Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.
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A Little More Logical: Reasoning Well About Science, Ethics, Religion, and the Rest of Life
Brendan Shea · Brendan Shea · 2024
Welcome to “A Little More Logical”, an open educational resource designed to make the study of logic engaging, accessible, and relevant for students and teachers alike. In today’s world, where information is abundant but not always reliable, the ability to think critically, construct sound arguments, and evaluate the reasoning of others has never been more important. This book aims to equip you with these essential skills by exploring the fascinating world of logic.
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Ahora Entendemos
Denise Hatcher · LibreTexts · 2026
Ahora Entendemos is an intermediate level Spanish textbook that consists of ten chapters. Each chapter begins with a useful vocabulary list and a series of exercises to practice the words and idiomatic expressions. Then, three grammar points are explained with ample practice exercises after each explanation. Each chapter concludes with sections entitled Para Expresarte, Música, Cultura, and Otro Paso to provide extra opportunities and activities to expand learning. Chapter ten includes useful and cumulative explanations and activities that review and practice the indicative, the imperative, and the subjunctive as well as thirteen different verb tenses included in this publication. Ahora Entendemos was written for individuals with some background in Spanish who want to develop intermediate language skills. Instructors, learners, and individuals can use it alone, in a classroom, or with others outside of a formal educational setting. The author of Ahora Entendemos teaches college, but the text could be used in high school or other programs as well.
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Semillas: Elementary Spanish II
Rachel Klevar; Gabriela Olivares; Giovanni Zimotti · University of Iowa · 2026
Semillas: Elementary Spanish II is an intermediate Spanish open-access textbook with reading, listening, speaking, and writing practice. It is a follow-up to Semillas: Elementary Spanish I, with beginning chapters modeling the last two lessons from the previous textbook. The textbook provides instructors and students with lessons, vocabulary lists, videos, PDFs, projects, and exercises.
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Historical thinking for senior secondary students: A collection of teaching and learning activities 2022
Rebecca Cairns; Phillip O'Brien · Deakin University · 2022
The teaching and learning activities in this book were designed by pre-service History teachers at Deakin University, Australia. The activities cover a wide range of topics from ancient history through to early twenty-first century history and are designed to develop students' historical thinking.
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Diverse Historical Narratives and Perspectives: A Collection of Learning and Teaching Activities 2023
Rebecca Cairns · Deakin University · 2023
The teaching and learning activities in this book were developed by pre-service History teachers at Deakin University, Australia. The activities are designed for senior secondary students and cover a wide range of topics from ancient history through to early twenty-first century history, but may be modified to suit different topics and curriculum contexts.
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Kreyòl Pale: A Haitian Creole Textbook for Beginners
David Tézil; Benjamin Hebblethwaite · University of Florida · 2025
Kreyòl pale (Creole is Spoken) is a 29-chapter textbook designed for beginner learners of the Haitian Creole language. The textbook employs a communicative pedagogical methodology emphasizing the learner’s acquisition of speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills through meaningful content. The textbook focuses on communication scenarios that are the most important for navigating daily life in Haiti and its Diaspora. Kreyòl pale is built on contemporary teaching methodologies that place Haitian Creole communicativeness at the center of the learner’s experience. Kreyòl pale is an essential beginners’ Haitian Creole textbook due to the meaningfulness, practicality, and relatability of its Haitian Creole materials. As an introduction to Haitian Creole language and culture, this textbook opens the way to the many paths to mastery. (en)
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Musics: Diversity, Difference, and Synergies
Ted Conner · Muhlenberg College · 2026
Musics: Diversity, Difference, and Synergies is a radical re-imagining of how music can be studied. Non-Western, vernacular, and Western art music are valued equally and studied at the same level of depth. Of equal importance is the emphasis placed on hands-on doing. Scales common to Jazz and Western art music are learned by playing them on the piano. Rhythmic skills are embodied on the darbuka, a Middle Eastern goblet drum, through the study of Turkish rhythmic cycles called usuller. Pitch recognition is developed by singing paltas (pitch patterns) for Indian ragas and melodic studies for Turkish makamlar using fixed-do solmization systems. Training in moveable-do solfege for Western art music begins with conducting as a foundation. This is followed by the addition of takadimi syllables for rhythm, solfege syllables aligned with scale degrees, and, finally, pitch. Exploring improvisational practices from diverse cultures and genres is also prioritized. The study of Turkish usuller begins with basic forms that are then embellished through a series of ornamented variations that serve as models for developing improvisational skills. The preparatory exercises for ragas and tetrachord and pentachord studies for makamlar provide the foundation for improvisational techniques explored in these genres. Improvising over harmonic progressions common in Jazz is the first practical application of playing major scales on the piano. This first step is followed by the development of more focused improvisational approaches that parallel the growth of knowledge and skill sets. Another important principle in Musics is applying the pedagogical approaches used by practitioners of the musics in the cultures in which they are situated. Pedagogies are often intertwined with the epistemological and methodological frames that define the role and function of music within a culture. Developing an understanding of why and how music is practiced speaks toward an integrative model of engaging wi
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An Introduction to the Analysis of Fiction
Michael Walonen · Saint Peter's University Press · 2023
An introductory primer introducing undergraduate students to the methodology of analyzing works of fiction.
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Korean in One Bite: Language and Food Together
Kyuin Kim; Hyunjung Lee · University of Sheffield · 2026
Korean in One Bite: Language and Food Together invites learners to explore the Korean language through one of the most engaging aspects of culture—food. Using Korean cuisine as its central theme, the book introduces practical vocabulary, essential expressions, and key sentence patterns in meaningful cultural contexts. From everyday meals and popular dishes to street food and foods for special occasions, each unit combines concise grammar explanations, contextualized dialogues, and culturally rich examples. Designed for both beginners and continuing learners, this book offers an enjoyable and practical way to develop linguistic skills while deepening cultural understanding.
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Westonia: Selected Works of Elizabeth Jane Weston
Bret Mulligan; Mary Ball; Felix Bieneman; Hannah Cohen · Pixelia Publishing · 2025
Elizabeth Jane Weston (1581-1612) was born in England, but spent most of her life in the intellectual hub of early-modern Europe: the imperial court of Rudolph II in Prague. She is remarkable for her determination to work professionally as a poet and to publish her writings, a path not generally open to women of the time. Her numerous Latin poems and letters were widely read and admired, both within the court and across the informal “republic of letters” that stretched across Europe. Although she became one of the most successful women poets in the history of Latin, her works have long been inaccessible to students in the absence of editions meant for the classroom. This volume presents, for the first time, a collection of Weston’s works in the original Latin alongside aids to her vocabulary and grammar.
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Japanese Introductory 1
Iori Hamada · Monash University · 2024
Japanese Introductory 1 is a comprehensive and engaging textbook for beginners eager to learn Japanese. Tailored to fit the needs of self-learners and students in academic settings alike, this book aligns with the semester timelines of universities in Australia and New Zealand. The book offers interactive exercises, cultural insights and a diverse perspective, including Indigenous voices from both Australia and Japan. It begins with familiar contexts, gradually exploring broader aspects of Japanese culture and language. Structured to resonate with learners from various backgrounds, it is a practical and engaging resource for those starting their journey into the Japanese language.
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Mastering Mandarin Sounds: An interactive H5P Pressbook
Huiqiang Zheng · University of Iowa · 2025
Mastering Mandarin Sounds: An Interactive H5P Pressbook is an open educational resource (OER) designed to help learners develop accurate pronunciation in Mandarin Chinese. The pressbook incorporates multimedia features such as interactive exercises, audio recordings, and instant feedback to guide students through the foundational elements of Mandarin phonetics—including initials, finals, tones, tone sandhi, and common pronunciation challenges.
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Alternatives to Agonism: Ethical Approaches to Argument in the Composition Classroom
Kristina Fennelly · The Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (PA-ADOPT) · 2025
This textbook urges students to reconsider traditional notions of argument by inviting them to explore non-adversarial approaches to the arguments that structure their academic and every day lives. After briefly exploring familiar aspects of the “argument culture”—a pervasive, warlike approach to polarizing issues—the textbook turns its attention to unearth more constructive approaches based in listening rhetoric, feminist rhetoric, Rogerian rhetoric, empathy, respect, civility, and an overall ethical treatment of argument. Using the context of a town hall meeting, students are guided in practicing deliberation, investigation, and content analysis of arguments that play out in public social media forums. Chapters feature class discussion exercises, sample essay assignments, and links to relevant Ted Talks, podcasts, and other multi-media sources. The textbook concludes with reflection pieces written by Kutztown University students, alumni, faculty, and staff who all seek to answer the prevailing question of this textbook: “What does it mean to be a worthy arguer?”
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Advanced Composition
Collette Bliss; Ashleigh Severson · University of Arkansas · 2024
Welcome to Advanced Composition! In this course, we embark on a journey through the art and craft of writing, exploring various forms, styles, and purposes of composition. Over the semester, we will delve into four distinct units, each designed to equip students with the necessary information to complete the four major assignments in the course.
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Documenting Community Stories: Arkansas Legends and Lore
Lauren Willette · University of Arkansas · 2025
Lesson Plans developed as part of Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts’ Engaging Students with Folklore Documentation: Professional Development for K-12 Educators conference hosted at University of Arkansas, Mullins Library July 17-19, 2024. Supported by funding from Arkansas Humanities Council.
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Introduction to Speech Pathology Practice: Foundational Concepts for Australian First-year Students
Frances Cochrane; Louise Brown; Deborah Denman; Roger Newman · James Cook University · 2025
This eBook is designed for emerging speech pathology professionals. This peer reviewed resource lays a strong foundation for first-year speech pathology students by covering the core principles and concepts for speech pathology practice. The eBook begins with an exploration of the anatomy involved in communication and swallowing, offering insights into how the structures of the human body support these crucial functions. It then delves into the core aspects of communication development, covering the typical progression of speech, language and literacy skills from infancy through adulthood. It offers students a framework for understanding both typical and diversity in development, essential for effective assessment and intervention. Linguistics is another key area covered, offering insights into the structure and function of language, including syntax, pragmatics, semantics, morphology, phonology, and phonetics. This understanding is crucial for diagnosing and treating communication disorders. The eBook advocates for culturally responsive practice, outlining strategies for delivering effective and sensitive care to clients from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, the text addresses the practical application of foundational principles in assessing and treating communication and swallowing disorders.
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American Encounters: Art, History, and Cultural Identity
Angela Miller; Janet Berlo; Bryan Wolf; Jennifer Roberts · Washington University Libraries · 2018
American Encounters provides a narrative of the history of American art that focuses on historical encounters among diverse cultures, upon broad structural transformations such as the rise of the middle classes and the emergence of consumer and mass culture, and on the fluid conversations between "high" art and vernacular expressions. The text emphasizes the intersections among cultures and populations, as well as the exchanges, borrowings, and appropriations that have enriched and vitalized our collective cultural heritage.
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Bioethics: A Coursebook
Daan Kenis; Mayli Mertens; Franlu Vulliermet; Varsha Paleri · Open Book Publishers · 2025
This coursebook offers an expansive exploration of bioethics, an interdisciplinary field examining ethical, social, and legal dilemmas in medicine, life sciences, and beyond. It challenges conventional boundaries, embracing Van Rensselaer Potter’s vision of bioethics as a global, holistic ethics of life—integrating human health, environmental considerations, and transdisciplinary insights. Through engaging discussions, thought experiments, and case studies, the book empowers students to critically reflect on ethical questions without dictating rigid answers. Topics range from the historical roots of ethical thought to cutting-edge debates in molecular biology, such as epigenetics and exposomics, demonstrating how interconnected human, animal, and environmental health truly are. Central themes include the limits of scientific knowledge, the biases shaping research, and the evolving interplay between moral philosophy and empirical science. Students will encounter key philosophical frameworks—ontology, epistemology, and ethics—woven into practical bioethical applications. Feminist philosophy, experimental bioethics, and embedded ethics enrich this perspective, urging readers to question assumptions, embrace diverse viewpoints, and connect ethical principles with real-world science. Targeted at students in philosophy, biology, biomedical sciences, and bioengineering, this book is a toolkit for future thinkers, fostering a nuanced understanding of how ethical science advances humanity in a complex, ever-changing world.
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Making Public Histories: Australian History Beyond the University
Nikita Vanderbyl; Kat Ellinghaus; Clare O'Hanlon · Council of Australian University Librarians · 2023
This book is created for, and ultimately with, students in Making History HIS3MHI. It is used heavily in this capstone history subject to harness the principles and power of open education. This is a book and subject that asks broadly what it means to ‘make history’ – in particular, what history means beyond schools and universities. We ask, what are the different forms and functions of historical knowledge in the modern and contemporary world? What does history mean in the public sphere, in parks, on webpages, in museums, and in people’s homes? What happens when historians operate in the public sphere? How is the past utilised by politicians? How does it bind us (or not) as a nation? How is it used to inform debates about the future both inside and outside universities, in schools, and in the mainstream community? How is history presented in commemorations, films, heritage sites, historical fiction, memorials, museums, re-enactments, and tours? What are the ethical and moral obligations historians have as ‘gatekeepers’ of the past?
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Foundations of Exercise Science
Laura Ellingson-Sayen; Jennifer Taylor-Winney · Open Oregon Educational Resources · 2025
Foundations of Exercise Science is designed to provide a foundation for students and future professionals interested in the study of human movement, health, and performance. Through its interdisciplinary approach, this book explores the principles, practices, and societal impacts of exercise science, including an overview of its evolution and applications.