Faculty Highlights

 

This page highlights faculty who have adopted OER/ZTC resources for their students.

 

Lucinda Hollands, Ed.D

I first developed an OER course for a class I was teaching where the textbook cost increased to $300.00. This was a 1 to 1.5 unit, 8-week course. I don’t think students should be required to spend so much money on a text. Especially if most of the information is available online or through Open Educational Resources.

 

I completed a workshop and worked with the OER coordinator and the librarians to build my first course. I then decided to use OER resources for another class I was teaching that consisted of students who had recently immigrated here and had low English skills. Many were unable to read the text. Therefore, OER was a better choice.

 

For those of you who are interested in using free materials, there are rules, so take a workshop. It is a lot of work and it takes time. I would not advise it if you are only teaching a class one time. However, the looks on student's faces, the sigh of relief when they find out they don’t need to buy a text is worth the effort.

 

Danielle Pauls

Why do I use ZTC/OER? Personally, I struggled with affording my own textbooks while in school and was frustrated when the expensive “required” textbooks were not useful or even necessary for academic success. When I first started teaching at Cuyamaca, I couldn’t help but think that there were many students who had similar experiences and struggles. I wanted to do something to eliminate at least one of the burdens that our students have, while also increasing student retention and success. I have seen firsthand the positive difference that my ZTC/OER classes have made for students, and my hope is that more classes will adopt these resources. It takes time to initially design a course as ZTC/OER, but the reward is worth it for our students!