Oregon State senior instructor Linda Bruslind says the open textbook she authored for her General Microbiology course “completely changed my lecture ability” and that “it has open-source material in it that’s available for anybody.”
By Tyler Hansen
June 26, 2018
Linda Bruslind estimated that less than half of the students in her General Microbiology course were buying and using the required publisher’s textbook.
To put it another way, the majority of her MB 302 students did not have access to vital learning resource in large part because it was cost prohibitive. (A new copy of the latest publisher’s edition runs nearly $250.)
So as a senior instructor and the lead advisor in Oregon State University’s Department of Microbiology, Bruslind authored an open textbook that covers all the pertinent material and helps students meet the desired learning outcomes. And because it’s freely available online to learners online at OSU and worldwide, she says that now all students in her class are accessing it.
Learn more about how Oregon State faculty members can adopt, adapt or author an open textbook on the OSU Open Educational Resources Unit website. These no-cost course materials have generated an increase in student engagement, student success and have been instrumental in making college more affordable.
