Blog Archives
Four New eTextbooks Added to NCLOR OER Collection
The American Public University System ePress (APUS) ePress is an electronic academic publisher providing high quality open access, low cost, and specialty digital materials for online classroom and scholarly use. There are currently four course eTextbooks available within this series. The courses titles included are:
- Effectiveness in Writing
- Music Appreciation
- Research, Analysis, and Writing
- World Literature Anthology: Through the Renaissance
These works are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License.
The NCCCS courses that these resources may supplement are; ENG111, ENG116, ENG252, and MUS110.
To access these resources, you can do any of the following:
- Since these resources are open, you can access the series via Guest Access here: American Public University System ePress.
- Also you may log into the NCLOR and click on the More button on the left menu bar. Then click the Resource Series link and click the series of your choice.
- If you are K-14 faculty, you can add the links to the resources directly to your LMS based course. (learn how)
Wake Tech. CC NEH Grant resources now available in the NCLOR
As part of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Division at Wake Technical Community College has developed and implemented a project, “America’s Wars: Individual Experience and Cultural Memory.” These resources have been made available in the open educational resources collection within the NCLOR.
The goal of this project is to render more visible the experiences of military veterans and their families by incorporating their perspectives into humanities courses. Additionally, the America’s Wars project aims to help WTCC veterans make the difficult transition from military to college. This project also strives to present an accurate depiction of the nature of war and what soldiers endure physically and psychologically in order to foster both a better understanding of veterans and to educate students who may be considering military service or transitioning from it.
By incorporating war-related materials into English, history, psychology, and philosophy courses, this project promotes cultural awareness and sensitivity to the experiences of others and enhances students’ critical thinking by helping them understand the importance of questioning prevailing beliefs and master narratives.
NCCCS courses in which the NEH resources were incorporated were:
- ENG-242 British Literature II
- HIS-111 World Civilizations I
- HIS-112 World Civilizations II
- HIS-121 Western Civilization I
- HIS-122 Western Civilization II
- HIS-131 American History I
- HIS-132 American History II
- HUM-115 Critical Thinking
- PHI-215 Philosophical Issues
- PHI-240 Introduction to Ethics
To access these resources, you can do any of the following:
- Since these resources are open, you can access the series via Guest Access here:NEH Wake Tech CC Grant .
- Also you may log into the NCLOR and click on the More button on the left menu bar. Then click the Resource Series link and click the series of your choice.
- If you are K-14 faculty, you can add the links to the resources directly to your LMS based course. (learn how)
Khan Academy Series Updated w/ Computer Sci, History & Grammar content
The NCLOR’s Khan Academy resource series has been updated with 94 new video tutorial resources. All of the videos available from Khan Academy are now available in a tutorial-based format with built in navigation. Many of the resources have been tagged to an NCCCS combined course library course number. The disciplines covered in this collection update include Computer Science, U.S. History, and Grammar. Each discipline can be sorted by subject and topic.
Each tutorial in this series is a digestible chunk of information, approximately 10 minutes long, closed captioned, and especially purposed for viewing on the computer.
Some of the topics covered in the tutorials are:
- Computer Science – Algorithms, Cryptography, Information theory, the Internet
- U.S. History – Colonial America, Pre-revolution, Early republic, Civil War …more
- Grammar – Nouns, Verbs, Pronouns, Preposition, Conjunctions …more
Example: “What is the Internet”, Jun 27, 2016, Khan Academy by Code.org
The NCCCS courses that these resources may supplement are; COM150, CSC120, CSC130, CSC230, CSC249, EFL081, EFL082, EFL083, EFL084, ENG110, ENG138, ENG138, HIS131, HIS132, NET111, SEC150, SEC3100, and WEB110.
To access these resources, you can do any of the following:
- Log into the NCLOR and click on the More button on the left menu bar. Then click the Resource Series link and then Khan Academy.
- If you are K-14 faculty, you can add the links to the resources directly to your LMS based course. (learn how)
- or just click Khan Academy Resource Series to view the content as an NCLOR guest user.
NOVA ELI Open Courses Added to the NCLOR
Today, over 830 resources from the Extended Learning Institute (ELI) from Northern Virginia Community College System (NOVA) were added to the NCLOR’s open educational resources collection.
Pioneering zero textbook cost courses and degree programs since 2012, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is the first community college to fully share its OER degree pathways and courses for others to use and build on.
NOVA’s Extended Learning Institute (ELI) and Lumen Learning have teamed up to make these courses and degree pathways broadly available to the education community. These courses fulfill all requirements for NOVA Associate’s degrees in General Studies and Social Sciences. Published with open, Creative Commons licenses, anyone can freely use, revise, remix and re-purpose the courses.
Example: Introduction to Computer Applications and Concepts – Using Excel
The resources from eight NOVA curriculum courses were added. The courses added were: Principles of Macroeconomics, Introduction to the Study of Religion, Music Appreciation, Mathematics for the Liberal Arts II, Mathematics for the Liberal Arts I, College Composition I, Introduction to Computer Applications and Concepts, and Introduction to Communication.
The NCCCS courses that these resource may supplement are: MAT3713, MAT110, MAT122, MAT142, MAT143, MAT152, MAT252, MAT141, MAT167, MAT263, ECO252, REL110, MUS110, DMA050, DMA030, CIS110, COM110, and ENG110.
To access these resources, you can do any of the following:
- Click on any of the links above.
- Log into the NCLOR and click on the More button on the left menu bar. Then click the Resource Series link and then NOVA Open Courses.
- If you are K-14 faculty, you can add the links to the resources directly to your LMS based course. (learn how)
NROC Developmental English Content Available in the NCLOR
The NROC project has just released their new Developmental English course and the resources are now available in the NCLOR. This collaboratively developed, innovative program of study was designed for students preparing for either college or a career. After conversations with developmental English instructors across the country and in-depth research into state and district studies, they elected to compress the standard developmental English curriculum – reading comprehension, writing, vocabulary building, grammar, punctuation and usage skills – to accelerate student success.
The unit topics included in this course are: An Introduction to College Reading and Writing, Identifying Main Ideas, Discovering Implied Meaning, Interpreting Bias, Analysis Through Definition, Learning Across Disciplines, Exploring Comparative Elements, Informed Opinions Through Causal Chains, Applied Critical Analysis, and Using Sources in Critical Reading and Writing.
The course also provides essential study skills, such as note and test taking, to build confidence and boost skills required for overall success at the college level and beyond.
This program integrates numerous media-rich instructional approaches into basic reading and writing strategies in an engaging and efficient environment.
Example: Screenshot from the introduction video “Introduction to College Reading and Writing” unit in NROC’s Developmental English course with closed captions displayed.
The resources in this course have been organized in units with Instructional Materials, Foundation Lessons, Grammar Worked Example Videos, and Instructor Guides included. The materials have also been created in Blackboard, Moodle and IMS Common Cartridge formats with all resources linked from the NCLOR for easy adoption and roll-out.
The NCCCS courses this material could supplement are: DRE096, DRE097, DRE098, and DRE099.
The NROC project collection in the NCLOR is only available to the NCCCS faculty.
Accessing Content: To find this content you can do any of the following:
- Search by free text: Type “Dev English” in the search field
- Browse by NROC resources: Navigate to the Browse by NCCCS Premium Content area> The NROC Project > Sorted by Subject Areas >English and then select “Developmental English”.
- If you are NCCCS faculty, you can add the links to the resources directly to your LMS based course. (learn how)
CK-12 Resource Series Updated in NCLOR
Due to a resource reorganization at CK-12, the NCLOR needed to re-catalog all the resources available from the CK-12 foundation. The FlexBooks® currently available (72), have now been downloaded to the NCLOR directly in PDF and ePub formats. To view the files you will need a pdf reader or an iOS device, Android device or ePub reader to view the ePub files. All older versions of the resources in the CK-12 series have been archived.
FlexBook® textbooks are CK-12’s open source digital textbooks.
The CK-12 Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to reduce the cost of textbook materials for the K-12 market both in the U.S. and worldwide. Using an open-content, web-based collaborative model termed the FlexBook®, CK-12 intends to pioneer the generation and distribution of high-quality educational content that will serve both as core text as well as provide an adaptive environment for learning.
Except as otherwise noted, all CK-12 Content is made available to users in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC 3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), as amended and updated by Creative Commons from time to time (the “CC License”), which is incorporated herein by this reference.
Click on the links below to view the different FlexBook® subjects available in this resource series collection.
FlexBook® Subjects
- Science : Biology (14), Chemistry (4), Earth Science (4), Life Science (4), and Physics (7)
- Mathematics : Algebra (8), Analysis (3), Calculus (4), Geometry (8), Probability (6), Statistics (6), and Trigonometry (5)
- Engineering (3)
- English (3)
- Technology (1)
- Astronomy (1)
- History (2)
The NCCCS courses that these resource may supplement are: AST111, AST111A, BIO090, BIO094, BIO100, BIO106, BIO110, BIO111, BIO112, BIO150, BIO162, BIO163, CHM080, CHM081, CHM082, CHM130, CHM132, DFT214, DMA030, EGR110, EGY2000, ENG125, ENG126, EVN110, HIS131, JOU110, MAT121, MAT122, MAT142, MAT223, MAT252, MAT263, MAT271, PHY101, PHY110, PHY121, and PHY122.
To access these resources, you can do any of the following:
- Click on any of the links above.
- Log into the NCLOR and click on the More button on the left menu bar. Then click the Resource Series link and then CK-12 Flexbooks.
- If you are K-14 faculty, you can add the links to the resources directly to your LMS based course. (learn how)
Dallas Learning Solutions series available from NROC
The Dallas Learning Solutions resources for: Sociology, General Business, U.S. History Before 1877, U.S. History Since 1877, and English Composition are now available in the NROC collection. Dallas Learning Solutions, formerly Dallas TeleLearning, part of the Dallas County Community College District, has been providing distance learning courses since 1972. Their dynamic content – including video and activities – features some of the most prominent voices in education from colleges and universities around the globe. Some of the topics included in this series are: Sociological Perspectives, Introducing Business, Exploring e-Business, Reconstructing the Nation, The Elements of Argument, and Refining a Thesis. The resources include videos and assessment material for each subject.
Example Activity: The American Revolution: Advantages and Disadvantages, Part 1 (screenshot)
Accessing Content: To find this content you can do any of the following:
- Search by free text for: “Dallas Learning Solutions”
- Browse by NROC resource series: Navigate to the Browse by Resource Series area> click on the National Repository of Online Courses series> Subject Area> US History or Economics or Sociology
Important Note: Due to NROC license agreement this series is only available to NCCCS Faculty.
SIATech English Language Arts Resources Added to NROC Collection
Open to NCCCS Faculty Only
Our friends over at the National Repository of Online Courses (NROC) have added a new English Language Arts collection to their library. This English collection joins the other NROC subjects available in the NCLOR. The other subjects available from NROC are: Algebra, American Government, Biology, Calculus, Developmental Math, Environmental Science, Physics, Psychology, Religion, Statistics, and US History.
The new collection is published by SIATech, a public charter high school with campuses nationwide. The collection includes units on grammar fundamentals, writing strategies and reading strategies. The collection consists of 3 units and 20 lessons. The lessons included in the units cover the following: Pre-writing Tips, Pronouns, Other Punctuation Marks, Social Responsibility Story, Understanding Poetry, Capitalization, Avoiding Shifts in Person, Active and Passive Verbs, Writing a Thesis Statement, Reading Strategies, Evaluating Informational Text, Word Analysis, Dramatic Literature Comprehension, Literary Text Comprehension, Sentence Structure, Fragments and Run-Ons, Word Agreement in Sentences, Writing Biographical Narratives and Expository Compositions, and Persuasive Essays.
Screenshot from the “Pronouns” learning object in the English Language Arts Collection from SIATech
Accessing Content: To find this content you can do any of the following:
- Search by free text for: “SIAtech”
- Browse by NROC resource series: Navigate to the Browse by Resource Series area> click on the NROC series> Subject Area> English
- Browse by NCCCS Combined Course Library: Click on Browse Course Subjects E-G > ENG080 or ENG085
Important Note: Due to NROC license agreement this series is only available to NCCCS Faculty.
SBCTC Open Course Library Phase II Courses added to NCLOR
The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) has updated the Open Course Library, which is a collection of expertly developed educational materials for 81 of the state’s highest-enrolled college courses. The materials are freely available online under an open license for use by the state’s 34 public community and technical colleges, four-year colleges and universities, and anyone else worldwide. The subjects included in this update are: Business, Communications, English, Fine Arts, Humanities, Mathematics, and Science.
This resource series contains the IMS Common Cartridge files of the Open Course Library catalog. These files are compatible with many learning management systems (LMS) and contain all of the course content including syllabi, course activities, readings, and assessments. Some courses have content available via Google Docs which enables users to download the course resources directly to their Google account.
All of the course titles included in this series are:
American Government, American Literature I, American Sign Language I, American Sign Language II, American Sign Language III, Art Appreciation, Biology I, Biology II, Biology III, Business Calculus, Business Law, Calculus I, Calculus II, Calculus III, College Success Course, Cultural Anthropology, Elementary Algebra, Engineering Physics I, English Composition I, English Composition II, French I, French II, French III, General Biology with Lab, General Chemistry with Lab I, General Chemistry with Lab II, General Chemistry with Lab III, General Psychology, Health for Adult Living, Human Anatomy and Physiology 1&2, Intermediate Algebra, Interpersonal Communication, Intro to Communication, Intro to Drama, Intro to Humanities, Intro to Mass Media, Intro to Political Science, Intro to Sociology, Introduction To Astronomy, Introduction To Business, Introduction to Chemistry (Inorganic), Introduction To Literature I, Introduction To Logic, Introduction To Oceanography, Introduction To Philosophy, Introduction to Physical Geology, Introduction to Statistics, Lifespan Psychology, Macroeconomics, Math in Society, Microbiology, Microeconomics, Music Appreciation, Nutrition, Pacific NW History, Physical Anthropology, Physics: Non Science Majors, Precalculus I, Precalculus II, Pre-College English, Principles of Accounting I, Principles of Accounting II, Principles of Accounting III, Public Speaking, Research for the 21st Century, Small Group Communication, Social Problems, Spanish I, Spanish II, Spanish III, Survey of Anthropology, Survey of Biology, Survey of Environmental Science, Symbolic Logic, Technical Writing, US History I, US History II, US History III, Western Civilization, Women in US History, and World Civilizations I.
Creative Commons License
This content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License which means that you are free to reuse the course in its entirety, edit it and use a your own modified version, or pick out only pieces which can be incorporated into your own course, as long as you credit the original author for their work.
The NCCCS courses that could be enhanced by using these resources are:
ACC111, ACC115, ACC118, ACC119, ACC120, ACC221, ACC3107, ANT210, ANT220, ANT230, ART111, ASL111, ASL112, ASL211, ASL221, ASL222, AST151, BIO100, BIO106, BIO110, BIO111, BIO112, BIO155, BIO160, BIO163, BUS110, BUS115, BUS116, BUS121, CHM115A, CHM121A, CHM131, CHM131A, CHM151, COM110, COM120, COM150, COM160, COM231, COM3709, ECO251, ECO252, EGR150, EGR220, ENG090, ENG110, ENG111, ENG116, ENG131, ENG132, ENG138, ENG231, ENV110, FLI3714, FLI3717, FRE111, FRE112, FRE211, FRE212, FRE221, GEL120, HEA110, HIS111, HIS121, HIS122, HIS131, HIS132, HIS162, HIS165, HIS232, HUM211, LIB210, MAT070, MAT080, MAT101, MAT151, MAT171, MAT172, MAT210, MAT223, MAT271, MAT272, MAT273, MSC160, MUS110, PHI210, PHI216, PHI230, PHY080, PHY090, POL110, POL120, PSY110, PSY150, SOC210, SOC220, SPA110, SPA111, SPA211, SPA212, SPA241,and SPA242.
To access this series, you can do any of the following:
Notre Dame University OpenCourseWare added to the NCLOR
Today, fifty new courses from the Notre Dame University OpenCourseWare were added to the NCLOR. The Notre Dame OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a free and open digital publication of course materials. By offering free, high-quality course materials to the world, OCW strives to overcome the barriers geography, economics, age and language present to the spread of knowledge.
This is a screenshot of the Notre Dame University OpenCourseWare website at http://ocw.nd.edu/.
The courses included in this resource series have links to lessons, assignments, exams, and additional resources. There are IMS package links in every course in order to download the complete course at one time. The subjects included are: Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Africana Studies, Anthropology, Arabic and Middle East Studies, Architecture, Center for Social Concerns, Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences, Classics, Computer Applications, English, History, Latino Studies, Mathematics, Peace Studies, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Poverty Studies, Sociology, Theology, and University Writing Program.
This is an Open Educational Resource series and you can access this resource series by:
- log into the NCLOR < www.explorethelor.org > or through your institution’s learning management system (LMS)
- navigate to the Browse by Resource Series area
- click on the Notre Dame University OpenCourseWare series.
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