Affordable Course Content Awards

2024

Project name: Telling Their Stories
Project Team: Rebecca Shields
Overview: The author will create an open video resource for ARTH 104: Survey of Art. The resource is created in partnership with local historical sites highlighting African American art history, a topic absent from most art history textbooks. The first module was created with previous funding from the Affordable Course Content Awards and is available to view on the project website: Telling Their Stories: Black Artists in Virginia Historic Homes.
Impact: 100 Students (reached Spring 2024). In use for 2 semesters.

Project name: Re-Thinking Precalculus
Project Team: Nick Wong, Ph.D. and Mason Hester
Overview: The authors will adapt the OpenStax Precalculus text for MATH 151: Precalculus and create ancillary materials, including a workbook with active learning activities and a CANVAS course shell. The workbook will have a focus on active learning and provide additional problem sets to accommodate students with a wide range of mathematical ability.
Impact: Newly awarded project.

Project name: Representations of Race in Cinema
Project Team: Oliver C. Speck, Ph.D.
Overview: The author will customize an open textbook for WRLD 240: Representations of Race in Cinema and create a film viewing sheet for each of the 12 films the course covers. The viewing sheets will guide students through their viewing experience with a series of questions about filmic form and will provide background information about the film in order to help students gain visual literacy and critically analyze representations of race in the films under discussion.
Impact: Newly awarded project.

Project name: Creation of Ancillary Open Access Materials for Undergraduate Numerical Methods in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics
Project Team: Laura Ellwein Fix, Ph.D., Punit Gandhi, Ph.D., and Reed Ogrosky, Ph.D.
Overview: The authors will collaborate on a self-consistent set of supporting instructional materials for MATH 415: Numerical Methods that will be made freely available online. This resource will provide a critical foundation for students as they take the mathematical theory that they have learned into future STEM careers.
Impact: Newly awarded project.

Project name: Introduction to Health Humanities
Project Team: Christine Cynn, Ph.D., Melissa Bradner, MD, MSHA, Sara Wilson McKay, Shillpa Naavaal, B.D.S., M.S., M.P.H., Sachi Shimomura, Ph.D., and Tori Tucker, RN, Ph.D.
Overview: The authors will collaborate on a textbook for GSWS/AMST 391: Introduction to Health Humanities. This course content will be incorporated into the NEH grant-funded creation of a Health Humanities minor, starting in spring 2025. By planning affordable content for this core course of a new minor, the project team hopes to set affordable course content emphasizing diversity and equity-conscious transdisciplinary approaches as design principles for the program as it grows.
Impact: Newly awarded project.

Project name: The World is Round
Project Team: Volkan Aytar, Ph.D.
Overview: The author will create open course material for SOCY 370: Media and Society and SOCY 202: Foundations of Theory. The project aims to decolonize and de-Orientalize the sociology curriculum as well as to provide freely accessible course materials for a future online sociology major/minor track.
Impact: Newly awarded project.

2023

Project Name: Rethinking College Algebra
Project Team: Kristina Anthony, Ph.D., Cheri Doucette, and Hillary Cassill
Overview: The authors will adapt the College Algebra OpenStax textbook and create ancillary materials to meet the learning objectives for the course, Algebra with Applications, MATH 141. The ancillary materials will require students to investigate, analyze and communicate real-weal world applications using monotonic functions with and without technology.
Impact: Newly awarded project.

Project Name: Marketing Principles
Project Team: Professor of Marketing Jodie L. Ferguson, Ph.D., and César Zamudio, Ph.D.
Overview: The authors will lead a team of marketing department faculty to create a handbook of marketing principles to be used in all MKTG 301 classes in the VCU School of Business. The handbook will feature content topic areas (chapters), each written by a subject matter expert faculty member in the department.
Impact: Newly awarded project.

Project Name: Practice Management
Project Team: VaCora Oliver-Rainey, D.D.S.
Overview: The authors will customize a small business management OER for the Practice Management Course taken by third-year dental students. The customized content will supplement the lectures and provide resources on how to run a dental practice after graduation.
Impact: Newly awarded project.

Project Name: Educational Foundation for Collaboration and Universal Design for Learning.
Project Team: Serra de Arment, Ph.D. and Erin Kichinko-Willis, M.Ed.
Overview: The authors will identify existing open resources and assemble a comprehensive open resource for graduate students to use while taking SEDP 531, Educational Foundation for Collaboration and Universal Design for Learning, and to keep as a reference point as they continue in their special
Impact: Newly awarded project.

Project Name: Health Psychology
Project Team: Natalie Dautovich, Ph.D. and Morgan Reid, Ph.D.
Overview: The authors will develop and adapt an existing open health psychology textbook. This project will update data, links, and images to ensure the textbook provides current and relevant information, with an eye towards DEI and ensuring accessibility for all students.
Impact: Newly awarded project.

2022

Project Name: U.S Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Project Team: John Aughenbaugh, with Nia Rodgers
Overview: The authors will develop an open textbook on constitutional law. Organized by topic, each section of the book will include audio introductions; written overviews providing political, historical, economic, and sociological context; and condensed Supreme Court decisions.
Impact: Newly awarded project.

Project Name: Biological Basis of Behavior
Project Team: Caroline O. Cobb, with David Chester, Natalie Dautovich, Jared Keeley, and Fantasy Lozada
Overview: The authors will identify existing OER to assemble into a comprehensive open resource for a graduate course on the biological basis of behavior. Project team members represent different psychology programs to ensure the resource is applicable to all doctoral students.
Impact: 50 Students (reached Spring 2024) and $10,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2024). In use 2 semesters.

Project Name: Inquiry and the Craft of Argument
Project Team: Vicki Pallo and Julianne Guillard, with other Focused Inquiry faculty
Overview: The authors will collect materials representative of VCU’s diverse student population and faculty expertise while leaving room for customization by individual instructors.
Impact: 20,000 Students (reached Spring 2023) and $1.5 million in student savings (reached Spring 2023). In use for 10 semesters.

Project Name: Art History Videos
Project Team: Rebecca Shields
Overview: The author will create an open video resource in partnership with local historical sites highlighting African American art history, a topic absent from most art history textbooks.
Impact: 100 Students (reached Spring 2024). In use for 2 semesters.

Project Name: Foundations of Business Update
Project Team: Holly Jackson
Overview: The author aims to update data, links, and images to ensure the textbook provides current and relevant information, with an eye towards diversity/equity and inclusion (DEI) and ensuring accessibility for all students.
Impact: 750 Students (reached Spring 2024) and $50,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2024). In use for 5 semesters.

Project Name: Piloting the Enterprise
Project Team: Garreth Blackwell, Matt Woolman, and Jeffrey Foster
Overview: The authors will ensure that the new textbook is ready for wide sharing and adoption at other institutions by making it publicly available, creating introductory videos for each chapter, and recording an audiobook version to aid with accessibility.
Impact: 1,000 Students (reached Spring 2023) and $1,000,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2024). In use 10+ semesters.

Project Name: Introduction to Contemporary Mathematics
Project Team: Heather Nunnally with Hilary Cassil
Overview: The authors will redesign a math course to use both an OER and customized corresponding assignments in MyOpenMath, an open source courseware platform. Math131 is a terminal math course for most non-STEM students, which causes many to not purchase the book or have need of access following the course.
Impact: 1000 Students (reached Spring 2024) and $100,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2024). In use for 5+ semesters.

Project Name: Rheumatology/Dermatology
Project Team: Beth Rubinstein, Fnu Nutan, Julia Nunley, and medical students Mavra Masood, Sindhuja Koppu, Sarah Shapiro, and Julianna Kang
Overview: The authors will create dynamic modules focusing on the identification, diagnosis, and workup of different dermatologic manifestations of rheumatic diseases, with an emphasis on utilizing examples in skin of color.
Impact: 250 Students (reached Spring 2023) and $25,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2023). In use for 3 semesters.

2021

Project Name: Sociology Process-oriented Learning Modules
Project Team: Jesse Goldstein, Frankie Mastrangelo, Ph.D., and Emily Tomasik, (research assistant and BS SOCY 2021)
Overview: The authors will create a repository of process-based, scaffolded learning modules for use in multiple sociology courses.
Impact: 250 Students (reached Fall 2022) and $10,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2022). In use for 3 semesters.

Project Name: Personal Finance Planning
Project Team: Carolyn McCrea
Overview: The author will identify, combine and customize open materials for FIRE301, Personal Finance Planning, which will soon be included in the VCU general education offerings.
Impact: 100 Students (reached Spring 2022) and $10,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2022). In use for 2 semesters.

Project Name: Rheumatology/Dermatology
Project Team: Beth Rubinstein, Fnu Nutan, Julia Nunley, and medical students Mavra Masood, Sindhuja Koppu, Sarah Shapiro, and Julianna Kang
Overview: The author will create dynamic modules focusing on the identification, diagnosis and workup of different dermatologic manifestations of rheumatic diseases, with an emphasis on utilizing examples in skin of color (SOC).
Impact: 250 Students (reached Spring 2023) and $25,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2023). In use for 3 semesters.

Project Name: Art History Videos
Project Team: Rebecca Shields
Overview: The author will create an open video resource in partnership with a local historical site highlighting African American art history, a topic absent from most art history textbooks.
Impact: 100 Students (reached Spring 2024). In use for 2 semesters.

Project Name: Elementary Russian 1 and 2
Project Team: Natalia Boykova, with Kathryn Murphy-Judy and students Victoria Crouch and Maria Lavrentyeva
Overview: The authors will build on previously funded foreign language OER models to create a textbook for Russian 101/102.
Impact: 100 Students (reached Spring 2024) and $25,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2024). In use for 5+ semesters.

Project Name: Natural Resources and Environmental Planning
Project Team: Shruti Syal
Overview: The author will create highly scaffolded, applied learning assignments as the core learning component for weekly modules for URSP650, Natural Resources and Environmental Planning. She will also replace any existing commercial texts with free resources.
Impact: In use for 3 semesters.

Project Name: Data Science
Project Team: Dana Lapato and Timothy York
Overview: The authors want to create an open resource teaching R programming and research/data ethics and reproducibility for HGEN611 and 612 (Data Science I and II)
Impact: 100 Students (reached Spring 2024). In use for 5+ semesters.

Project Name: Children’s Literature
Project Team: Lisa Cipolletti, Valerie Robnolt, and Elizabeth Morris, Children’s Librarian, Richmond Public Library (Main Branch)
Overview: The author is creating an open textbook for Children’s Literature I (TEDU386). This sustain grant will support the addition of graduate student Kasey Dye to the project team to assist in finalizing importing and formatting content in their online platform.
Impact: 100 Students (reached Spring 2023) and $10,000 in student savings (reached Fall 2022). In use for 5+ semesters.

2020

Project Name: Foundations of Business
Project Team: Manika Avasthi
Overview: This author will remix three other OER open resources which includes a standard introduction to business materials as well as a section on professionalism.
Impact: 250 Students (reached Spring 2021) and $10,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2021). In use for 1 semester.

Project Name: Health Psychology
Project Team: Natalie Dautovich
Overview: The author will create an interactive resource that covers all of VCU’s health psychology courses. Some interactions included would be examples from the Richmond community or connections to community engagement as a part of the course.
Impact: 250 Students (reached Spring 2024) and $100,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2024). In use for 4 semesters.

Project Name: Data Science
Project Team: Dana Lapato and Timothy York
Overview: The author will build on existing resources that teach R programming using the Bookdown platform to incorporate content research, data ethics, and reproducibility, which is mostly lacking in the OER space. The content includes practical examples that students can use to test functions in R programming.
Impact: 100 Students (reached Spring 2024). In use for 5+ semesters.

Project Name: Nutrition
Project Team: Jill Reid
Overview: The author will customize an existing OER on Human Nutrition, adding media and interactive self-assessments, and nutritional examples relevant to the VCU community via students.
Impact: 1,000 Students (reached Spring 2023) and $100,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2023). In use for 5+ semesters.

2019

Project Name: Microbiology Lab Manuals
Project Team: Joseph Battistelli
Overview: The author will create an illustrated open lab manual and an accompanying collection of photos for Microbiology Lab (BIOZ303) and Medical Microbiology Lab (BIOZ209).
Impact: 1,000 Students (reached Fall 2022) and $75,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2024). In use 10+ semesters.

Project Name: Research Methods for Sociology
Project Team: Victor Chen, Gabriela León-Pérez​, Julie Honnold, Volkan Aytar
Overview: The authors will create an open textbook, adapting existing open materials while adding context and new content. The new resource has the potential to be used in all research methods-focused sociology classes.
Impact: Awarded a VIVA Course Redesign Grant In Fall 2019

Project Name: Children’s Literature
Project Team: Lisa Cipolletti, Valerie Robnolt, and Elizabeth Morris, Children’s Librarian, Richmond Public Library (Main Branch)
Overview: The authors will create an open textbook for Children’s Literature I (TEDU386).
Impact: 100 Students (reached Spring 2023) and $10,000 in student savings (reached Fall 2022). In use for 5+ semesters.

Project Name: Sports Leadership Research Methods
Project Team: Greg Greenhalgh
Overview: The author will replace current textbooks in Research Methods in Sport (SPTL 603) with open and free resources, including podcasts. He is also looking to convert statistical analysis from SPSS to Microsoft Excel, which will be more applicable in graduates’ real-world organizations.
Impact: 100 Students (reached Spring 2023) and $5,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2024) In use for 5+ semesters.

Project Name: Intermediate || Foreign Language Courses – Spanish
Project Team: Laura Middlebrooks with assistance from Kathryn Murphy-Judy, Ph.D., Associate Professor, and Steven Burton, undergraduate student, from the School of World Studies
Overview: The authors will create the scaffolding for an open textbook to be used in SPAN202. The final work will involve student curation of Spanish language materials.
Impact: 100 Students (reached Fall 2021) and $25,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2022). In use for 5+ semesters.

Project Name: Nursing: RN to BSN year 1
Project Team: Tammy Williams, Suzanne McGinnis, and Elizabeth Miles
Overview: The authors will find open and library-licensed alternatives to most, if not all, current textbooks for the first year of the RN to BSN program (NURS301, 307, 308, 309). The project will also include the creation of ancillaries to supplement these new texts.
Impact: 100 Students (reached Spring 2024) and $50,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2024). In use for 5+ semesters.

2018

Project Name: Intermediate || Foreign Language Courses
Project Team: Kathryn Murphy-Judy, Salwa Sheibany, Yan Gao, Lionel Mathieu, Patricia Cummins, Vera Abbate, Natalia Boykova, and Maria de Panbehchi
Overview: The authors will adopt open educational resources to replace textbooks for Intermediate II Foreign Language courses, including Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Russian and Spanish.
Impact: 100 Students (reached FY2019) and $25,000 in student savings (reached FY2019). In use 5+ semesters.

Project Name: Introduction to Biological Sciences
Project Team: Ching-Yu Huang, Dianne Jennings, and Jonathan Moore
Overview: The authors will adopt an open textbook and create supplementary materials to replace the textbook for Introduction to Biological Sciences I (BIOL 151).
Impact: 5,000 Students (reached Fall 2021) and $1,250,000 in student savings (reached Fall 2022). In use 10+ semesters.

Project Name: Piloting the Enterprise
Project Team: Garreth Blackwell, Matt Woolman, and Jeffrey Foster
Overview: The authors will create a new open textbook on business practice for creative professionals to be used in Piloting the Enterprise (ARTS 351) and all other courses offered by the CCE.
Impact: 1,000 Students (reached Spring 2023) and $1,000,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2024). In use 10+ semesters.

Project Name: Digital Histology
Project Team: John Bigbee, Alice Pakurar, and Kenneth Foster
Overview: The authors will create Digital Histology 2.0 (DH2), an open educational resource for VCU health science students in Medicine 150, Medicine 250, Microscopic Anatomy (ANAT 502), and Histology (ANAT 611).
Impact: 2,500 Students (reached Spring 2023) and $100,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2021). In use 10+ semesters.

Project Name: Introduction to Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies
Project Team: Liz Canfield, Christine Cynn, Myrl Beam, Sandra Burke, Bee Coston, Matilde Moros, and Archana Pathak
Overview: The authors will adopt, adapt, and author open educational resources to replace the textbook for Introduction to Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies (GWSS 201).
Impact: 2,500 Students (reached Fall 2022) and $250,000 in student savings (reached Fall 2022). In use 10+ semesters.

2017

Project Name: Intermediate || Foreign Language Courses
Project Team: Kathryn Murphy-Judy, Salwa Sheibany, Yan Gao, Lionel Mathieu, Patricia Cummins, Vera Abbate, Natalia Boykova, and Maria de Panbehchi
Overview: The team will author open learning modules for Intermediate II Foreign Language courses, including Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Russian and Spanish.
Impact: 100 Students (reached FY2019) and $25,000 in student savings (reached FY2019). In use 5+ semesters.

Project Name: Communicating Across Cultures
Project Team: Robert Godwin-Jones, in collaboration with Mayda Topoushian, Jill Blondin, and Aradhna Malik (of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur)
Overview: The team will author an open textbook for Communicating Across Cultures (WRLD 302).
Impact: 750 Students (reached Spring 2024) and $100,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2024). In use 10+ semesters.

Project Name: Sports Business
Project Team: Brendan Dwyer
Overview: The author will create a textbook for Sport Business (SPTL 632).
Impact: 250 Students (reached Spring 2024) and $10,000 in student savings (reached Fall 2020). In use 5+ semesters.

Project Name: Focused Inquiry (VCU Writes!)
Project Team: Faculty members from the Department of Focused Inquiry’s Textbook Committee
Overview: The team will author open course content for Focused Inquiry I and II (UNIV 111 and 112) and Inquiry and the Craft of Argument (UNIV 200).
Impact: 25,000 Students (reached Spring 2024) and $2,000,000 in student savings (reached Spring 2024). In use 15+ semesters.

Project Name: Differential Equations
Project Team: Jeffrey Ledford, Ph.D.
Overview: The author will create an open textbook for The Intelligence Community and Process (HSEP 320).
Impact: $10,000 in student savings (reached FY2018)

Project name: Intelligence Community and Process
Project Team: Stacie Giles
Overview: The author will create an open textbook for The Intelligence Community and Process (HSEP 320 that offers an approachable overview of the intelligence community that outlines its purpose, structure, and function.
Impact: Project on hiatus.

Project name: Experimental Methods
Project Team: Joseph H. Porter and Victoria A. Shivy, in collaboration with Harry Whitaker and Mitchell D. Klett of Northern Michigan University.
Overview: Faculty will author an open textbook for Experimental Methods (PSYC 317).
Impact: Project on hiatus.