Blog Archives
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)
Three New Open e-Textbooks Series Added to the NCLOR OER Collection
Today, fifty-one new open e-textbooks were added to the open educational resources collection available within the NCLOR. The e-textbooks have been created by The University of Wisconsin, The University of Minnesota, and Oregon State University. The textbooks were created under a creative commons license and are free and open to use.
The subject included in this addition are: Accounting, Biochemistry and molecular biology, Biological and life sciences, Business administration, Change management, Climatology, Communication & Media, Cultural studies, Economics, Educational technology, Finance, Fisheries and wildlife sciences, Geography , Geology, Government, Human relations, Human resources, Information systems, Law, Linear Algebra, Marketing, Materials science, Organizational development, Physiology, Psychology, Social science, Sustainable agriculture, Technology and civilization, Web technologies, and Writing.
The University of Minnesota collection of Open Textbook collection states its mission as “promoting access to higher education and collaborating to advance knowledge benefiting communities, the state, and world.”
The some of open textbooks available from The University of Minnesota are:
- Principles of Economics
- Principles of Macroeconomics
- Principles of Management
- A full list of available titles can be found here: University of Minnesota Libraries Open Textbooks
The Open Oregon State collection is an part of OSU’s open educational resource initiative.
The some of open textbooks available from Open Oregon State are:
- Introduction to Permaculture
- The Joy of Cryptography
- Introduction to Climate Science
- A full list of available titles can be found here: Oregon State Open Text
University of Wisconsin – Madison has made small set of open textbook available for use.
The some of open textbooks available from University of Wisconsin – Madison are:
- 13 Principles of Good Learning in Games – Applied to Teaching
- Creators, Collectors & Communities – Making Ethnic Identity Through Objects
- Developing Your Web Presence
- A full list of available titles can be found here: University of Wisconsin Pressbooks
The works listed above are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License.
The NCCCS courses that these resources may supplement are; ACA-111, ACC-120, AGR-139, AGR-300, BIO-165, BIO-175, BUS-110, BUS-137, BUS-153, BUS-237, BUS-255, BUS-260, CHM-130, CJC-131, COM-150, CSC-211, ECO-151, ECO-252, EDU-271, ENG-011, FWL-142, GEL-120, GEO-111, GEO-130, GIS-121, LIB-112, MAT-280, MEC-265, MKT-120, POL-120, PSY-150, PSY-237, SOC-210, and WEB-210.
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: Oregon State Open Textbooks , University of Minnesota Open Textbooks , University of Wisconsin Pressbooks.
- 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)
CrashCourse Video Series Added to OER Collection
On May 5th, the CrashCourse educational video series was added to the open educational resources collection within the NCLOR. CrashCourse is a YouTube based educational channel that creates free, high-quality educational videos used by teachers and learners of all kinds. CrashCourse is a educational video series created by John and Hank Green. Over 660 resources were added in the courses of World Mythology, Computer Science, Sociology, Media Literacy, Statistics, Film, History, Biology, Ecology, Chemistry, Psychology, Anatomy & Physiology, Physics, Philosophy, Astronomy, and U.S. Government and Politics. This series has helped changed attitudes towards education by creating a community of learners who are looking for more than just help passing a test. Each course includes animated videos to explain course topics in an easy to understand manner.
Example: Quantum Mechanics – Part 1: Crash Course Physics #43
Accessibility Statement: All of the videos and/or learning objects in this series are closed captioned or have links to the text version of the video narration on of each activity.
The NCCCS courses that these resources may supplement are; AST111, AST151, AST152, BIO090, BIO145, BIO163, BIO165, BIO166, CHM082, CHM090, CHM092, CSC120, CSC130, FVP111, FVP112, FVP212, FVP213, FVP3100, HEA3002, HIS111, HIS112, MAT152, PHI210, PHI215, PHY110, PHY151, POL120, PSY150, SOC100, and SOC210.
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: CrashCourse or log into the NCLOR and click on the More button on the left menu bar. Then click the Browse by Open Educational Resource Series link and then click the CrashCourse link.
- If you are K-14 faculty, you can add the links to the resources directly to your LMS based course. (learn how)
Open SUNY Textbooks Added to NCLOR
Today, 10 new eTextbooks were added to the open educational resources collection of the NCLOR. Open SUNY Textbooks is an open access textbook publishing initiative established by State University of New York libraries and supported by SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grants. This pilot initiative publishes high-quality, cost-effective course resources by engaging faculty as authors and peer-reviewers, and libraries as publishing service and infrastructure.
The pilot launched in 2012, providing an editorial framework and service to authors, students and faculty, and establishing a community of practice among libraries.
The subjects included in this resource series are: Academic Success, Computer Programming, Education, Humanities, Information Literacy, Mathematics, Psychology, Public Administration, and Science.
The ebooks in this collection are all made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License 
The NCCCS courses that these resource may supplement are: ACA111, AGR150, ANT210, ANT220, ANT230, BIO285, ENG131, LIB110, MAT167, MAT285, PAD151, PAD152, PSY260, PSY265, and WEB140.
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 Open SUNY Textbooks.
- If you are K-14 faculty, you can add the links to the resources directly to your LMS based course. (learn how)
Intelecom Resource Series Added to the Repository
The INTELECOM Online Resources Network is a hosted and supported digital repository and subscription database of academic video clips – streamed on demand – for use in support of online, hybrid and face-to-face classes. The NCLOR staff has recently added 17 free videos representing a sample of the INTELECOM content collection. The subjects included in this series are: Adult Basic Education, Anatomy & Physiology, Biological Sciences, Business, Environmental Studies, Health, History, Mathematics, Nursing, Oceanography, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology.
Series Example: “DNA Structure and Replication”, BioMEDIA ASSOCIATES
Series Example: DNA Structure and Replication – How Cells Reproduce, BioMEDIA ASSOCIATES
The suggested NCCCS courses these resources may benefit are: BTC270, BIO150, BIO250, MSC160, PHS130,EVN110, EDT110, CHM081, CHM082, CHM090, CHM092, SGD3200, CET242,SOC210, POL220, PHI210, PHI215, NUR133, HRD3001, HRD3004, DMA040, DMA070, HEA110, ECO101,HIS131, HIS237 EGY2002, ENV214, WAT150, WAT110, BUS153, and BUS110.
To access this series, you can do any of the following:
- Log into the NCLOR and click on “Browse by Resource Series” and then the Intelecom series.
- If you are NCCCS faculty, you can add the links to the resources directly to your LMS based course. (learn how)
- Simply, click Intelecom Resource Series to view the series as a guest.
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:
Open eTextbook series now available in the NCLOR
A new eTextbook resource series is now available in the NCLOR. Initially, there are 17 open eTextbooks available in the series, but we will be expanding on the collection in the near future. All of the etexbooks are open and FREE to use. The subjects included in this series are: business, mathematics, chemistry, psychology, physics, marketing and many others. The majority of the eTextbooks are from the Connexions Repository at Rice University and have been endorsed by the Community College Open Textbook Collaborative.
The eTextbooks in this series are loaded to the NCLOR in multiple formats which include PDF, ePUB and links to online versions. The PDF versions of the eTextbooks are viewable on any PC and Mac computer and most mobile devices. The ePUB format is specifically designed to be viewed with mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones. For more information about devices that can read the ePUB format, click here.
Why are Open eTextbooks important? Please view the video below from the Florida’s statewide Orange Grove Repository to find out the importance of open eTextbooks.
The eTextbook titles included in this series and the NCCCS courses the eTextbooks could enrich are:
- AP Environmental Science (EVN-110)
- Applied Finite Mathematics (MAT-167)
- Business Fundamentals (BUS-110)
- Collaborative Statistics (MAT-151)
- Concept Development Studies in Chemistry (CHM-081)
- Educational Psychology (PSY-263)
- Elementary Algebra (DMA-020, DMA-040,DMA-050, DMA-060, DMA-070, DMA-080)
- A First Course in Electrical and Computer Engineering (EGR-110)
- Fundamentals of Mathematics (DMA-020, DMA-030)
- Project Management for Scientists and Engineers (PMT-110)
- Three Modules on Clear Writing Style – An Introduction to The Craft of Argument (ENG-090)
- Introduction to Paleoanthropology (ANT245)
- Core Concepts of Marketing (MKT-120)
- Democratizing Innovation
- Education for a Digital World – Advice, Guidelines, and Effective Practice from Around the Globe (EDU-3005)
- College Physics (PHY-080)
- Introduction to Sociology (SOC-100)
To access this resource series:
- log into the NCLOR www.explorethelor.org as guest or through your institution’s learning management system (LMS)
- navigate to the Browse by Learning Resource Type area
- click on eBooks.
SBCTC Open Course Library Courses added to NCLOR
The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) has created the Open Course Library, which is a collection of expertly developed educational materials for 42 of the state’s highest-enrolled college courses. The materials cost $30 or less per student and 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 resource series 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.
IMS Common Cartridge files are usually loaded to the LMS by the system administrator but you can view the course content by entering the WashingtonOnline (WAOL) system with the guest account here: https://sites.google.com/a/sbctc.edu/opencourselibrary/courses/phase-1-courses
Creative Commons License
This content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 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: ACC119 ,ACC120 , ACC3107 ,ACC111 ,ACC115 ,ACC118 , ANT220 , ANT230 , ART111 ,BIO106 ,BIO163 ,BIO111.BUS110 ,CHM131 ,CHM151 ,COM231 ,ECO251 ,ECO252 ,EGR150 ,EGR220 ,ENG110 ,ENG090 ,ENG111 ,ENG116 ,ENG131 ,ENG138 ,GEL120 ,HIS131 ,HIS132 ,HIS232 ,HIS165 ,LIB210 ,MAT080 ,MAT070 ,MAT151 ,MAT171 ,MAT172 ,MAT271 ,MAT272 ,MAT273 ,MSC160 ,MUS110 ,PHI210 ,PHI216 ,PHI230 ,PSY110 ,and PSY150.
To access this series, you can do any of the following:
Free and Open eTextbooks added to the NCLOR
Today, 58 eTextbooks from Flat World Knowledge were added to the NCLOR. Flat World Knowledge (FWK) is a college textbook publishing company with a mission to use technology and innovative business models to lower costs, increase access and personalize learning worldwide. They work with successful textbook authors and well-known scholars to create great free textbooks. This open textbook model gives faculty complete control over their content. Students have a choice of low-cost print and digital formats, including a free online reader. 
With the FWK online reader you can search or jump to any part of the book using the table of contents. Click on any chapter title or section and head directly there.
Subjects included in this resource series are: Business & Economics, Science, Humanities & Social Sciences, Professional & Applied Sciences, and Mathematics.
The NCCCS courses that could be enhanced by using these resources are: ACA111, ACC120, AIB222, AIB246, BAF110, BUS110, BUS115, BUS125, BUS151, BUS153, BUS240, BUS255, BUS259, CHM081, CHM082, CHM092, CJC111, COE110, COM250, COM3711, CTS115, CTS240, ECO101, ECO251, ECO252, ENG080, ENG111, ETR210, GEO110, INS105, INT210, MAT050, MAT060, MKT120, MKT220, OMT222, POL110, PSY150, and SOC100
To access the series you can do any of the following:
Yale University Open Courses added to the NCLOR
Enjoy the privilege of having Ivy League instructors delivery material to your students. Open Yale Courses provide free and open access to a selection of introductory courses taught by distinguished teachers and scholars at Yale University. This collection is a variety of subjects developed into a series of video lectures. These resources have now been added as a Resource Series into the NCLOR.
Currently, there are 14 complete courses with syllabi, lecture notes, and resources. In this collection, you will find courses on: Astronomy, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Economics, History, Physics, Political Science, and Psychology. These resources are perfect as “value added” instruction for students or as professional development activities for instructors.
To access the Open Yale Courses resource series:
- log into the NCLOR < www.explorethelor.org > or through your institution’s learning management system
- navigate to the Browse by Resource Series area
- click on the Open Yale Courses series.
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