While some instructors do not have the freedom to select course readings for their class, many still do. Selecting course readings is not an easy process, so I thought I would outline the process Maybee and I wrote up in our article (Reid & Maybee, 2021) (The full article is open access – easiest to read in .pdf view).
- Determine student demographics – these can help determine the text’s reading level. Student centers and librarians may be good sources for help on this.
- Align readings to course outcomes & design – identify both your course learning outcomes and course structure (how, when, & where of learning).
- Select format – OER, online, printed, articles, websites… the choices abound! See table 1 below for estimated time to adopt based on the format of the materials.
- Review for quality and match – more than just spelling and grammar, check for current theories and references, inclusivity in examples, and then map the readings to course learning outcomes.
- Order materials – Depending on the format of the course readings, you may need to contact the library, bookstore, IT or another department to actually make sure the materials are available in time.
Table 1. Estimated time to adopt new course reading materials after the text is selected.
| Adopting a new traditional textbook | 21–40 hours | (Wang and Wang, 2017) |
| Adopting OER course materials | 135-200 hours | (Wang and Wang, 2017) |
| Using OER and developing an additional module | 30–80 hours | (Wang and Wang, 2017) |
| Develop a course pack of articles | 40 hours | (Whitaker and Greenleaf, 2019) |
(From Reid & Maybee, 2021)
The full article has a lot more information about each of these steps and what you need to consider.
References
Reid, P., & Maybee, C. (2021). Textbooks and Course Materials: A Holistic 5-Step Selection Process. College Teaching, 0(0), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2021.1987182
Wang, S., and H. Wang. 2017. “Adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) Textbook for an Introductory Information Systems Course.” Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning 32 (3):224–35. doi: 10.1080/02680513.2017.1354762.
Whitaker, B. L., and J. P. Greenleaf. 2019. “Using Course Packs to Address Limitations of Traditional Textbooks in Leadership Education.” Journal of Leadership Education 18 (3):176–84.