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Teaching Support for Online Instruction

eTextbooks and eBook Availability

We are aware that our students may no longer have access to their textbooks due to the impact of COVID-19.   There are several ways that the University Library can help.  

  • Search the library collection of eBooks to add to your course or syllabi.  Many eBooks have limits on the number of students that can access the book simultaneously. Contact the Library to inquire of possible obtaining an increase in the number of users to meet your course needs.  
  • If the Library does not currently provide access to the course materials that you need to complete this semester, contact one of your librarians at:  nfederick@tamut.edu or kharrell@tamut.edu.   REMEMBER: This is only a request for the materials you need to complete the semester.  

Some publishers and vendors are providing limited-time free access or trials to faculty and students affected by COVID-19.  These are in addition to the content that the Library already provides for it's TAMUT community.   As we hear of these offers, we will post them.

Library Guides for your Course

  • Consider embedding one of our Libguides into your course.

OERs

Consider using Open Education Resources (OERs) for your coursework.

ADOPT (Open Access Textbooks

Presently there are two main resources that index currently available Open Access (OA) textbooks, OpenStax and the Open Textbook Library.  

OpenStax

Rice University's OpenStax produces a number of excellent OA textbooks across many disciplines, focusing on high enrollment entry level courses offered at community colleges and universities. Notably, these textbooks include Instructor resources such as test banks, PowwerPoint slide presentations, and more.

Open Textbook Library

The Open Textbook Library (hosted by the University of Minnesota) collects together over 600 Open Access textbooks from across the country, including those produced here in Texas by OpenStax.  Notably, this large collection includes reviews from faculty users.  The Open Textbook Library main page includes: "Open textbooks are textbooks that have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. These books have been reviewed by faculty from a variety of colleges and universities to assess their quality. They can be downloaded for no cost, or printed at low cost. All textbooks are either used at multiple higher education institutions; or affiliated with an institution, scholarly society, or professional organization. The library currently includes 605 textbooks, with more being added all the time."