This is a partial list of textbooks adopted by faculty at Wright. Please reach out to department chairs and colleagues for the most current materials. If you are using OER in your classes, email Tineka Scalzo (tscalzo@ccc.edu) to have materials added to this list.
CCC Faculty Testimonials
On adopting OER...
I have been a strong supporter of OER for several years and, since spring of 2019, I am letting students know that they don't need to purchase a paper copy of the OER textbook. Even though it only costs $15.00 new or $5.00 used, a PDF version is available for free online. Either option is much less expensive than the My Math Lab book for $126.75.
Julius Nadas, Distinguished Professor
Department of Mathematics, Wright College
On creating OER…
The best textbook I found for one of my courses is over $200. I knew that I could deliver the same information, but I was worried if students missed a class, how would they read and get the information without a textbook? I attended meetings on OER at conferences, and the best lesson I learned was that you should start small. I began by making PowerPoints that could act as a textbook for the key-terms and concepts. Do not try to change an entire course and write an entire textbook at first. Start with a handout or activity. Look at OpenStax, OER Commons and others to see what is already available. You could be surprised at what is out there that would work for you, your classes, and your students.
Nancy Wyss, Assistant Professor
Department of Social Sciences, Wright College
For my sabbatical project, I thought it was important to begin creating an OER Spanish 101 manual for students. My two main reasons were a more personalized text and cost to students. The latter is very appealing because students can access the text online for free or print the text for the cost of photocopies. The former reason is even more significant in that I was able to create a text that had the goals, organization, and orientation that I desired. I did not want culture to be an "add-on" but incorporated into the text. I wanted a text that would speak to our (Wright, CCC, community college, Chicago, Latinx) population and OER allowed me to create a manual that could hopefully provide more interest to students and more representation and equity among them.
The biggest challenges were accessing non-copyright images and articles to incorporate. However, I did find already posted OER materials - other textbooks and guides - that proved really useful in terms of content and layout.
Anna Proffit, Assistant Professor
Department of Humanities & World Languages, Wright College