OER at City Tech

Tag: Mathematics (Page 1 of 3)

New and Noteworthy OER 11/16

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

New and Noteworthy OER 09/22

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.

Biological Sciences

  • Introducing Mathematical Biology: An Open Education Resource, by Alex Best, University of Sheffield (2023). License: CC BY
    “Mathematical modeling plays an increasingly important role in almost any area of life sciences, and this interactive textbook focuses on the areas of population ecology, infectious diseases, immunology and cell dynamics, gene networks and pharmacokinetics. It is aimed at anyone who is interested in learning about how to model biological systems, including undergraduate and postgraduate mathematics students who have not studied mathematical biology before, life-sciences students with an interest in modeling, and post-16 mathematics students interested in university-level material. Some mathematical knowledge is assumed, and the mathematical models used are all in the form of ordinary differential equations.”

Business

  • Adaptive Apparel Design, by Ellen McKinney and Rachel Eike (2023). License: CC BY-NC-SA.
    “…prepared to support those learning about adaptive apparel design. The text is easy for students, scholars, and designers to use, and is organized around the apparel design process: research, sketching, developing a sample notebook, mood or inspiration board, pattern work, first sample, and the completed ensemble. Users can read from beginning to end or jump into resources related to their current phase of design.”
  • Crawford Automation – A Guided Application of Structured Problem Solving: Continuous Improvement in Action, by Stephen Thomson; Kevin Hollis; and Laurie Turnbull, Conestoga College (2023).
    License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “This is a multimedia-enabled case in which students will be guided, by an industry expert, to apply structured problem-solving that addresses a typical supply chain problem, missing parts. What first appears as the issue may be a symptom of a root cause(s). The case utilizes videos, data files for analytics, audio recording, and videogame-style exercises to find the missing box of parts. The case is a collaboration between the Conestoga Centre for Supply Chain Innovation and ATS Automation and utilizes the ATS Business Model (ABM) approach to identifying and solving root causes.”

Communication

  • In Your Eyes: Communicating in Close Relationships, by Sydney Brammer; Ryan Martinez; and Narissra Punyanunt-Carter, Texas Tech University Libraries (2023). License: CC BY-NC
    “This book was crafted for a new generation of people with an interest in communication studies, especially scholarship and concepts that speak to the role of close relationships in our lives and work. As you read through each chapter, you’ll meet new characters, ponder discussion questions, and interact with reflection activities that will get you to think deeply about various themes.”

Communication Design

  • Colour Theory: Understanding and Working with Colour, by Lisa Cianci (2023). License: CC BY-NC
    Colour theory covers a long history from antiquity to modern times. It includes academic and scientific investigations into how we see and understand colour. It also includes practical applications for using colour in creative work. […] This learning resource covers the history of colour theory, how we see colour, and how to use colour systems to mix colour and create colour relationships.”

Computer Systems Technology 

  • Productivity in Common Operating Systems, by Lester Hiraki (2022, updated in 2023). License: CC BY-NC
    “The goal of this book is to provide the interested learner with the essentials to work in a Unix environment. […] The focus is on the user’s perspective to enable the user to be productive in a Unix environment.  Topics include understanding and navigating the file system, using common commands, and automating tasks.  Emphasizing the user’s perspective, the scope of this book does not include topics such as system administration, installation, or networking. […] This book is intended for adoption in the freshmen or sophomore year of a technical program (e.g. computer science, engineering, STEM, etc.).”

English

  • Essentials of Creative Writing, by Rachel Morgan, Jeremy Schraffenberger, and Grant Tracey, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa (2023).
    License: CC BY-NC
    “This free and open access textbook introduces new writers to some basic elements of the craft of creative writing in the genres of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. The primary audience for this textbook, however, is the new writer, someone who may be enrolled in an introductory class, or perhaps someone who is trying to learn about the craft of creative writing on their own.”

Dental Hygiene 

  • Dentistry Environment Essentials, by Nicole Stormon, Tachae Douglas-Miller, and Sowmya Shetty (2022). License: CC BY-NC.
    While the book is specific to the practice and standards of dentistry in Australia, the concepts, videos, and images, may be useful beyond this locale. This book aims to introduce the dental environment and give practical guidance on how to navigate the equipment, instruments, procedures and how to stay safe.

Health Sciences & Health Services Administration

History

  • Politics, Protest, Emotion: Interdisciplinary Perspectives: A Book of Blogs, edited by Paul Reilly; Anastasia Veneti and Dimitrinka Atanasova, University of Sheffield (2017). License: CC BY
    “Politics, emotion and identity performance presents a series of personal reflections on the ‘affective turn’ in social movement studies. Case studies such as Anonymous, the Hong Kong protest camps and the 2016 Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) march are  examined in order to explore the performance of identity in this era of global protest.”

Mathematics

  • Differential Calculus: From Practice to Theory, by Eugene Boman and Robert Rogers, Milne Open Textbooks, SUNY (2023). License: CC BY-NC-SA
    Differential Calculus: From Practice to Theory covers all of the topics in a typical first course in differential calculus. Initially it focuses on using calculus as a problem solving tool (in conjunction with analytic geometry and trigonometry) by exploiting an informal understanding of differentials (infinitesimals). As much as possible large, interesting, and important historical problems (the motion of falling bodies and trajectories, the shape of hanging chains, the Witch of Agnesi) are used to develop key ideas. Only after skill with the computational tools of calculus has been developed is the question of rigor seriously broached. At that point, the foundational ideas (limits, continuity) are developed to replace infinitesimals, first intuitively then rigorously.”

Mechanical Engineering Technology

  • Crawford Automation – A Guided Application of Structured Problem Solving: Continuous Improvement in Action, by Stephen Thomson; Kevin Hollis; and Laurie Turnbull, Conestoga College (2023).
    License: CC BY-NC-SA
    “This is a multimedia-enabled case in which students will be guided, by an industry expert, to apply structured problem-solving that addresses a typical supply chain problem, missing parts. What first appears as the issue may be a symptom of a root cause(s). The case utilizes videos, data files for analytics, audio recording, and videogame-style exercises to find the missing box of parts. The case is a collaboration between the Conestoga Centre for Supply Chain Innovation and ATS Automation and utilizes the ATS Business Model (ABM) approach to identifying and solving root causes.”
  • Machine Shop VESL, by Lisa Hillyard, MHCC Library Press. License: CC BY-NC
    An introductory text for those working in machine shops covering basic hand tools, measurements, reading plans, as well as working with large shop machines.

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

Get inspired by CUNY OER work!

Happy Summer 2023! To celebrate the start of summer, we want to share some of the important work being done by our colleagues across the CUNY system. Below are just a few examples.

  • Concepts in Statistics (School of Professional Studies)
    A replication of the openly-licensed book from the Online Learning Initiative. Concepts in Statistics is an “[i]ntroductory statistics [text] designed for students who may have a weak algebra background.”
  • The CUNY 1969 Project (Baruch College)
    The CUNY 1969 Project was developed over several years and is housed by the Baruch Center for Teaching and Learning. This project started as The CUNY Game, “an open-access gaming pedagogy model about CUNY’s student activist histories.”
  • CUNY Digital History Archive (Graduate Center)
    “The CUNY Digital History Archive is a participatory project, a counter-institutional archive that centers the experiences of students, workers, faculty, community residents, retirees, and alumni. We take an active approach to documenting CUNY history from the ground up, because we believe that today’s students deserve to know the people’s history of the people’s university.”
  • GC Music Teaching Hub (Graduate Center)
    “This is an online space that allows instructors to find and share teaching materials developed for music classrooms at CUNY. In addition to uploaded documents, you can also find a community-generated list of online music teaching resources and a collection of fact sheets for the CUNY campuses at which most graduate instructors teach.” The GC Music Teaching Hub is organized by current and former graduate teaching fellows of the CUNY Graduate Center Music Department. 
  • Marking Gender in Spanish: A Guide for Language Learners (Graduate Center)
    “This open educational resource is created for language learners who want to make independent decisions on the politics over their bodies and identities and determine how they would like to be called while learning Spanish. The material can also serve teachers and professors as a resource to help navigate this challenging topic of our current times. This guide allows the learner to gain a basic understanding of Spanish grammar and its relationship to gender in an independent way. It intends to be not only a resource to decide how you would like to be named but also to understand the complexity of the subject, in relation to Spanish-speaking societies.”
  • Teaming (Baruch College)
    “Our mission in this platform is to facilitate the unlocking of this potential by providing evidence-based resources so that you can successfully engage in teaming: to leverage the diversity of perspectives and experiences in your team, and to do so in an inclusive way. Our hope is to help your team to work together and solve problems that matter, to innovate, and to develop every team member’s skills and thinking to meet the demands of modern, collaborative, and diverse organizations.”

If you have questions about OER or OER programming at City Tech, contact Cailean Cooney, OER Librarian at ccooney@citytech.cuny.edu.

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