not a list names and dates, and it is not “just what happened.” The historical discipline requires not only reading source materials, but also analysis of those materials and the claims they make or the matters they choose to leave unrecorded. Historical analysis is based on evidence from the past filtered through scholarly scrutiny. NOT ALL SOURCES OF INFORMATION ARE CREATED EQUAL. In this course, you will not only learn about world civilizations, but you will begin the process of learning to study, speak, and write as scholarly historians. This means that your participation in this course, whether spoken, written, gestured, or signed must remain rooted in historical evidence as presented during the course rather than personal beliefs. We will engage with scholarly sources of information and conduct intellectual group discussions. For additional communication expectations please refer to “Respectful Participation” under the section heading “Course Requirements.” \| \| \|\|\| Prerequisite \| Mastery of the following tasks using Blackboard Learn 9.1: • Navigate the Blackboard Learn 9.1 interface • Share documents with classmates using the Blackboard Group Tool • Submit a document using the Assignment Tool • Send an email message to the course instructor using the Email Tool • Post comments to a discussion forum • Reply to comments posted to a discussion forum \| \| \|\|\| Required Textbook \| None required. All learning materials are online in Blackboard. Alternately, the lessons correspond to the chapters in this textbook: Worlds Together, Worlds Apart, vol. 1, concise 2E, Elizabath Pollard et. al. ISBN: 0393668541 \| Course Objectives / Learning Outcomes \| 1. Students should be able to demonstrate a broad, comparative understanding of the human past (context) by: 2. Students should be able to demonstrate their ability to think critically about the past (critical thinking) by: 3. Students should be able to demonstrate ability to develop original and complex interpretations of the past (discovery) by: \| Instructional Methods \| In addition to the textbook, combinations of online presentation content, web-based readings, discussions posts, interactive technologies and online quizzes will be used throughout the course. \| Technical Support \| If you need assistance with Blackboard Learn 9.1, please contact Blackboard Support Services at (844) 348-1608 or online at: https://help.edusupportcenter.com/shplite/scsu/home. Blackboard Support Services are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week/365 days a year. If you have forgotten your SC State username or password, your account is locked or your password needs to be reset, please contact the UCITS Help Desk at (803) 536-8111 or send an email to helpme@scsu.edu. Please include your username and a contact number. \| Technical Requirements \| The course will be taught using the Blackboard Learn learning management system. Your computer should have at least: 4GB of RAM and Windows 7 or Mac OS 10.5, or higher. NOTE: Please do not rely exclusively on using a tablet computer, including an iPad, or a smartphone to use Blackboard. Not all features will work on mobile devices. You will need access to a full computer to be able to do everything in your Blackboard class. Software: Microsoft Word Plug-ins: Adobe Acrobat Reader - https://get.adobe.com/reader/ (copy and paste the web link into your internet browser and click on Install Now, then follow the on-screen prompts) \| Attendance & Participation \| Although this course is taught online, this is not a correspondence, self-paced, or independent study course. Participants will have assignments and other activities with due dates and some of these assignments will require you to work collaboratively with other members of the class. “Attendance” in an online course is defined as active participation in the course as outlined in the course syllabus. You should login to the course at least once per day to complete learning activities and assignments. Weekly participation in and completion of specified learning activities is required to successfully complete this course. \| Assignment Submission \| All assignments must be submitted electronically via Blackboard Learn 9.1 unless otherwise instructed by the course facilitator. \| Late Assignments \| Assignments must be submitted by the designated due dates/times as outlined within weekly modules posted in the Blackboard course site. The acceptance of late assignments is at the discretion of the course facilitator. All requirements for the course must be completed during the course dates. No requests for extensions will be accepted after the closing date for the course. \| Response Time to Emails \| The course facilitator will respond to emails from participants within 24 business hours, Monday – Friday. \| Return of Graded Assignments \| The Instructor will make every effort to return graded assignments within four business (4) days following the assignment due date. \| Nettiquette \| Participants are expected demonstrate respect and sensitivity in communications and interactions with fellow classmates and the course facilitator. The online course environment is not the place for abusive language, personal attacks, or other actions deemed inappropriate. \| Proctored Exams \| There are no proctored exams required for this course. \| Assessment Measures \| This course is worth 150 points total. Do not take assignments for granted because you see a low point value. Every point counts. Because you know the total is 150 points, you will always be able to look at your scores on Blackboard and easily calculate your current grade. Students will be made aware of their progress toward fulfilling course objectives via: \| Estimated Time Requirements \| Students should expect to spend 3-6 hours per week reading the textbook and completing online instructional materials and assignments. \| Plagiarism \| Plagiarism is not only quoting a source verbatim without crediting that source. If an idea or concept is not wholly your own you MUST cite the source from which you gained the knowledge. Any act of plagiarism, large or small, will result in course failure. Procedures regarding academic misconduct are available online at https://www.scsu.edu/studentaffairs/officeofstudentdisabilityservices.aspx \| Disability Services \| Students with a disability who require reasonable accommodations to fully participate in this course should notify the instructor within the first two weeks of the semester. Such students should work closely with the Office for Disability Services. The telephone number is 803-536-7245. Online information is available at https://www.scsu.edu/studentaffairs/officeof studentdisabilityservices.aspx \| Academic Warnings \| Student progress is monitored, and progress indicators are posted on Blackboard throughout the semester. Instructors and academic advisors usually communicate with students if problems arise, but it is the responsibility of the student to check, and to take immediate action when necessary to improve the grade. If there are issues related to attendance; missing assignments, and/or limited progress, please contact the instructor and your academic advisor as soon as possible \| \| Academic Honesty & Conduct \| Academic misconduct includes but is not limited to cheating, encouraging academic dishonesty, fabrication, plagiarism, bribes, favors, threats, grade tampering, non-original work, and examination by proxy. Procedures regarding academic misconduct are available online at https://www.scsu.edu/admissions/registrarsoffice/academicregulations degreerequirements.aspx \| \| Discrimination & Harassment \| All members of the SCSU community are required to follow the policy available in the Student Handbook. Cyber bullying on social media is a form of electronic harassment and will not be tolerated. \| \| Criteria for Final Grades \| Final grades encompass all participation, assignments, activities, exams, and papers for the semester. \| \| A 90% or higher \| Student clearly demonstrates understanding of the ideas presented via lecture or in course readings and is able to express original and creative thought via class participation and assignments which are completed on time and reflect meticulous attention to accuracy, writing skill, and overall expression of ideas. \| \| B 80% – 89% \| Student clearly demonstrates understanding of the ideas presented via lecture or in course readings and is able to express original and creative thought the majority of the time via class participation and assignments which are completed on time and reflect significant attention to accuracy, writing skill, and overall expression of ideas. \| \| C 70 – 79% \| Student demonstrates some understanding of the ideas presented via lecture or in course readings and is able to engage in some discussion of these ideas via class participation and assignments which are completed mainly on time and reflect attempted attention to accuracy, writing skill, and overall expression of ideas. \| \| D 60 – 69% \| Student cannot demonstrate understanding of the ideas presented via lecture or in course readings or is not able to engage in some discussion of these ideas via class participation and assignments; or assignments are not often completed on time or do not reflect attention to accuracy, writing skill, or overall expression of ideas. \| \| F 59% or lower \| Student cannot demonstrate understanding of the ideas presented via lecture or in course readings or is not able to engage in some discussion of these ideas via class participation and assignments; or assignments are not often completed on time or do not reflect attention to accuracy, writing skill, or overall expression of ideas. \| \| Counseling Services \| Counseling services are provided at no charge to all undergraduate and graduate students who feel overwhelmed by academic, personal and professional concerns. Appointments can be made in person at the Counseling and Self Development Center or by phoning (803) 536-7245. Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. In the event of an after-hours or weekend emergency, please contact the University Police Department at (803) 536-7188. \| \| Student Success and Retention \| Students who are not performing well academically please contact the Student Success and Retention Programs office. They are there to help you. Online information is available at https://www.scsu.edu/currentstudents/studentsuccessandretention programs.aspx \| \| COVID-19 Guidelines for Face-to-Face Courses \| Each of us shares responsibility for the health and safety of all in the classroom environment. Maintain social distances, wear a face cover, and quarantine when ill are university directives that we all must follow until further notice (for the latest guidance see the “Health & Social Distancing Guidelines” at http://reopen.scsucovid19.com/ ). Specifically, in this classroom we will mitigate the risks of virus transfer by abiding by the following safety directives: Any student who does not follow these provisions will be asked once to follow the safety directives. If the student does not comply, I will next ask the student to leave the class for that day. I will also refer the matter to the Dean of Students Office for review and possible disciplinary actions as described in the SCSU Student Code of Conduct should a student persist in ignoring safety directives. https://www.scsu.edu/files/Student%20Code%20of%20Conduct%20-%20MP%2082119.pdf \| Course Calendar & Due Dates Assignments and open educational resources used in the course are listed in the next section, "Assignments & Resources." Calendar & Due Dates \| All readings are to be completed during the week indicated. Weeks (except for the last week) begin on Monday and end Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. All course assignments, quizzes, exams, etc. are due by the last day of the week (Sunday) by 11:59 p.m. unless otherwise indicated. The course ends Tuesday, April 27. No coursework will be accepted after that date. Week \| Topic \| Reading \| Coursework Due This Week \| Point \| Week 1 Jan 4-10 \| Course Orientation General Education Course Pre-Test Note Taking Skills (NTS) Pre-Test \| \| Syllabus Quiz............................... Introduction Assignment….…. Ungraded Pre-Test………..…. Ungraded NTS Pre-Test…… \| 3 1 1 1 \| Week 2 Jan 11-17 \| Becoming Human Note Taking Skills (NTS) Post-Test \| Topic 1 \| Topic 1 Quiz…………...…… Topic 1 Journal…….………… Graded NTS Post-Test………. \| 2 3 1 \| Week 3 Jan 18-24 \| Rivers, Cities, and First States \| Topic 2 \| Topic 2 Quiz……………….… Topic 2 Discussion…………... Topic 2 Journal………….…… \| 2 3 3 \| Week 4 Jan 25-31 \| Nomads, Territorial States, and Microsocieties \| Topic 3 \| Topic 3 Quiz……………..… Topic 3 Journal…………….. Topics 1-3 Study Guide……… \| 2 3 3 \| Week 5 Feb 1-7 \| Review Topics 1-3 First Empires and Common Cultures \| Topic 4 \| Topic 1-3 Review ………….. Topic 4 Quiz……………….. Topic 4 Journal…………….. Project Update 1…................ \| 2 2 3 1 \| Week 6 Feb 8-14 \| Worlds Turned Inside Out Review Topics 1-5: Map Review \| Topic 5 \| Topic 5 Quiz…………..…… Topic 5 Journal………..…… Topics 1-5 Map Review …….. \| 2 3 2 \| Week 7 Feb 15-21 \| Shrinking the Afro-Eurasian World, 350-100 BCE \| Topic 6 \| Topic 6 Quiz…………..…… Topic 6 Journal…………….. Topic 6 Discussion………..... \| 2 3 3 \| Week 8 Feb 22-28 \| Review Topics 4-6: Han Dynasty China & Imperial Rome, 300 BCE – 300 CE \| Topic 7 \| Topics 4-6 Review ……….. Topics 4-6 Study Guide ….. Topic 7 Quiz……………..… Topic 7 Journal…………..… \| 2 3 2 3 \| Week 9 Mar 1-7 \| The Rise of Universalizing Religions, 300-600 CE NO CLASSES Monday March 1 \| Topic 8 \| Topic 8 Quiz………..…… Topic 8 Journal………..…… Topic 8 Discussion…………. \| 2 3 3 \| Week 10 Mar 8-14 \| New Empires and Common Cultures, 600-1000 CE NO CLASSES Tuesday March 9 \| Topic 9 \| Topic 9 Quiz…………………. Topic 9 Journal…………….… \| 2 3 \| Week 11 Mar 15-21 \| Becoming the World, 1000-1300 CE NO CLASSES Wednesday March 17 \| Topic 10 \| Topics 7-9 Review ………..… Topic7-9 Study Guide ……….. Project Update 2 …………….. Topic 10 Quiz……….……….. Topic 10 Journal…………….. \| 2 3 1 2 3 \| Week 12 Mar22-28 \| Crisis & Recovery in Afro-Eurasia, 1300-1500 CE NO CLASSES Thursday March 25 \| Topic 11 \| Topic 11 Quiz………….…….. Topic 11 Journal……….…….. Topic 11 Discussion…………. \| 2 3 3 \| Week 13 Mar 29-Apr 4 \| Contact, Commerce, and Colonization, 1450-1600 NO CLASSES Friday April 2 \| Topic 12 \| Topic 12 Quiz……….……….. Topic 12 Journal……….…….. Topic 10-12 Review ……..… \| 2 3 2 \| Week 14 Apr 5-11 \| Worlds Entangled, 1600-1750 \| Topic 13 \| Topic 13 Quiz……………… Topics 10-13 Study Guide…. Ungraded GEC Post-Test……. \| 2 3 1 \| Week 15 Apr12-18 \| Vocabulary list for the Final Exam will be available in Blackboard Monday, April 12 by noon. FINAL EXAM DUE Sunday, April 18 by 11:59 p.m. \| No New Material \| Final Exam…………………... \| 22 \| Week 16 Apr19-27 \| Work on your final project. FINAL PROJECT DUE Tuesday, April 27 by 11:59 p.m. \| No New Material \| Final Project…………….…… \| 22 \| TOTAL POINTS FOR THE COURSE \| 150 \| Assignments and Resources for the Orientation & Topic 1 Lessons A list of Instructor resources by lesson topic appears below. Assignments are attached and named to reflect their placement in the course. Week \| List of Instructor Resources & Assignments by Lesson Topic \| Week 1 Jan 4-10 \| Course Orientation After completing this lesson you willl be able to: Syllabus Quiz (attached) General Education Pre-Test (attached) Note Taking Skills Pre-Test (attached) Introduce Yourself (attached) \| Week 2 Jan 11-17 \| Topic 1: Becoming Human Topic 1 Vocabulary List (attached) Powerpoint Show: Lucy & the Fruit Tree (Australopithecines) (attached) Note Taking Skills Post-Test (attached) Topic 1 Quiz (attached) \| \| Assignments and Resources for Topics 2 and 3 \| Instructor Resources & Assignments \| Week 3 Jan 18-24 \| Topic 2: Rivers, Cities, and First States: Review of Topic 1 (attached) Topic 2 Vocabulary List (attached) Link to the Epic of Gilgamesh: https://archive.org/details/TheEpicofGilgamesh_201606/mode/2up Video: King Tut's tomb unveiled after decade-long restoration (CBS news) YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdeC2-vSDtQ Video: Steve Martin "King Tut" (SNL): https://youtu.be/FYbavuReVF4 Topic 2 Vocabulary Quiz (attached) Topic 2 Discussion Assignment (attached) Topic 2 Journal Assignment (attached) Printable Maps (attached) \| Week 4 Jan 25-31 \| Topic 3: Nomads, Territorial States, and Microsocieties Topic 3 Vocabulary List (attached) Topic 3 Quiz and Answers Topic 3 Journal Assignment (attached) Printable Maps (attached) \| Assignments and Resources for Topics 4 and 5 Instructor Resources & Assignments \| \| Week 5 Feb 1-7 \| Topic 4: First Empires and Common Cultures Review of Topics 1-3 (attached) Topic 4 Vocabulary List (attached) Topic 4 Vocabulary Quiz (attached) Topic 4 Journal Assignment (attached) Printable Maps (attached) \| Week 6 Feb 8-14 \| Topic 5: Worlds Turned Inside Out Topic 5 Vocabulary List (attached) Daoist meditation music: "Happiness of Immortal Gods" https://youtu.be/bHvznGZXtZ0 Table: Comparison of Brahmanism & Jainism in India (attached) Topic 5 Vocabulary Quiz (attached) Link to Topics 1-5 Map Review Activity https://www.educaplay.com/learning-resources/5671143-world_civilizations_map.html Topic 5 Journal Assignment (attached) Printable Maps (attached) \| Assignments and Resources for Topics 6 and 7 Instructor Resources & Assignments \| \| Week 7 February 15-21 \| Topic 6: Shrinking the Afro-Eurasian World, 350-100 BCE Topic 6 Objectives: After completing this lesson you will be able to: Review of Topics 1-3 (attached) Topic 4 Vocabulary List (attached Topic 4 Vocabulary Quiz (attached) Topic 4 Journal Assignment (attached) Printable Maps (attached) \| Week 8 Februaru 22-28 \| Topic 5: Worlds Turned Inside Out Topic 5 Vocabulary List (attached) Daoist meditation music: "Happiness of Immortal Gods" https://youtu.be/bHvznGZXtZ0 Table: Comparison of Brahmanism & Jainism in India (attached) Topic 5 Vocabulary Quiz (attached) Link to Topics 1-5 Map Review Activity https://www.educaplay.com/learning-resources/5671143-world_civilizations_map.html Topic 5 Journal Assignment (attached) Printable Maps (attached) \| Assignments and Resources for Topics 8 and 9 Week 9 Mar 1-7 \| Topic 8: The Rise of Universalizing Religions, 300-600 CE Objectives: Assignments & Resources: Topic 8 Vocabulary List (attached) Topic 8 Vocabulary Quiz with Answers (attached) Video: Roman Mythology Animated https://youtu.be/iPAwnvyN6xw Nicene Creed (attached) Sub-Saharan Africa on a World Map (attached) Bantu Migration on Map of Africa (attached) Video: The Great Bantu Migration https://youtu.be/B7dtsda1J9M The Great Bantu Migration Transcript (attached) Topic 8 Journal Assignment based on The Great Bantu Migration video (attached) Mayan Homeland on Map of the Americas (attached) \| Week 10 Mar 8-14 \| Topic 9: New Empires and Common Cultures, 600-1000 CE \|	oercommons	2025-03-18T00:37:57.460506	Homework/Assignment	{ "license": "Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "url": "https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/80318/overview", "title": "History of World Civilizations to 1750 Syllabus", "author": "Assessment" }

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