Coursepacks, a collection of course readings, activities, notes etc., are an excellent alternative to a textbook. Instructors can choose specific readings for students from a variety of books and journals. Curating a collection of readings allows the instructor to include a variety of sources and formats, allowing for representation of more view points. From a student perspective, coursepacks provide a more focus than a textbook and are a cost-savings.
Coursepacks are sold through the bookstore on a cost-recovery is basis. All coursepacks are reviewed for copyright compliance before they are printed. Instructors are asked to adhere to submission deadlines in order to ensure that students don't experience increased wait times for their materials.
Coursepacks consist of four types of material:
Any work included in a course pack must carry a full and correct citation and the copyright statement attached to it by the provider. Visit the library's citation guide for assistance.
Copyrighted material can be used in a coursepack if it complies with the Fair Dealing Policy, or with the specific and recorded permission of the copyright holder.
Questions?
Ask a librarian or contact the Copyright Advisor.
For digital delivery, a reading list can be built within D2L using persistent links to library licensed resources (journal articles or ebooks).
Persistent links (also called permalinks, stable URLs, or document URLs) point to specific articles, journals, ebooks, or searches from library research databases. They allow authorized users to access learning resources either on or off campus. Persistent links can be used within teaching materials, SharePoint, D2L, email or reference lists.
Best practice is to use the most direct link available (i.e. from the publisher or database) when providing links to your students. And always test links on and off campus!
Refer to the eLearning Tutorial for adding library links to a D2L course or Ask a librarian.
An open textbook, a type of OER, is a textbook licensed under an open copyright license, and made available online to be freely used by students, teachers and members of the public. They are available for free as online versions, and as low-cost printed versions, should students opt for these (BCcampus, n.d.).
Open textbooks are part of a larger movement called "Open Educational Resources" (OER). Open licenses allow instructors to adapt, remix, or customize existing open textbooks to maximize instructional content to meet their own learning objectives. Many open textbooks are developed through traditional peer review, others are vetted by experts. As with any textbook, the instructor is the final judge of whether an open textbook meets the needs of the course.
BCcampus was formed in 2012 to improve access to education for students across BC and the world. they advocate and provide access to learning opportunities about open pedagogy, supporting open access, and encouraging instructional design that is based on open licenses. BCcampus champions opportunities to improve learning materials and educational resources.
