Subject Guides: OER for Faculty: Adapt/Adopt a Textbook

Adapt/Adopt an Open Textbook

When you find an open textbook that work for your course, there are two ways that you can make use of the resource:

AdaptThe process of revising, modifying, altering or customizing existing work. This applies to open textbooks, which are available under licenses such as Creative Commons, as this type of licensing permits others to reuse, share, copy, retain and modify a textbook without having to consult the author.
AdoptThe implementation and use of open textbooks in your course or class. They can be distributed in a variety of formats and educators can apply to formally review these textbooks. If you adopt an open textbook from a collection, please inform the organization.

To learn more about how to use open educational resources within the proper legal limitations, please read the information on the OER guide home page.

Why Use Open Textbooks?

"Why use open textbooks? Benefits for students" by BCcampus is available under a CC-BY 4.0 license.

Additional Resources

Open Textbook Implementation Guide
Use this guide to find and integrate an open textbook and/or other open educational resources in your Algonquin College course.

Curating - OER Toolkit
This section of the OER Toolkit on The Learning Portal can help find, evaluate, and use OER to meet learning objectives.
Open Textbook: Communication at Work by Jordan Smith
This OER is designed to guide first-year college students in developing the vital communication skills that will help with the real, everyday tasks of writing and speaking in their chosen profession. By meeting the learning outcomes of Algonquin College’s first-year Communications course ENL1813 and its follow-up ENL1823 or equivalent, the textbook helps ensure that students graduate with the communication skills necessary to succeed in the modern workplace.

eCampus Ontario Open Textbook Library

Find a Textbook - Opens in a new window
Browse 180 quality-reviewed texts available to be freely used, adapted and distributed. They can be downloaded for no cost or printed at low cost.
Adopt a Textbook - Opens in a new window
If you are an educator looking for an open textbook to assign to your class, here are some suggested ways to start using a textbook from the collection.
Adapt a Textbook - Opens in a new window
Integral to the growth and sustainability of open educational resources is educators’ willingness to adapt existing open educational resources, in this case, open textbooks.
Review a Textbook - Opens in a new window
eCampusOntario seeks qualified subject matter experts to review open textbooks within their collection.
Checklist for Accessibility Toolkit
Textbooks flagged as accessible meet the criteria noted on the BCcampus Accessibility Checklist.