New and Noteworthy is the City Tech Library OER Team’s monthly roundup of new and noteworthy 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.

Anthropology

• Reading Social Science Methods, by Ann Reisner, University of Illinois Library – Urbana (2023). License: CC BY-NC
  “Directed at introductory level social science and humanities majors, this textbook teaches the rules and limits of social science methods. Reisner starts from the assumption that it is not necessary to be able to do research to read and judge the soundness of research publications. The chapters guide students through an explicit set of rules for reading research articles developed from three common research methods: content analysis, survey research, and experimental method.”

Architectural Technology 

•  Basic Concepts of Structural Design for Architecture Students, by Anahita Khodadadi (2023). License: CC BY-NC
  “This book aims to narrate fundamental concepts of structural design to architecture students such that they have minimum involvement with math problem-solving. Within this book, students learn about different types of loads, forces and vector addition, the concept of equilibrium, internal forces, geometrical and material properties of structural elements, and rules of thumb for estimating the proportion of some structural systems such as catenary cables and arches, trusses, and frame structures.”

Career & Technology Teacher Education

• 25 Years of Ed Tech, by Martin Weller, Athabasca University Press (2020). License: CC BY-NC-ND
  “In this lively and approachable volume based on his popular blog series, Martin Weller demonstrates a rich history of innovation and effective implementation of ed tech across higher education. From Bulletin Board Systems to blockchain, Weller follows the trajectory of education by focusing each chapter on a technology, theory, or concept that has influenced each year since 1994. Calling for both caution and enthusiasm, Weller advocates for a critical and research-based approach to new technologies, particularly in light of disinformation, the impact of social media on politics, and data surveillance trends. A concise and necessary retrospective, this book will be valuable to educators, ed tech practitioners, and higher education administrators, as well as students.”

Chinese

• Ting Yi Ting, by Sheree Willis & Yan Li, Open Language Resource Center, University of Kansas. License: CC BY-NC
  “An online guide that enables learners to hear and identify phonemic categories in Mandarin (including lexical tones) in a variety of phonetic contexts, and to associate those phonemes with Pinyin orthography. Includes extensive audio examples and computer-graded comprehension checks.”

Business

• Strategic Project Management: A Practical Introduction for Human Resource Professionals, by Debra Patterson, ECampusOntario (2022). License: CC BY-NC-SA
  “Two skills sets, Human Resources and Project Management have never been as essential to the world of work than in today’s workforce. This Strategic Project Management for Human Resources text is designed to learn about Project Management from a Human Resources perspective. It describes the Project Management and Human Resources processes and applications, and the role the Project Manager and team in implementing these processes. The text is designed to help students understand and apply the knowledge and skills learned about projects and people.”

• Teaching Apparel Production, by Sheri Deaton, University of Arkansas (2023). License: CC BY
  “This text was written to provide students and teacher candidates with an introductory understanding of the skills associated with teaching apparel production. The book is broken into units and chapters that focus on essential skills for constructing garments and, more specifically, teaching others how to construct apparel and apparel-related products.”

Communication Design 

• Look At This!: An Introduction to Art Appreciation, by Asa Simon Mittman (2023). License: CC BY-NC
  “Book Description: Look At This! is designed to help you approach and appreciate the visual arts wherever you find them. It explains how artists use the visual elements of their work to create moods and effects, teaches you how to break down complex images into their parts, and gives an overview of major themes in art. The book is global, and covers art from prehistory to the present.”

Economics

• Reading Social Science Methods, by Ann Reisner, University of Illinois Library – Urbana (2023). License: CC BY-NC
  “Directed at introductory level social science and humanities majors, this textbook teaches the rules and limits of social science methods. Reisner starts from the assumption that it is not necessary to be able to do research to read and judge the soundness of research publications. The chapters guide students through an explicit set of rules for reading research articles developed from three common research methods: content analysis, survey research, and experimental method.”

Electrical Engineering Technology

• Introduction to Vacuum Technology, by David M. Hata, Elena V. Brewer, and Nancy J. Louwagie (2023). License: CC BY-NC-SA
  “This text […] addresses basic topics in vacuum technology for individuals tasked with maintaining vacuum systems and instructors teaching technician-level courses. The topics are carefully curated to the needs of technicians in a production environment and the types of vacuum systems used, and the accompanying laboratory manual and instructor’s guide support the delivery of lecture-laboratory courses. […] This book approaches vacuum systems from a pressure regime viewpoint, covering basic vacuum science, followed by the rough vacuum regime, including gas load, pumping mechanisms, pressure measurement, vacuum system construction, and basic troubleshooting concepts. The study of high vacuum systems follows and the same topics are revisited, and finally the topics of leak detection and residual gas analysis are discussed.”

Environmental Science

• Introduction to Soil Science, by Amber Anderson, Iowa State University Digital Press (2023). License: CC BY
  “This textbook introduces readers to the basics of soil science, including the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils; soil formation, classification, and global distribution; soil health, soils and humanity, and sustainable land management.”

History

• Reading Social Science Methods, by Ann Reisner, University of Illinois Library – Urbana (2023). License: CC BY-NC
  “Directed at introductory level social science and humanities majors, this textbook teaches the rules and limits of social science methods. Reisner starts from the assumption that it is not necessary to be able to do research to read and judge the soundness of research publications. The chapters guide students through an explicit set of rules for reading research articles developed from three common research methods: content analysis, survey research, and experimental method.”

Human Services

• Violence Against Women During Coronavirus: When Staying Home Isn’t Safe, by Naomi Pfitzner, Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Sandra Walklate, Silke Meyer, Marie Segrave, Springer Nature, 2023. License: CC BY
  “Drawing on empirical work situated within an international context, this book presents evidence alongside country specific case studies to provide a global exploration of how women’s insecurity increased during this global health crisis at the same as their access to support services reduced. It provides a timely analysis of the degree to which the pandemic and associated government restrictions impacted on women’s experiences of violence with particular attention to changes in its prevalence and severity, and in system and service responses to women’s help-seeking.”

Law & Paralegal Studies

• Asylum Matters: On the Front Line of Administrative Decision-Making, by Laura Affolter, Palgrave (2021). License: CC BY
  “Asylum Matters is a rare feat, as it combines rich empirical material with valuable theoretical insights. Its carefully crafted arguments avoid the pitfalls of atomistic implementation research and convincingly present the social life of decision-making as learned and shared practices. Well-written and acces-sible, Laura Affolter’s socio-legal study reinvigorates the study of street-level bureaucracy and should be required reading for scholars interested in public administration and migration research alike.”

• Open Source Law, Policy and Practice, 2nd edition, Amanda Brock (ed.), Oxford University Press (2022). License: CC BY-NC-ND
  “This book examines various policies, including the legal and commercial aspects of the Open Source phenomenon. Here, ‘Open Source’ is adopted as convenient shorthand for a collection of diverse users and communities, whose differences can be as great as their similarities. The common thread is their reliance on, and use of, law and legal mechanisms to govern the source code they write, use, and distribute.”

Mathematics

• Introduction to Probability, by John R. Baxter, University of Minnesota (2023). License: CC BY-SA
  “This is an introduction to probability theory, designed for self-study. It covers the same topics as the one-semester introductory courses which I taught at the University of Minnesota, with some extra discussion for reading on your own. The reasons which underlie the rules of probability are emphasized. Probability theory is certainly useful. But how does it feel to study it? Well, like other areas of mathematics, probability theory contains elegant concepts, and it gives you a chance to exercise your ingenuity, which is often fun.”

Psychology

• Reading Social Science Methods, by Ann Reisner, University of Illinois Library – Urbana (2023). License: CC BY-NC
  “Directed at introductory level social science and humanities majors, this textbook teaches the rules and limits of social science methods. Reisner starts from the assumption that it is not necessary to be able to do research to read and judge the soundness of research publications. The chapters guide students through an explicit set of rules for reading research articles developed from three common research methods: content analysis, survey research, and experimental method.”

Sociology

• Reading Social Science Methods, by Ann Reisner, University of Illinois Library – Urbana (2023). License: CC BY-NC
  “Directed at introductory level social science and humanities majors, this textbook teaches the rules and limits of social science methods. Reisner starts from the assumption that it is not necessary to be able to do research to read and judge the soundness of research publications. The chapters guide students through an explicit set of rules for reading research articles developed from three common research methods: content analysis, survey research, and experimental method.”

OER Team
Cailean Cooney, Associate Professor, OER Librarian: ccooney@citytech.cuny.edu
Joshua Peach, Adjunct Reference & OER Librarian: jpeach@citytech.cuny.edu
Jo Thompson, Adjunct Reference & OER Librarian: jthompson@citytech.cuny.edu