{"id":1687,"date":"2021-02-03T10:00:55","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T18:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=1687"},"modified":"2025-09-26T13:00:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T20:00:28","slug":"oer-at-work-marine-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/oer-at-work-marine-law\/","title":{"rendered":"OER at Work: Authoring a marine law open textbook was ‘straightforward and seamless’"},"content":{"rendered":"
Editor’s note: <\/strong>This story was originally published on the Oregon State University Division of Educational Ventures news site<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n

Faculty at Oregon State University are leading the efforts to improve access to higher education and make college more affordable by reducing the costs of textbooks and required course materials.<\/p>\n

Guided by the expertise and support of the\u00a0OSU Open Educational Resources Unit<\/a>, an increasing number of faculty members are adopting, adapting and authoring OERs.<\/p>\n

One such faculty member is Holly Campbell in Oregon State\u2019s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Scienes. Campbell authored an open textbook, \u201cMarine Law and Policy for Scientists and Managers<\/a>,\u201d under a Creative Commons license.<\/p>\n

She recently shared her insights about the decision to incorporate the OER in her course, the development process and more.<\/p>\n

Tell us a little about the course you teach that uses the open textbook.<\/h3>\n

\u201cSince 2009 I have taught ocean law at Oregon State. The course familiarizes students with jurisdictions, authorities and the major national and a selection of international laws governing our oceans. The subject matter spans fisheries, wildlife and natural resources such as energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Holly

Holly Campbell is a researcher and instructor in Oregon State’s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences.<\/p><\/div>\n

Why did you choose to use this type of resource?<\/h3>\n

\u201cI chose to apply for the grant and write the OER after hearing a talk by (former OSU OERU director) Dianna Fisher at the annual Ecampus Faculty Forum. Dianna explained the increasing financial stress nationally among university students and the rising costs of textbooks.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy former required textbook was $180 and was not available as an e-book. My 30-year background in ocean and coastal and environmental law \u2014 and my observation that managers need a different approach to law than future lawyers \u2014 led me to want to create the OER.\u201d<\/p>\n

What was your process for authoring the open textbook?<\/h3>\n

\u201cI do not have an office on campus, and in any event for years have loved working in the OSU Valley Library. I spent many months at a large table in the Library with my laptop. I began with an outline and then began the chapters. The process was very straightforward and seamless.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do your students think about it?<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe students seem grateful and find the book useful.\u201d<\/p>\n

What challenges did you face in bringing the open textbook into your course?<\/h3>\n

\u201cThere were no challenges in bringing the OER into the course. The major challenge is keeping it updated.\u201d<\/p>\n

What surprised you about working with OER?<\/h3>\n

\u201cI was surprised by how much I enjoyed writing it and how I often think of expanding it if I had time, funding and tech support.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do you think is the greatest strength of OER?<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe greatest strength of OER is the access that it provides students during and after class.\u201d<\/p>\n

What advice would you give faculty who wanted to use OER in their courses?<\/h3>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t hesitate, but make sure you have set aside a block of time without distractions. Be patient and have fun. Look at your topic from a beginner\u2019s standpoint, and remember what excited you when you first engaged with the topic.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake it interesting, stimulating of curiosity, unbiased and accurate, and include thought questions and sources for further reading throughout. My OER contains a large appendix of resources by chapter, mainly the relevant statutes and regulations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Learn more about the OSU Open Educational Resources Unit and the support resources available to faculty.<\/em><\/p>\n

Explore OER services<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 3<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Oregon State researcher and instructor Holly Campbell says the process of authoring an open textbook on marine law “was very straightforward and seamless,” and she advises her faculty colleagues to not hesitate in implementing open educational resources in their classes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1689,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,13,702,670],"tags":[602,647],"class_list":["post-1687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-oer","category-educational-ventures","category-division","tag-oer-at-work","tag-oregon-state-open-educational-resources-unit"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/marine-law-open-textbook.jpg?fit=744%2C455&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-rd","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1671,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/oer-environmental-politics-and-policy\/","url_meta":{"origin":1687,"position":0},"title":"OER at Work: Open textbook increases affordability, up-to-date information","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"January 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The ability to edit the open source text allows my colleague and I to provide updated information instantaneously. 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Tuition costs are beyond the control of Oregon State University faculty members, but there is a proven way they can make student learning more affordable: by replacing expensive textbooks with free and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A person working on a laptop with a geographic map on the screen, alongside an open textbook titled \"Getting Organized.\"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2287,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/how-the-affordable-learning-grant-supports-faculty\/","url_meta":{"origin":1687,"position":2},"title":"Liberating course materials from the textbook industry","author":"Elena Moffet","date":"June 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Whether you\u2019re struggling to find a suitable textbook for your course or want to remove learning barriers for your students, there has never been a better time to explore the world of open educational resources.\u00a0Oregon State associate professor John Lambrinos shares why and relates his experience.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/4172-Campus-0775-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/4172-Campus-0775-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/4172-Campus-0775-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/4172-Campus-0775-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1977,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/textbooks-expensive-affordable-learning\/","url_meta":{"origin":1687,"position":3},"title":"Textbooks are way too expensive. 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