OER at City Tech

Category: Workshops (Page 1 of 2)

New and Noteworthy OER 10/21

New and Noteworthy is the City Tech Library OER Team’s monthly roundup of notable open educational resources. We try to include at least one OER relevant to each school at City Tech in every post. At the end of the month, these resources will be compiled and distributed by the library liaison for your department. Please contact us if you know of new or particularly interesting OER to share with our colleagues or would like more information about open educational resources initiatives at City Tech.

Biological Sciences

Career and Technology Teacher Education

  • Interpreting AI in the News: A Media Literacy Plan, by Aspen Digital (2024). License: CC BY
    “To help the rising generation think critically about reporting on AI, Aspen Digital has published a media literacy lesson plan geared toward high school and junior college students: Interpreting AI in the News. This open educational resource is designed to equip students for an AI-driven world by fostering a deeper understanding of how the media portrays these emerging technologies. The plan includes a comprehensive set of resources: a materials list, resource links, detailed instructions, a sample presentation, conversation starters, assessment guidelines, and a vocabulary guide.”

Communication Design 

  • brAInchild: A Collection of Essays (2024). License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “This book is the work of a fourth-year seminar in [a] History and Theory of Art program. The course explores practical research methods and strategies on the theme of artificial intelligence (AI) and the visual arts. Each student has created an AI work using a platform of their choice, such as DALL-E or other image algorithms, with a prompt that interrogates an aspect of art history and theory. Their chapter then critically analyses the image considering its aesthetic qualities as well as questions of originality, intention, and creativity. The subsequent research surrounding each image examines the process of machine learning when used as an artistic tool; this in turn delves into the relationship between AI algorithms and the inclusion and exclusion of works from the art historical canon.”

Computer Systems Technology

  • Digital Skills: Artificial Intelligence (2024). License: CC BY-NC
    “This book includes modules that provide an introduction to various types of Artificial Intelligence (AI), using AI in your studies and the implications of AI for society.”
  • Introduction to Computers and Programming using Python: A Project-based Approach, by Esma Yildirim, Daniel Garbin, Mathieu Sassolas, and Kwang Hyun Kim, CUNY – Queensborough Community College (2021). License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “This book is designed to teach basic programming skills to students who are new to the field of computing using a project-based learning approach. It has been designed to give freedom to the instructor, both in format and topics ultimately used throughout the course. While we provide 13 turnkey projects, it is only expected that 3 or 4 are used over the course of a semester…”

Construction Management & Civil Engineering Technology 

  • 2024 Innovation in the Construction Industry (2024). License: CC BY-NC-ND
    “[Construction Management students at the University of Washington] in the Spring Quarter of 2024 worked individually on case studies of innovation in the Construction Industry.  Each student selected a topic that they were curious about, connected with industry professionals working in that area, interviewed those professionals, gathered documents, observed work, and summarized their case study analysis in this book.  Each chapter explores different elements of innovation using different perspectives and ways of thinking about a “case”.  Here in you will meet teams and individuals.  You will learn about different types of software, and different workflows and practices.  You will discover that innovation is made by people navigating institutional constraints, making many different types of decisions, and negotiating change across project teams and industry networks.  Welcome to an exploration of innovation in 2024.”

English

Health Sciences 

  • Hands-on Anatomy, by Jacqueline Phillips and Michael O’Hara, North Broad Press (2024). License: CC BY
    Hands-on Anatomy targets undergraduate or graduate students who have completed an introductory anatomy course and are beginning to apply their anatomical knowledge to the human body, as well as healthcare professionals engaged in patient assessment and treatment.”

Hospitality Management

Nursing

  • Hands-on Anatomy, by Jacqueline Phillips and Michael O’Hara, North Broad Press (2024). License: CC BY
    Hands-on Anatomy targets undergraduate or graduate students who have completed an introductory anatomy course and are beginning to apply their anatomical knowledge to the human body, as well as healthcare professionals engaged in patient assessment and treatment.”
  • Optimizing Population Health: Strategies for Advanced Level Nurses, by Kathy Andresen, University of West Florida Pressbooks (2024). License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “This resource provides an overview of population health concepts along with health promotion strategies utilized by advanced practice nurses. Resources are intended to be exemplary, but not exhaustive and introduce the reader to strategies that can be practiced while in graduate school as well as in healthcare settings.”

Open Data

  • UIS Data Browser, by UNESCO (2024). License: CC BY-SA
    “UIS Data Browser which brings together all our data on education, science, and culture, making it a convenient resource for everyone, from policymakers to researchers. With a refreshed interface, users can easily view and download customized data for their needs. The new browser also offers better tools for exploring metadata and documentation. Plus, the browser has great visualization features. You can filter indicators by country or region and create line or bar charts to see trends over time. It’s easy to share your findings on social media, too!”

    The data browser allows users to view and filter data and metadata, visualize and share it or download it in various formats (csv, excel). The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) is the official and trusted source of internationally comparable data on education, science, culture and communication. As the official statistical agency of UNESCO, and the custodian agency for Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Education (SDG 4), the UIS produces a wide range of data to inform the policies and investments needed to transform lives and propel the world towards its development goals.

City Tech OER team:

Anne Leonard, Interim OER Coordinator: aleonard@citytech.cuny.edu
Joshua Peach, Adjunct OER Librarian: jpeach@citytech.cuny.edu
Jo Thompson, Adjunct OER Librarian: jthompson@citytech.cuny.edu

Fall 2024 OER Events at City Tech

As the new semester begins, the Open Educational Resources team at City Tech Library would like to invite you to learn more about free and open educational resources (OER) and how they can support instruction and student access to course materials in your classes. From the basics of OER to more advanced topics, workshops will be offered over the Fall semester on the following topics:

  • Introduction to Open Educational Resources
    Wednesday, September 18th, 11am-12pm
    This workshop will provide an introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER) and related topics such copyright, Creative Commons licensing, Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC), and where to find free and open materials in your discipline.
    Register in advance for this meeting on Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
  • Introduction to Social Annotation
    Monday, September 30th, 3pm-4pm
    with Jenna Spevack, Professor of Communication Design at City Tech
    Social annotation (or collaborative annotation) allows readers to interact with a text as well as with other readers through highlighting, commenting, and sharing ideas in the margins. Learn more about digital tools that can allow you and your students to engage with open texts in your classes, asking and answering questions, defining difficult words, adding reference images and links, and practicing the essential skill of close reading.
    Register in advance for this meeting on Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
  • Introduction to Manifold
    Wednesday, October 23, 11:00am-12:30pm
    with Robin Miller, Open Educational Technology Specialist at the Graduate Center
    Manifold is a free digital publishing platform for the entire CUNY community, where you can create and share your own scholarship, custom classroom versions of texts and textbooks that are openly licensed or in the public domain, Open Educational Resources (OER), journals, or use Manifold Reading Groups to build your own course reader. Come find out more about the platform and how to get started using Manifold in your teaching at CUNY!
    Register in advance for this meeting on Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
  • Peer Review & OER
    Wednesday, November 20th, 11am-12pm
    In this workshop, we will explain the differences between open and traditional peer review models, share existing examples of review processes for open educational resources, and discuss the needs and wants of faculty as they relate to review of OER.
    Register in advance for this meeting on Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Participants are encouraged to bring questions to the sessions; no level of familiarity with OER is required. Workshops will be conducted remotely over Zoom. Part-time faculty who participate will be compensated at their hourly non-teaching adjunct rate for attending.

If you have any questions about these workshops, please contact Joshua Peach at jpeach@citytech.cuny.edu
For questions about other OER initiatives at City Tech, email Anne Leonard at aleonard@citytech.cuny.edu

OER Tune-up Workshop: August 2023

This month we conducted a workshop to help faculty tune up their OER course sites on the OpenLab. We reviewed best practices for formatting course materials and your website at large for maximum accessibility. As instructors and students continue to rely on online and hybrid courses, these principles can be very helpful in easing communication with students and providing strong access to course resources. 

Formatting and Design Considerations for Accessibility and Ease of Use with Course Materials


Use Descriptive Hyperlinks

  • Avoid using links that don’t make sense out of context. Instead embed the link in a sentence with text that could stand alone. This will help users locate resources if links no longer work and create a usable list of links with screen readers.

    DO: Please read the City Tech Library’s OER Resource Guide for our next class meeting.
    DON’T: Get the reading for our next class meeting here.

  • Avoid using images as links. Don’t include a URL address as the link text. Screen readers will have a difficult time navigating either of these.

    DON’T: Get the reading for our next class meeting: https://libguides.citytech.cuny.edu/OER/find

  • Links should open in the same tab. Opening links in a new tab can be confusing for those who utilize screen readers or rely on the browser’s back button for navigation.

For more information on descriptive hyperlinks, watch:
Creating Descriptive Hyperlinks (video), by Syracuse University Accessible IT (2019).

Use Headings, Bullets, and Numbering Formatting

  • Use headings to create a logical structure that allows users to better understand where to focus their attention.  It helps people using screen readers to navigate among different sections of the site and helps sighted readers scan a page

  • Use specific Heading styles rather than bold or italics to indicate a heading on your OpenLab site. Bold and italics can be used for emphasis but not for site organization and navigation.

  • Breaking text and media in smaller sections (or “chunks”) makes scanning easier for users and can improve their ability to comprehend and remember information.

  • Keep related items close together and aligned. Use bullet points and numbered lists where appropriate for organization and ease of scanning.

Provide Alt Text for Images

  • Alt text is a short description you write for images that will be read aloud by screen readers and is required for accessibility. Alt text can also be helpful for users on mobile devices or slow internet connections, where the text can be read if images are turned off or not loading.

Create Stable Links to Digital Library Resources

  • Creating permalinks is the best option for providing stable links to students that work on and off-campus.

  • It allows City Tech affiliated users access to copyright protected materials legally, that the Library has licensed.

  • Linking to resources through the library, instead of a saved PDF through BlackBoard, helps the library with collection development and resource retention.

Accessibility tools on the OpenLab for building and maintaining your course site:

Mammoth DocX Converter (plugin)

  • Mammoth is designed to convert .docx documents, such as those created by Microsoft Word, Google Docs and LibreOffice, and convert them to HTML. Mammoth aims to produce simple and clean HTML by using semantic information in the document, retaining the formatting of the original document.

More Resources: WAVE & OpenLab Support 

Check your site’s accessibility compliance easily with the WAVE: Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool. “WAVE is a suite of evaluation tools that helps authors make their web content more accessible to individuals with disabilities. WAVE can identify many accessibility and Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) errors, but also facilitates human evaluation of web content.”

The OpenLab Help Page is also available to help answer any questions you might have about site construction, tools, plug-ins, and more.

Additional accessibility resources at City Tech and CUNY include:

Introduction to Accessibility: Accessible Organization and Layout

  • This section of the Introduction to Accessibility module site, created by Bree Zuckerman of the OpenLab, covers the accessibility concerns for design and formatting in more detail.

The Center for Student Accessibility at City Tech

CUNY – Student Affairs Disability Services


If you have questions about the OpenLab in general, contact the OpenLab team at openlab@citytech.cuny.edu.

If you have further questions about accessibility and OER, please reach out to the OER team at City Tech Library!

Take care,
Cailean Cooney, Assistant Professor, OER Librarian, ccooney@citytech.cuny.edu
Joshua Peach, Adjunct Reference & OER Librarian, jpeach@citytech.cuny.edu
Joanna Thompson, Adjunct OER Librarian, jthompson@citytech.cuny.edu

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