Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.
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Rhetoric Matters: A Guide to Success in the First Year Writing Class
Adam Falik; Dorie La Rue; Tracey Watts · LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network · 2022
Rhetoric Matters: A Guide to Success in the First Year Writing Class offers students necessary concepts and practice to learn all the elements needed for successful first year writing and set the stage for future writing success in college. This textbook was created as part of the Interactive OER for Dual Enrollment project, facilitated by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network and funded by a $2 million Open Textbooks Pilot Program grant from the Department of Education. This project supports the extension of access to high-quality post-secondary opportunities to high school students across Louisiana and beyond. This project features a collaboration between educational systems in Louisiana, the library community, Pressbooks technology partner, and workforce representatives. It will enable and enhance the delivery of open educational resources (OER) and interactive quiz and assessment elements for priority dual enrollment courses in Louisiana and nationally. Developed OER course materials will be released under a license that permits their free use, reuse, modification and sharing with others.The target audience for this project and this textbook are dual enrollment students. Dual enrollment is the opportunity for a student to be enrolled in high school and college at the same time. A dual enrollment student receives credit on both their high school and college transcripts for the same course.
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The Commons: Tools for Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric
Jill Parrot; Dominic Ashby; Jonathon Collins · Eastern Kentucky University Libraries · 2022
An Open Textbook for English 101: Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric at Eastern Kentucky University
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Writing as Inquiry: A Guide to WR 121 at the University of Oregon
Kara Clevinger; Stephen Rust · University of Oregon Libraries · 2022
Welcome to our creative commons OER (open educational resource) for Writing 121 at the University of Oregon. This resource is designed for students to be a zero-cost, high-quality guide to academic writing, with the goal of preparing you for success in college and beyond.
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People Learning and Development
Monica Affleck · Kwantlen Polytechnic University · 2021
Are you interested in the topic of people learning and development or are tasked to implement learning and training opportunities in your workplace? We invite you to use this resource full of information and tools to help support people and organizations in their learning journey. Learning happens everywhere, and you will explore the different modes of learning on and off the job. But is a training program actually the right solution to address a performance issue in your organization? Learn how to conduct a needs analysis to help you decide what is in the best interest of the organization and people. Training and learning opportunities have to be properly designed to be effective and deliver the results you expect. Find out how adults learn and what motivates them to develop their skills. Discover how learning supports the performance management process and how to ensure that learning gets transferred into the workplace. The ultimate goal of training and development is to increase productivity, employee engagement, and to make a positive impact on the organization’s bottom line. So, evaluating training and development programs is critical to determine the company’s return on investment (ROI). You will find all of this and more in this resource to help you invest in and reap the benefits of talent development in your company. Remember, this is an interactive resource. We invite you to answer the questions at the end of each chapter to test your knowledge.
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Intermediate College Writing: Building and Practicing Mindful Writing Skills
Dawn Atkinson; Stacey Corbitt · Montana Technological University · 2026
Welcome to Intermediate College Writing: Building and Practicing Mindful Writing Skills, an open textbook designed for use in university-level courses that focus on cultivating study skills alongside effective academic and workplace writing skills. It offers a no-cost alternative to commercial products, combining practical guidance with interactive exercises and thoughtfully designed writing opportunities. This textbook’s modular design and ample coverage of topics and genres means that it can be used flexibly over semester-long or stretch courses, allowing instructors and students to select the chapters that are most relevant for their needs. By blending new material with reviews of key topics, such as academic integrity, the chapters provide fresh perspectives on matters vital to the development of strong writing skills. The book adapts, builds upon, and expands material covered in our other two open textbooks, Mindful Technical Writing: An Introduction to the Fundamentals (Atkinson & Corbitt, 2021)1 and Advanced-Level Writing in the University Classroom and Beyond: Mindful Practices for Technical, Business, and Scientific Communication (Atkinson & Corbitt, 2024). If you would like to access a Word Document version of this text please email Author, Stacey Corbitt, scorbitt@mtech.edu.
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Write or Left
Sybil Priebe · Sybil Priebe · 2016
In this book, we'll go over some of the general principles of writing practices as well as advice and tips on how to write creatively, but mainly, you’ll be introduced to as many genres and categories as possible. We won’t get bogged down in doing the writing process “perfectly” or creating “perfect literature.” The goal is to learn about as many genres as possible, practice writing in those genres, and get feedback.
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Elementary Mandarin
Carl Polley · LibreTexts · 2019
This course is designed for learners with no background in Chinese. It introduces basic structures of the Mandarin Chinese language with emphasis on listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Students will gain these four skills in standard Mandarin Chinese, attaining approximately the Novice-High level on the ACTFL-ETS (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) proficiency scale. Topics of conversation include basic greetings, names, family, work, study, and hobbies. Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to: Exchange information about familiar topics using phrases and simple sentences, sometimes supported by memorized language, and ask and answer simple questions about everyday situations in short social interactions. (Interpersonal Communication) Verbally convey basic information on familiar topics using phrases and simple sentences. (Presentational Speaking) Write short messages and notes on familiar topics related to everyday life. (Presentational Writing) Interpret spoken words, phrases, and simple sentences related to everyday life by recognizing pieces of information and by identifying the main topic. (Interpretive Listening) Interpret familiar words, phrases, and sentences within short and simple texts related to everyday life and identify the main idea of written materials. (Interpretive Reading)
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Fundamentals of Music Theory
Nikki Moran; Michael Edwards; Richard Worth; Zack Moir · University of Edinburgh · 2021
This open e-book is the result of a project funded by a University of Edinburgh Student Experience Grant, Open e-Textbooks for access to music education. The project was a collaboration between Open Educational Resources Service, and staff and student interns from the Reid School of Music. As a proof-of-concept endeavour, the project aimed to explore how effectively we could convert existing course content into convenient and reusable open formats suitable for use by staff and students both within and beyond the University. The resulting e-book presents open licensed educational materials that deal with the building blocks of musical stave (sometimes known as staff) notation, a language designed to communicate about musical ideas which is in use around the world. The resources in this e-book include video lectures and their transcripts, as well as supporting text explanations, examples and illustrations. The materials introduce topics such as the organisation of discrete pitches into scales and intervals, and temporal organisation of musical sounds as duration, in rhythm and metre. These rudiments are presented through an introduction to the elements of five-line stave notation, and through critical discussion of the advantages and limitations served by notational systems in the representation and analysis of musical sounds. This serves as the basis of further explanations, to illustrate musical concepts including key, time signature, harmonisation, cadence and modulation. We anticipate that subsequent versions of this e-book will update and develop the contents and presentation of the materials, following the success of this student-led collaboration.
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Howdy or Hello?: Technical and Professional Communications
Matt McKinney; Kalani Pattison; Sarah LeMire; Kathy Anders · Texas A&M University · 2021
Technical writing courses introduce you to some of the most important aspects of writing in the worlds of science, technology, and business—in other words, the kind of writing that scientists, nurses, doctors, computer specialists, government officials, engineers, and other professionals do as a part of their regular work. The skills learned in technical writing courses can be useful in other fields as well, including education and social sciences.
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Explorations 1: Grammar for the Experienced Beginner
Susan Caisee; Jennifer Rueda; Kristee Emens-Hesslink · Open Oregon Educational Resources · 2021
Welcome to Explorations 1: Grammar for the Experienced Beginner. This English grammar textbook was designed for a class of Clackamas Community College (CCC) ESOL students who need only a review of the BE verb and are ready to learn the simple present and present progressive tenses. This textbook has four chapters. Each chapter covers a grammatical point/component/element. Chapter 1 is a review of the BE verb. The BE is special and has its own rules (different from other verbs). Chapter 2 is the Present Progressive tense. This is the tense we use when we are talking about things happening now or near now. Chapter 3 is the Simple Present Tense. We use the Simple Present Tense to talk about facts, routines, and habitual activities. Chapter 4 is a comparison of chapter 3 and 4.
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Technical Writing for Technicians
Will Fleming · Open Oregon Educational Resources · 2020
Technical Writing for CTE is an open source e-textbook designed specifically for use in LBCC’s WD4 (Technical Writing for Welders) and all versions of IN4 (Technical Writing for CTE).
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Mindful Technical Writing: An Introduction to the Fundamentals
Dawn Atkinson; Stacey Corbitt · Montana Technological University · 2026
Welcome to Mindful Technical Writing: An Introduction to the Fundamentals, an open textbook designed for use in corequisite course pairings of developmental writing and introductory technical writing, or indeed in other lower-division college writing courses that focus on building study skills alongside effective workplace and academic writing skills. It offers a no-cost alternative to commercial products, combining practical guidance with interactive exercises and thoughtfully designed writing opportunities. This textbook is organized into units, though its chapters are modular so that instructors can select and assign readings and exercises for their particular classes rather than be tied to a fixed route through the material. Its Creative Commons licensing allows instructors to customize chapters for specific learners and educational contexts, and the built-in activities can be modified and supplemented as desired to suit teaching preferences. The book’s ample coverage of topics and genres means that it can be used flexibly over semester-long or stretch courses. If you would like to access a Word Document version of this text please email Author, Stacey Corbitt, scorbitt@mtech.edu.
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Technical Writing @ SLCC
Department of English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies · Salt Lake Community College · 2020
What is technical writing? You can think of it as writing about specialized topics or you could also think of it as using technology to communicate your ideas. A science lab report, a specification, a change order for building construction, or patient education materials–just to name a few–are all considered technical writing. Similarly if you design a webpage or a brochure this can also be considered technical writing. Academic writing, the writing you do for school, generally is informative or persuasive writing and usually only comes in a few different genres. In technical writing, on the other hand, one is often documenting what was done (such as a science experiment or auto repair invoice). Therefore the format of the writing is often as important as the content. This leads to an emphasis on usability and accessibility for your documents. Finally, although citing your sources is important in all writing, you will find that in some fields of technical writing, such as the sciences and engineering, it is one of the more important considerations of your writing.
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EmpoWord: A Student-Centered Anthology & Handbook for College Writers
Shane Abrams · Portland State University Library · 2018
EmpoWord is a reader and rhetoric that champions the possibilities of student writing. The textbook uses actual student writing to exemplify effective writing strategies, celebrating dedicated college writing students to encourage and instruct their successors: the students in your class. Through both creative and traditional activities, readers are encouraged to explore a variety of rhetorical situations to become more critical agents of reading, writing, speaking, and listening in all facets of their lives. Straightforward and readable instruction sections introduce key vocabulary, concepts, and strategies. Three culminating assignments (Descriptive Personal Narrative; Text-Wrestling Analysis; Persuasive Research Essay) give students a chance to show their learning while also practicing rhetorical awareness techniques for future writing situations.
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College ESL Writers: Applied Grammar and Composing Strategies for Success
Barbara Hall; Elizabeth Wallace · University System of Georgia · 2018
College ESL Writers: Applied Grammar and Composing Strategies for Success is designed as a comprehensive grammar and writing etext for high intermediate and advanced level non-native speakers of English. We open the text with a discussion on the sentence and then break it down into its elemental components, before reconstructing them into effective sentences with paragraphs and larger academic assignments. Following that, we provide instruction in paragraph and essay writing with several opportunities to both review the fundamentals as well as to demonstrate mastery and move on to more challenging assignments.We have structured the etext into three basic parts. Part I, Composing Strategies and Techniques, includes a sequenced discussion from composing effective sentences through paragraph and essay writing. This includes the prewriting and planning stages of writing as well as the revising and editing stage in the first five chapters. Part II, Language Use, Grammar, and Mechanics, is meant to be used as a grammar and mechanics handbook as well as the practice and review of idiomatic wording. Part III, All About Writing: Samples, Topics, and Rubrics, has chapters with additional writing topics for practice, sample student papers, and rubrics for evaluating writing.
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Transition with Purpose: Pathways from English Language to Academic Study
Michele Miller; Anne Greenhoe · Portland State University Library · 2018
This Open Access Textbook will guide students through their English language to academic degree studies. Part one of this textbook is a guide for moving from ESL study to academic study at Portland State University. It includes the resources students will use to understand policies and processes governing their degree study and their transition to academic coursework. Part two focuses on how academic skills are used across various disciplines and is comprised of activities and assignments designed to practice these skills. Key elements include culture and expectations in an American university, transferring academic skills from ESL to content-specific academic courses, and helpful exercises to be academically successful.
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The Word on College Reading and Writing
Monique Babin; Carol Burnell; Susan Pesznecker; Nicole Rosevear · Open Oregon Educational Resources · 2017
Written by five college reading and writing instructors, this interactive, multimedia text draws from decades of experience teaching students who are entering the college reading and writing environment for the very first time. It includes examples, exercises, and definitions for just about every reading- and writing-related topic students will encounter in their college courses.
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About Writing: A Guide
Robin Jeffrey · Open Oregon Educational Resources · 2016
This writer's reference condenses and covers everything a beginning writing student should need to successfully compose college-level work. The book covers the basics of composition and revising, including how to build a strong thesis, how to peer review a fellow student's work, and a handy checklist for revision, before moving on to a broad overview of academic writing. Included for those students who need writing help at the most basic level are comprehensive sections on sentence style and grammar, verbs, nouns and other tenets of basic grammar. Finally, the sections on research and citation should help any student find solid evidence for their school work and cite it correctly, as well as encouraging an understanding of why citation is so important in the first place. This is a guide that is useful to writing students of all levels, either as a direct teaching tool or a simple reference.
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The Process of Research Writing
Steven Krause · Steven D. Krause · 2007
The title of this book is The Process of Research Writing, and in the nutshell, that is what the book is about. A lot of times, instructors and students tend to separate “thinking,” “researching,” and “writing” into different categories that aren't necessarily very well connected. First you think, then you research, and then you write.The reality is though that the possibilities and process of research writing are more complicated and much richer than that. We think about what it is we want to research and write about, but at the same time, we learn what to think based on our research and our writing. The goal of this book is to guide you through this process of research writing by emphasizing a series of exercises that touch on different and related parts of the research process.
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Writing In College: From Competence to Excellence
Amy Guptill · Open SUNY · 2016
Writing in College is designed for students who have largely mastered high-school level conventions of formal academic writing and are now moving beyond the five-paragraph essay to more advanced engagement with text. It is well suited to composition courses or first-year seminars and valuable as a supplemental or recommended text in other writing-intensive classes. It provides a friendly, down-to-earth introduction to professors' goals and expectations, demystifying the norms of the academy and how they shape college writing assignments. Each of the nine chapters can be read separately, and each includes suggested exercises to bring the main messages to life. Students will find in Writing in College a warm invitation to join the academic community as novice scholars and to approach writing as a meaningful medium of thought and communication. With concise discussions, clear multidisciplinary examples, and empathy for the challenges of student life, Guptill conveys a welcoming tone. In addition, each chapter includes Student Voices: peer-to-peer wisdom from real SUNY Brockport students about their strategies for and experiences with college writing. While there are many affordable writing guides available, most focus only on sentence-level issues or, conversely, a broad introduction to making the transition. Writing In College, in contrast, provides both a coherent frame for approaching writing assignments and indispensable advice for effective organization and expression.