Course Awards
2020
Ermus is using a mixture of open educational resources, including Western Civilization I, 2, and 3; World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500; World Civilizations: 1500 AD to the Present; from Open Textbook Library; HIST 126 World Civilizations I from Open Course Library; and History of World Civilizations II and Early World Civilizations from Lumen Learning.
More from Ermus:
"Over the last few years, I have been looking for ways to adopt low-cost or free texts for my students. Given copyright laws, this has proven to be a challenge. What I have had to do is essentially forgo textbooks altogether and only assign short primary-source excerpts that I post on Blackboard. This means that students who learn better with text and visuals have either had to purchase an expensive recommended textbook, or have had to rely only on lectures.
“I will share with others in my department about the anticipated benefits of using affordable materials for course instruction. I feel confident that students will not only benefit from the free availability of these materials (in terms of grades, participation, etc.), but will also appreciate their professors' efforts to make them accessible."