OER Catalog

Basic Vietnamese is a comprehensive, interactive textbook designed for true novice and low-novice learners of the Vietnamese language. The book aims to help students achieve Novice high or Intermediate low proficiency according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standards. With 15 chapters and nine pronunciation sections, this resource covers essential grammar structures, practical vocabulary, and cultural insights.

Each chapter in the book follows a consistent pattern, featuring conversations, useful vocabulary, grammar structures, culture notes (when applicable), and further practice exercises. The book introduces phonetics in the first part, across nine separate sections. Specific learning outcomes are provided for each chapter, focusing on communication goals. Interactive activities and multimedia materials, compiled and designed with the help of native speakers, ensure authenticity and engaging learning experiences.

Drawing from a combination of pedagogical approaches, Basic Vietnamese encourages both inductive and deductive learning, allowing students to grasp language concepts through context and analysis. The book emphasizes the development of all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), fostering well-rounded proficiency.

A reframing of past course offerings led to this student-led “Hookup” Culture course at Michigan State University in spring 2020 and provided students with content decision-making opportunities and a more profound voice as to their learning goals and outcomes. Dr. Denise M. Acevedo, Assistant Professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures and shared educator in the Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities (CISAH) facilitated student-led research, discussions, and subsequent publication of a text formed from students’ actual “hookup” experiences. Students defined “hookup” culture, read and chose two-course texts, and subsequently categorized areas in which they were interested in conducting additional research, discovery, and discussion. Students’ collaborative research and conversations, and individually written reflections, although well-rounded, invite additional questions into “hookup” culture. Why are many left out of the research, conversations, and publications of data, such as those in the LGBTQ, African-American, Asian, and Native American communities? How might higher education humanities programs facilitate and support research into “hookup” practices also within these communities to ensure equality in scholarly practices? Why is “hookup” culture still a taboo topic for many and how might additional student-led research and scholarly publications change the narrative?

Introduction to Neuroscience  is designed for undergraduate students enrolled in introductory neuroscience courses. This book specifically targets students enrolled in Introduction to Neuroscience 1 and Introduction to Neuroscience 2 at Michigan State University and primarily contains topics covered in those courses.

This completed text will guide students through the structure and function of nervous system cells and nervous system structures, signaling within the nervous system, include various sensory systems, motor systems, motivation and reward, stress, sex and the brain, emotions, nervous system disorders, learning, and memory.

This text has been remixed and revised from two different open educational resources aimed at undergraduate neuroscience students:

Foundations of Neuroscience by Casey Henley, Michigan State University

The Open Neuroscience Initiative by Austin Lim, DePaul University

In addition, new original content has been added to supplement what was provided in the above texts. The text includes many images and animations throughout and will be divided into shorter chapters that focus on a single topic. As this text is meant for undergraduate students, the writing is aimed at students that have not taken a neuroscience course before. Neuroscience terminology will be defined throughout the text through the use of the embedded Glossary terms to help with ease of reading. Additionally, important terms are bolded. Many chapters will end with an interactive quiz for student self-evaluation of the content.

Find errors or have suggestions? Please email hedgesva@msu.edu

This open textbook is intended for beginning students of Arabic who have already covered their literacy skills and ready to explore language in a lively and interactive approach. This OER is unique in its presentation of Arabic language content through theme-based modules. Each theme is addressed through vocabulary, grammar, reading, speaking, culture, and writing components. Each chapter includes self-check embedded quizzes that help learners digest language concepts. The book is also designed with teachers in mind. Each chapter includes pair work and group tasks that the teacher can implement in class and other parts that can be assigned as homework. The focus of the book is to establish a sound basis in Standard Arabic structure in a simplified and sequenced approach. Additionally, each theme will include a conversation section in which a module on Egyptian Arabic is presented. While developing a solid foundation in written Arabic, the Egyptian Arabic component will enhance students’ spoken fluency and enrich their cultural experience in their language learning journey.

This open textbook is intended for beginning students of Arabic in their first semester.  This OER is unique in its presentation of Arabic language content through theme-based modules. Each theme is addressed through vocabulary, grammar, reading, speaking, and writing components. Each chapter includes self-check embedded quizzes that help learners digest language concepts. The book is also designed with teachers in mind. Each chapter includes pair work and group tasks that the teacher can implement in class and other parts that can be assigned as homework. The focus of the book is to build literacy in Standard Arabic structure in a simplified and sequenced approach while emphasizing speaking skills. By the end of this course, students will be well prepared for building their competence in a sequenced and organized manner in the following parts of this series.

Basic Hindi is an online, interactive, and tech-enhanced textbook that promotes speaking, listening, reading, writing, and cultural skills. Each Chapter in this book has clear stated learning outcomes, a review of previous chapters, reading/listening sections, study abroad section, relevant grammatical items, and cultural notes. The pedagogical approach in the book is mixed and informed by the socio-cultural approaches and the generative approaches of the Second Language Acquisition theory. The mixed theoretical backgrounds match diverse learning and teaching philosophies and styles. Following the learning outcomes guided by American Council of Teaching Foreign Language (ACTFL), this textbook aims for the novice learners to attain intermediate low to mid-level proficiency level. The textbook incorporates pictures, audio-visual materials, and activities developed on the H5P platform to keep learners engaged.

This “textbook” is interactive, meaning that although each chapter has text, they also have interactive HTML5 content such as quizzes, simulations, interactive videos, and images with clickable hotspots. Students receive instant feedback when they complete the interactive content and, therefore, can learn and check their understanding all in one place. I still consider this textbook to be fairly text-heavy and will continue to make even more interactive content!

The image on the cover represents the creation of this book. I pulled most of the content from open resources, modified them, added questions, and now offer them for you to use!

I chose the content to align with two courses that I teach: Environmental & Organismal Applications and Biomedical Applications. Unit 1 introduces students to science, which both courses use. Unit 2 covers content necessary for understanding conservation implications (the underlying theme of the course is de-extinction), and Unit 3 focuses on proteins so that students can understand the implications of modifying DNA (the underlying theme is CRISPR).

Please use this book as you see fit for your classes. I look forward to hearing how to make this book even more useful in the future!

This book contains eight chapters. In the first five chapters, each chapter is divided into two parts. The first part is based on the conversation and presents the grammar and vocabulary necessary to deal with everyday situations. The Cambodian script and sound system are introduced in the second part of each chapter.

Each chapter has clear learning outcome, a review of the previous chapter, the review of the vocabulary, grammar points and cultural notes. The layout of each chapter is followed by three modes of communication (interpretative, interpersonal and presentation mode) across the four skills. Each chapter also has a listening, speaking, reading and grammar section, followed by interactive activities. Cultural notes and a few online available materials related to the theme of the chapter is also introduced. Each chapter ends with key vocabulary/expression and Grammar summary. Vocabulary in reading and listening is built in the conversation with the English translation so that learners can infer the meaning in the given context. Learning activities have been developed by using h5p so that learners can get immediate constructive feedback.

Elementary Chinese II is aimed at those who have learned Chinese as a second/foreign language for one semester, using the OER textbook “Elementary Chinese I“.

This open textbook contains six main lessons, including topics such as school life, shopping, transportation, weather, eating out, and asking and giving directions. They are organized in a straightforward and well-structured manner that are easy to follow. Within each lesson, there are a set of two dialogues or a set of one dialogue plus one narration. The texts of the dialogues or narrations are created to provide real-life Chinese language to beginning learners. After the texts, vocabulary words are listed for them to study and review. Grammatical points are explained in English and example sentences are provided for students to understand. Each dialogue or narration ends with culture notes where learners can read and better understand the target text.