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New and Noteworthy OER 12/17

December 17, 2025 / / 0 Comments

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 open resource 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.

Architecture

  • The Design of the Built Environment: The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Campus and Its Context, by Kevin J. Hinders, Windsor & Downs Press (2025). License: CC BY-NC
    “Kevin J. Hinders’s The Design of the Built Environment offers an exploration of the architectural, cultural, and historical development of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus and its surrounding context. Structured around thematic walking tours, the manuscript examines architectural principles and then uses the campus and its surroundings to illustrate the concepts. It delves into the evolution of public spaces, technical design considerations, and the influence of local, regional, and national planning.”

Biological Sciences 

  • Applications of Control Charts for Quality Improvement in Health Care, by Jerome Niyiora, SUNY Polytechnic Institute (2020). License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “This textbook introduces students to the application methods of control charts to improve quality in health care. The textbook is written to be accessible to any student in the areas of health information management, health care informatics, and health care industrial engineering. Additionally, samples of a Python code are included and can directly be accessed in a Jupyter Notebook at https://github.com/JeromeNN. This textbook is not meant to be a comprehensive manuscript regarding quality improvement in health care. Instructors and students can supplement the chapter reading with additional resources, such as those referenced in the bibliography section of this text. The reader is also encouraged to consult a complementary textbook by the same author, titled Basic Tools for Quality Improvement in Health Care Informatics.” 

Business 

  • The Business Behind the Business: An Introduction to Supply Chain Management, by Evan Barlow; Francois Carrier; Hugo Decampos; Ben Neve; and Shane Schvaneveldt, Weber State University (2025).
    License: CC BY-NC-ND
    “The Business Behind the Business: An Introduction to Supply Chain Management is a relatively non-technical introductory resource into the field of operations and supply chain management. While it was developed as a textbook for sophomore-level business students, it can easily be adapted to teach advanced high school courses. While this book was written to serve the function of a textbook, anyone wanting to learn more about improving business performance would benefit from reading this book.”

Career & Technology Teacher Education 

  • Teaching Methods & Practices, by Jason Proctor, Online Consortium of Oklahoma (2025). License: CC BY
    “This book is intended to serve as a resource for novice teachers as they master the art of effective classroom management, assessment, and lesson planning. At the undergraduate level, this book is designed to accompany the instruction in the EDUC 4353: Secondary Teaching Methods & Practices course before the full-internship experience. Each chapter presents a component of the teaching and learning process critical for teacher development and describes how that component is relevant to the classroom.”

Computer Systems Technology

  • Beyond Coding, by David Tuffley, Griffith University (2025).
    License: CC BY-NC
    “In today’s competitive IT industry, technical skills alone are no longer enough to succeed. This book teaches essential soft skills that transform technical professionals into complete IT leaders. You will master clear communication for diverse audiences, build strong teams through collaboration and conflict resolution, and solve complex problems with structured thinking.”

English 

  • Technical Report Writing Guidelines, by Leah M. Akins, Milne Open Textbooks (2023). License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “This document specifies the recommended format to be used when submitting a formal technical report in a variety of disciplines and purposes. Also, this manual can be used as a guide to compose less formal reports, such as lab reports, that may consist of a subset of the items presented here. It is a useful general guide from which faculty can specify the particular requirements for reports in their courses. Now in its eleventh iteration, the text was updated in July 2023 to include guidance on the use of AI in technical writing.” 

Hospitality Management

  • Applied Accounting for Hospitality, by Jangwoo Jo (2025).
    License: CC BY-NC
    “Applied Accounting for Hospitality equips hospitality majors and industry practitioners with the financial literacy required to make sound managerial decisions in hotels, restaurants, event venues, and related services. The resource emphasizes interpretation and application over manual bookkeeping: learners read financial statements, compute and analyze ratios and key performance indicators (KPIs), forecast demand and revenues, prepare budgets, and evaluate internal controls to safeguard assets and improve performance. Technology-enabled accounting (e.g., PMS/POS integrations and consolidated reporting platforms) is treated as the default operational context throughout.” 

Human Services 

  • Human Services Practicum, by Yvonne M. Smith, Open Oregon Educational Resources (2025). License: CC BY
    “This interactive and inclusive human services text assists diverse students in applying theory to practice in a variety of field settings including public and private nonprofit organizations as well as governmental agencies. The text is intended to accompany students’ fieldwork experience and covers the stages of an internship experience, the ethics and challenges of being an intern, as well as effective use of supervision. Each chapter includes student learning objectives aligned with the Council for Standards in Human Services Education (CSHSE). Special focus is given to diverse learning styles and experiences, the variety of service settings, and services across cultures. Each chapter is accompanied by a compilation of activities to help students and instructors get the most out of their reading. These activities include journal prompts, self-care activities, class discussion topics as well as suggested assignments.” 

Mathematics 

  • Representation Theory, by Jan Grabowski, Open Book Publishers (2025). License: CC BY-NC
    “This volume offers a fresh and modern introduction to one of abstract algebra’s key topics. Guiding readers through the transition between structure theory and representation theory, this textbook explores how algebraic objects like groups and rings act as symmetries of other structures. Using the accessible yet powerful language of category theory, the book reimagines standard approaches to topics such as modules and algebras in a way that unlocks modern treatments of more advanced topics such as quiver representations and even representations of Hopf algebras and categories. Aimed at undergraduate students with prior exposure to linear algebra and basic group theory, the book introduces categories early and uses them throughout, providing a cohesive framework that mirrors current mathematical research. Though technically sophisticated, it also includes examples and exercises designed to develop intuition and understanding.” 

Mechanical Engineering Technology

  • Introduction to Machining, by Micky R. Jennings, D.M. Donner, and Tim A. Bacon, Washington Open ProfTech (2025). License: CC BY
    “Introduction to Machining is authored by experienced professionals from the machining industry who are now educators in Washington State. This book offers a diverse and practical perspective, drawing on the authors’ firsthand knowledge and expertise. Students will benefit from comprehensive insights into industry practices, real-world applications, and the foundational concepts essential for success in the field.”

Nursing

  • Introduction to Healthcare Professions, by Anita Hedlund; Brandon Censon, Christine Malone, Karen Piette, Katie Baker, and Kristen Hosey, Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges (2025). License: CC BY
    “Introduction to Healthcare Professions aims to act as a guide to community technical college students navigating the healthcare world for the first time. Our approach is meant to provide context to a diverse and dynamic field. We hope that learners will feel empowered to make the leap into a specific path or specialty based on the careers we have outlined.”
  • Human Development for Healthcare Professionals, by Jamie Peterson, Press Books (2025). License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “This book provides an overview of lifespan developmental tasks, covering physical, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects from a psychological perspective. It explores the various stages of human development, discussing the key challenges and milestones encountered at each stage. It also includes foundational research and theory on health psychology, motivation and psychological disorders, as well as how health and identity intersect. This book is intended for students planning to pursue a career in healthcare.”

Radiologic Technology & Medical Imaging 

  • Introduction to Healthcare Professions, by Anita Hedlund; Brandon Censon, Christine Malone, Karen Piette, Katie Baker, and Kristen Hosey, Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges (2025). License: CC BY
    “Introduction to Healthcare Professions aims to act as a guide to community technical college students navigating the healthcare world for the first time. Our approach is meant to provide context to a diverse and dynamic field. We hope that learners will feel empowered to make the leap into a specific path or specialty based on the careers we have outlined.”

City Tech OER team:
Cailean Cooney, Assistant Professor, OER Librarian: ccooney@citytech.cuny.edu Joshua Peach, Adjunct OER Librarian: jpeach@citytech.cuny.edu
Jo Thompson, Adjunct OER Librarian: jthompson@citytech.cuny.edu
Sara Sarmiento, Adjunct Reference and Instruction Librarian

New and Noteworthy OER 09/22

September 22, 2025 / / 0 Comments

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 open resource 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

  • Ecology for All!, by Nathan Brouwer, Hannah Connuck, et al. (2025). License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “The textbook covers a wide range of topics including Introduction to Ecology, Evolution, Adaptations to the Physical Environment, various ecological communities, Population Ecology, Behavioral Ecology, Species Interactions, Ecological Succession, Biogeochemical Cycles, Landscape Ecology, Biodiversity, Conservation Biology, and Human Impact on Global Climate among others.”

Business

  • Gateway to Business Analytics with Microsoft Excel, by Humberto Barreto, DePauw University (2025). License: CC BY
    “Business analytics is a new, expanding subfield with fuzzy edges that overlap into a variety of other established disciplines, including economics, econometrics, computer science, data science, finance, statistics, mathematics, and even psychology. Business analytics includes such traditional techniques as regression and data visualization, but also newer methods such as web scraping, big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Its key distinguishing feature is using data to make and communicate business decisions. This textbook utilizes Microsoft Excel to present a mix of topics appropriate to an undergraduate level introduction to business analytics course with an engaging delivery style.”

Business: Fashion

  • Fashion and Apparel Consumer Behavior, by Andrea Niosi and Doreen Chung, Iowa State University Digital Press (2025). License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “This open textbook was designed for students studying apparel and fashion studies at an undergraduate level. It draws on the fields of marketing, business, communications, media studies, psychology, sociology, and anthropology. The book invites readers to examine the internal forces that shape consumer decision making, such as perceptions, motivations, personality, and attitudes as well as the external ones, such as social and situational influences, culture, and subcultures, especially those related to our appearances and clothing.”

Computer Engineering Technology

  • Ethics in Technology, by Edward V. Weber, St. Charles Community College (2025). License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “The purpose of this text is to facilitate focused discussions about contemporary issues of the ethical considerations related to technology evolution, development, deployment, and consumption, as well as issues (both known and unknown) of potential misuse and abuse of technology. It is intended to focus predominantly on the concepts of applying critical and ethical thinking to issues and subsequent decisions related to our interactions with technology in the 21st century.”

Computer Systems Technology 

  • Scientific Computing for Chemists with Python, by Charles J. Weiss, Augustana University (2025). License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “This book serves as an introduction to coding for chemists. The tools employed in this book are the powerful and popular combination of Jupyter notebooks and the Python programming language. No background beyond first-year college chemistry and occasionally some very basic spectroscopy (for advanced chapters) is assumed for most of this book. This book starts with a brief primer on Jupyter notebooks in chapter 0 and computer programming with Python in chapters 1 and 2.”

Gender and Sexuality Studies

  • Sociology of Gender: An Equity Lens, by Heidi Esbensen, Dana Pertermann, Nora Karena (2025). License: CC BY
    “Sociology of gender uses the tools of sociology—sociological perspectives, traditional and novel research methods, and expansive theories of gender and sexuality—to explore how gender and dominant gender norms are socially constructed, imposed, enforced, reproduced, challenged, and negotiated. […] This textbook will introduce you to the thought leadership, research, and theories of contemporary sociologists—many of whom identify as women, LGBTQIA+, and People of the Global Majority—that are shaping this exciting field of study. This textbook also describes how social movements have influenced theories of gender and how the field of sociology has been responsive to these movements.” 

Government & Political Science

  • The Exciting Dynamics of State and Local Government, by Laura Merrifield Wilson, University of Indianapolis (2025). License: CC BY
    “This book provides readers with both a large-scale overview of state government (including its responsibilities and rights established through federalism, political institutions such as the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and political behavior such as voting, interest groups, and the media) in addition to guiding individual examinations of states through case studies incorporated in each chapter. The text gives readers a greater understanding of the role and responsibilities of state and local government. Utilizing state comparisons and highlights, in content included in both the chapters and the accompanying case studies, readers delve into the intricate world of comparative government while analyzing the differences and similarities, as well as the reasons for them, between and among states.” 

Human Services

  • Personal Health and Safety, by Ches Jones, University of Arkansas (2025). License: CC BY-NC
    This textbook examines personal health through factors and choices relating to both physical and mental health. Topics include managing stress, injury and violence prevention, reproductive choices, addiction and substance use, nutrition, physical activity, and environmental health.

Psychology 

  • Mental Disorders and the Criminal Justice System, by Anne Nichol, Kendra Harding, and Monica J. McKirdy (2025). License: CC BY-NC
    “This is an introductory textbook exploring the management and treatment of people with mental disorders throughout the criminal justice system.” 

Sociology 

  • Sociology of Gender: An Equity Lens, by Heidi Esbensen, Dana Pertermann, Nora Karena (2025). License: CC BY
    “Sociology of gender uses the tools of sociology—sociological perspectives, traditional and novel research methods, and expansive theories of gender and sexuality—to explore how gender and dominant gender norms are socially constructed, imposed, enforced, reproduced, challenged, and negotiated. […] This textbook will introduce you to the thought leadership, research, and theories of contemporary sociologists—many of whom identify as women, LGBTQIA+, and People of the Global Majority—that are shaping this exciting field of study. This textbook also describes how social movements have influenced theories of gender and how the field of sociology has been responsive to these movements.” 

Open Education

  • Designing Learning Experiences for Inclusivity and Diversity: Advice for Learning Designers, by Keith Heggart, Mais Fatayer, Camille Dickson-Deane, et al., UTS ePress (2024). License: CC BY-NC
    “The development and implementation of inclusive and diverse learning experiences is a vital consideration for educators in higher education. Increasingly, learning designers play a significant role in this process. This textbook offers postgraduate students a comprehensive guide to designing learning experiences that are accessible, equitable, and inclusive. It provides advice, principles, and practical strategies to help learning designers create a learning environment that recognizes and celebrates diversity while promoting equitable learning outcomes.”
  • Emphasizing a Student-Centered Process: Open Pedagogy Course Assessments Across Disciplines, by Jean R. Hertzberg, Heather J. Hether, Christina R. Hilburger, Amanda Lohiser, Angela M. McGowan-Kirsch and Kelly Soczka Steidinger, Milne Open Textbooks (2025). License: CC BY
    “Emphasizing a Student-Centered Process: Open Pedagogy Course Assessments Across Disciplines showcases how Open Educational Practices (OEP) empower students as active contributors to knowledge creation. Grounded in constructivist principles, this collection highlights student-centered assessments—from collaborative course design and renewable assignments to generative artificial intelligence—that foster critical thinking, active learning, and inclusivity. Through practical examples and reflective discussions, the book provides educators with actionable strategies to integrate open pedagogical practices across disciplines while addressing challenges such as institutional support, professional development, and resource accessibility.”

City Tech OER team:

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

New and Noteworthy OER 03/28

March 28, 2024 / / 0 Comments

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

  • Shared Voices: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, by Demetrios Brellas and Vanessa Martinez, ROTEL Project (2023). License: CC BY-NC
    “Shared Voices is a student-centered cultural anthropology mini textbook built with an equity lens. This text aims to be accessible, interesting, accurate, and centered on marginalized voices. This text is a starting point for any introductory anthropology course recognizing that cultural change is constant and the familiar is cousin to the weird and unusual.”

Business

  • Business Calculus with Excel, by Mike May, Saint Louis University (2024). License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “This text is intended for a one semester calculus course for business students with the equivalent of a college algebra prerequisite. Rather than being a three-semester engineering calculus course that has been watered down to fit into one semester it is designed for business students.”
  • Indigenous Perspectives on Business Ethics and Business Law in British Columbia, by Annette Sorensen and Scott van Dyk, Coast Mountain College (2022). License: CC BY
    “This book explores business ethics and business law through the lens of Indigenous-settler relations in Canada (with a focus on British Columbia in particular). It aims to fill a gap in business curriculum and support instructors who want to bring Indigenous content into their classes.”

Career and Technology Teacher Education

Civil Engineering Technology

  • Risk and Reliability for Engineers, by Robert Lanzafame, Delft University of Technology (2024). License: CC BY
    “This book covers a wide range of topics that involve the use of probability to solve problems in engineering design and research. Although it is relevant for a wide range of disciplines, it draws heavily on the fields of civil engineering, environmental engineering and the geosciences. Specific topics include risk analysis, probabilistic design, reliability-based design (component and system reliability).”
  • Structural Analysis, by Felix Udoeyo (2024). License: CC BY-NC-ND
    “Structural Analysis […] is intended to teach students the methods and techniques for the analysis of structures. A sound knowledge of structures is a prerequisite for their proper design and ensures the structural integrity of civil engineering infrastructural systems. […] The first part consists of an overview of structural analysis and introduces several structural loadings that may be considered during the analysis and subsequent design of structures. The second part covers classic methods of the analysis of determinate structures. The final section discusses classic methods for the analysis of indeterminate structures as well as methods for the analysis and construction of influence lines for indeterminate structures.”

Communication Design

  • Writing for Digital Media, by Cara Miller, Anderson University (2024). License: CC BY
    “This textbook focuses on writing and digital media. Increasingly, writing is published on digital platforms like social media, websites, and blogs, and this online writing performs a variety of personal, professional, academic, and civic functions. The textbook discusses these functions from a critical and rhetorical perspective and provides practical skills and strategies that students can put into practice in their own digital writing.”

Computer Systems 

  • An Open Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms, by Paul W. Bible and Lucas Moser (2024). License: CC BY
    “This textbook serves as a gentle introduction for undergraduates to theoretical concepts in data structures and algorithms in computer science while providing coverage of practical implementation (coding) issues.”

English

  • Writing for Digital Media, by Cara Miller, Anderson University (2024). License: CC BY
    “This textbook focuses on writing and digital media. Increasingly, writing is published on digital platforms like social media, websites, and blogs, and this online writing performs a variety of personal, professional, academic, and civic functions. The textbook discusses these functions from a critical and rhetorical perspective and provides practical skills and strategies that students can put into practice in their own digital writing.”

Health Sciences & Health Services Administration

  • Building Bridges: Establishing a Foundation for Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare, by Andrea Nelson, Katherine Greene, and Katie Cavnar, University of West Florida (2024). License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “…focuses on teaching interprofessional collaboration in healthcare to students entering their respective health profession’s program. This book will help students achieve success not only in their educational program, but as they experience various healthcare settings through internships and employment. This resource is targeted for students in healthcare professions.”

Human Services

  • A Developmental Systems Guide for Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Practitioners, by Sean E. Snyder, Temple University (2023). License: CC BY
    The text “…provides clinicians with actionable evidence-based practices for the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of child and adolescent mental and behavioral health. This approach combines developmental psychology and ecological systems in recognition of the fact that children’s developmental challenges, tasks, and capacities intersect with the risks and protective factors of their environment. Chapters feature detailed case studies and conclude with conversations with clinicians in which they share targeted recommendations for patient evaluation, treatment approaches, and family engagement and support.”
  • Social Work Practice and Disability Communities: An Intersectional Anti-Oppressive Approach, by Elspeth Slayter and Lisa Johnson, Salem State University (2023). License:  CC BY-NC-SA
    “Designed as a main textbook for social work courses at the bachelor’s and master’s level or for social work practitioners in the field, this work moves beyond a traditional medicalized and segregated approach (i.e., chapters organized around impairments) to the exploration of disability-specific populations, instead taking a more intersectional approach in discussing specific service areas and practice issues while weaving in stories about the lived experiences of disabled people with a range of social identities.”

Mathematics

  • Carnegie Math Pathways, by Carnegie Math Pathways/WestEd (2024). License: CC BY-NC
    “For more than a decade, Carnegie Math Pathways has been guided by a mission to improve outcomes and close equity gaps in gateway college mathematics. Now, Carnegie Math Pathways at WestEd has taken its commitment to equity a step further by releasing its Quantway and Statway materials as Open Educational Resources (OER).”
  • Quantway Core, by Carnegie Math Pathways (2024). License: CC BY-NC
    “provides a one-term introductory quantitative reasoning course solution that builds algebraic and quantitative skills and reasoning. It is designed to replace the developmental sequence and can also be used to fulfill high school and technical college program math requirements.”
  • Statway Pathway, by Carnegie Math Pathways (2024). License: CC BY-NC
    “is a two-term college course solution with integrated developmental math supports built in throughout the course designed to help students fulfill their developmental math requirements and succeed in college-level statistics in a single year.”

Psychology

  • Foundations of Psychological Data Science I, by Lawrence Cormack and Franco Pestilli, University of Texas at Austin (2023). License: MIT License
    “This course lays the foundation for data science education targeting psychological and brain science students. No previous coding experience is required. The students will be introduced to basic concepts and tools for data analysis. The focus is on hands-on practice and enjoyable learning. The course will use python as the programming language, and Jupyter Notebooks as the development environment (our “home base”) for the examples, tutorials, and assignments. We use Jupyterlab Notebooks because they are both the industry standard and a nice way to load, visualize, and analyze data as well as describe our findings in one environment. We will also learn GitHub to document changes and backup our work and, eventually, for use as a collaboration tool.”

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

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