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Office of the Provost Teaching at WSU

OER Users

Dozens of instructors at WSU have incorporated OER into their curriculum. We would like to provide support and resources for the OER user community. If you’ve used OER, or are interested, please email to oer@wsu.edu.

Hear from OER users at WSU

Professor: Willy Cushwa

Course: BSCI 101

Which OER are you using in class? A custom mix of several OpenStax textbooks

What has been your experience with this resource? “For years, I worked with publishers to negotiate text book savings for my Biology of Humans (BSCI 101) students.  I became aware of OERs several years ago but couldn’t find a “pre-made” book that fit my content needs and preferences.  Last year, I explored OpenStax and found the right combination of resources, flexibility of editing and compiling resources, and ability to have it custom published at a reasonable cost ($50 new) for students who preferred a hard copy instead of the free PDF copy.

As I created and edited the book, I was able to include content from three different OpenStax books, organize it in a way that I prefer when teaching, and only include content that was relevant for my course.  Student comments have been positive and the cost savings versus a traditional publisher textbook ($100+) are significant.  These benefits make the substantial time investment to create the book very worthwhile.”


Professor: Bill Griesar

Courses: PSYCH 265, PSYCH 372, PSYCH 473

Which OERs are you using in class? NIH research articles, videos, self-made resources

What has been your experience with this resource? “There is no reason for undergraduates to spend hundreds of dollars on books for courses. I am thrilled to offer students free, current, updated alternatives to high cost textbooks and the newer time-limited online products companies often insist they purchase. There are tremendous publicly funded resources available, including NIH research articles, and as an educator I enjoy creating original video content, and written materials, that guide students towards understanding.”