Faculty members Hilda Morayma Benton, Dave Bostwick, Sarah West Hixon, Ches Jones, Linda C. Jones, Josh McGee and Antonio Parrilla Recuero, along with graduate students Collette Bliss, Alyssa Riley and Ashleigh Severson, published seven open textbooks during 2024 through participation in the U of A's Course Materials Conversion Program. Each of these texts is available online at no charge to readers through the libraries' Pressbooks website. 

EKG Essentials: A Student Handbook by McGee features heart diagrams and rhythm strip examples to help readers interpret the results of an electrocardiogram. 

"I realized that current textbooks available out there on how to interpret electrocardiograms were either very expensive for students, did not include interactive learning materials, did not reach the depth that I was looking for in this brand-new undergraduate course, or some combination of these," McGee said. "Once I heard about the program from my department chair, I realized I need to make my own textbook for my new course to make sure that these checkboxes were actually taken care of, with the added bonus that it is free for my current and future students. Just the idea of creating a textbook was daunting at first; however, after speaking with a colleague that has participated in the OER program and having meetings with Christine, I was excited for the opportunity to design a tailor-made, free of charge, interactive textbook for not only my students but for anyone to use in their journey to learn how to read electrocardiograms, a vital skill in the medical field."

Hixson's ENCLOTHE is a resource for fashion show planning and execution that includes interactive components such as quizzes and activities like making a mood board. 

Bliss and Severson co-edited Advanced Composition, a comprehensive resource for every stage of the writing process. 

Bostwick and Riley collaborated on The Mass Media Landscape, a compilation of lessons to help audiences understand the evolution of U.S. mass media and disruptive media technologies. It includes overviews of media law, media ethics and media literacy. Chapters contain interactive exercises, review quizzes, writing assignments and multimedia content.

Personal Health and Safety by Ches Jones is universally relevant and holistically covers health and safety issues, including mental health, substance abuse, reproductive health and more. 

Language Encounters on the French Colonial Mississippi by Linda C. Jones chronicles language encounters between the French and Native peoples of North America that began in the 1530s. 

Negocios y Desarrollo Profesional: Perspectivas en Español by Recuero and Benton provides an overview of business concepts in the context of the Spanish language and Spanish-speaking countries. 

Through this program, 10,206 students across 41 courses saved a combined $754,854 on textbook costs in 2024. 

"Creating or adapting quality open education textbooks is a way University Libraries can partner with faculty to support our students not only by eliminating the need for expensive commercial textbooks but by ensuring the materials we share with students meets the learners where they're at," said Christine Rickabaugh, open education librarian. "I'm delighted to be part of a team focusing on student success." 

Instructors will see a call for proposals for the next installment of the Open Educational Resources Course Materials Conversion Program soon. Applications will be accepted from Feb. 17 through March 10.