Category Archives: Posts

SCC 252 – Organic Chemistry II

molecule 1

Course content


Lab Handouts, Manuals and Safety

SCC 252  Lab Handouts and Manuals

  • Laboratory Manuals are being developed

Forms and Safety for All Chemistry Labs


Homework and Assignments

Homework modules are in progress.


Free E-Textbook 

Conjugated Dienes and Diels Alder Reactions

Electrophilic Addition

Benzene and Aromaticity

Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution

Reactions of Alcohols

Reactions of Phenols

Ether 1

Ether 2

Ethers and Epoxides

Aldehydes and Ketones 1

Aldehydes and Ketones 2

Aldehydes and Ketones 3

Aldehydes and Ketones 4

Aldehydes and Ketones 5

Aldehydes and Ketones 6

Carboxylic Acids 1

Carboxylic Acids 2

Carboxylic Acids 3

Carboxylic Acid Derivatives 1

Carboxylic Acid Derivatives 2

Carboxylic Acid Derivatives 3

Amines 1

Amines 2

Amines 3

Amines 4

Amines 5

Download Calibre software for converting and managing e-books


Syllabus

The syllabus contains information on Course materials, Instructional Objectives,  Grading Scheme and Standards, Homework Assignments, Attendance and other policies, Class schedule and instructors, and Laboratory requirements and experiments.

Syllabus read online


Links are in progress.


References: Chemistry OER

References are in progress.


Syllabus: SCC 252 – Organic Chemistry

LAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
NATURAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT

Organic Chemistry II SCC 252    

Instructor Janet Gonzalez  jgonzalez@lagcc.cuny.edu

Course Description: This course is the second of a two-semester sequence emphasizing synthesis, structure, reactivity and mechanisms of reactions.                                                           

 In this course we will build upon material learned in Organic 1. 

Specific goals include:  to develop a broad understanding of mechanistic principles, particularly applied to aromatic substitutions, nucleophilic additions, and nucleophilic acyl substitutions.  Recognize reagents associated with chemical reactions and apply them to multistep synthesis.  Understand the applications of a variety of carbon-carbon bond forming reactions in retro synthetic analysis, and apply all these principles to biologically relevant molecules, particularly carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids.

Materials:

Text: Organic Chemistry 10th edition, Francis A Carey & Robert M Giuliano McGraw Hill, 2017

Lab Manual:  Macroscale and Microscale Organic Experiments 6th edition, Kenneth L Williamson, Houghton Mifflin, 2008.

Lab Book: Bound laboratory notebook.

Safety Goggles: All students are required to bring safety goggles to EVERY lab session

Scientific Calculator: All students are required to have their own calculator, Not cell phone calculators.   Borrowing calculators will not be allowed during exams nor quizzes.

Pushing Electrons: A Guide to Students of Organic Chemistry, 3rd edition, Daniel P. Weeks (optional).

Some Advice: The amount of material covered in this 12 week course is considerable. Please stay current with the chapters and homework.  This course is cumulative, the ideas and concepts introduced early will be used to develop strategies not only later in this course but also in organic II. Do not wait for the last minute to study or try to cram for this class, this is impossible! Do not attempt to memorize.  Success in this course is based on understanding WHY reactions happen and How mechanisms occur.  Many of the concepts in this course will become clear after you’ve had a chance to analyze and review.  This review period is essential therefore you need to schedule regular study periods of at least 4 hours per day because as the semester progresses playing catch-up will be impossible. Write, write and re-write your notes!  Listening to lectures and looking at slides will lull you into thinking that you understand the material but this is not so, only by writing and again re-writing the notes will you truly understand the ideas and reactions. Form study groups with your colleagues, network!  You will be amazed at how much you can help each other. Make the most of the resources you have available, other books, online sites, tutoring and OFFICE HOURS!  Do not wait till the day before a major exam to find the instructor—that will be too late. Finally stay focused and involved, if you give organic chemistry a chance it’s really fun,  Good Luck!

Instructional Objectives:

Successful students will learn, understand and be able to apply the following concepts; Structure Determination using Spectroscopy including Mass spectrometry, UV-Vis, NMR and IR. Conjugation and aromaticity.  Nomenclature, structure, properties, synthesis, reactions, and spectroscopy of the following functional groups: dienes and conjugated systems, aromatics, ketones, aldehydes, amines, carboxylic acids and derivatives of carboxylic acids. Introductory concepts of biochemistry including the areas of carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins. To cultivate an appreciation of the role of organic chemistry in various biochemical processes.

Evaluation:                Exams (3) @ 100 each                        300 points

                                    Cumulative Final                                200 points

                                    Lab Reports (10) @ 20 each               200 points

                                    Lab quizzes (10) @ 10 each                100 points

                                    Total                                                   800 points

Grading Standards:   A minimum of 60% of 800 points must be earned in order to receive a passing grade for the course (D-)

Grading Scheme:       A = 93-100%              A- = 90-92.9%                       

                                    B+ = 87-89.9%           B = 84-86.9%              B- = 80-83.9%

                                    C+ = 77-79.9%           C = 73-76.9%              C- = 70-72.9%

                                    D+ = 67-69.9%           D = 63-66.9%             D- = 60-62.9%

                                    F = less than 60%

Academic Integrity Policy:

Students are required to observe the College Policy regarding cheating on examinations and quizzes. A complete statement of the policy is available at the   student counseling services.   Academic Dishonesty is prohibited in the City University of New York and is punishable by penalties ranging from a grade of F” on a given test, research paper or assignment, to an “F” in the course, or suspension or expulsion from the College.  For more information see:  http:/library.laguardia.edu/files/pdf/academicintegritypolicy.pdf                 

Attendance Policy:    Attendance at all class sessions, lecture and laboratory, is essential for proper  understanding and mastery of the course material.  A student who is absent from more than one laboratory session seriously jeopardizes his/her grade for the course.

Make-up Policy:  There will be no make-up exams or quizzes.  A student who has missed a test or quiz must have a doctor’s note. There will be no make-up labs.

Cell Phone Policy:     The use of cell phones, smart phones, or other mobile communication devices is disruptive, and is therefore prohibited during class. Except in emergencies, those using such devices must leave the classroom for the remainder of the class period.  The use of cell phones in class is prohibited.

Laboratory:  A complete, accurate record is an essential part of laboratory work. A lab report will be required for each lab performed. Your lab reports must be recorded in a bound laboratory notebook. The required format of the lab reports is shown in your laboratory manual. You will be expected to have all of the relevant information and create a protocol about the running of an experiment entered in you notebook before coming to laboratory so that your lab manual should not be needed when you are conducting the actual experiment.   All lab reports must also be submitted through safe assign first as a draft and then as a final version.  A hardcopy will be handed into the instructor.

Topics covered:      

Week 1/2 Conjugated dienes, Electrophilic addition, Diels Alder Reaction Spectroscopy of Conjugated Dienes

Week 3 Benzene and Aromaticity: Aromatic Compounds, Nomenclature Structure and Stability.  Aromaticity and the Huckel 4n+2 Rule Spectroscopy of Aromatic Compounds                                

Week 4 Chemistry of Benzene: Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution Freidel-Crafts Reaction, Alkylation and Acylation Substituent effect in Substituted Aromatic Rings Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution

Week 5 Alcohols and Phenols: Naming Alcohols and Phenols Preparation and reactions of Alcohols and Phenols

Week 6 Ethers and Epoxides: Thiols and Sulfides Preview for Carbonyl compounds

Week 7 Aldehydes and Ketones: Nomenclature and synthesis. Oxidation of Aldehydes and Ketones Nucleophilic Addition Reactions of Aldehydes and Ketones, Hydration, Cyanohydrin formation, Addition of Grignard, Nucleophilic additions of ketones and aldehydes: Imine and enamin formation with amines, acetal formation with alcohols, Wolff-Kishner and Wittig reactions

Week 8 Carboxylic Acids and Nitriles: Nomenclature, Properties, Substituent Effects on Acidity.  Carboxylic Acids and Nitriles: Carboxylic Acid Derivatives: nomenclature and properties Nucleophilic Acyl Substitutions, Fischer Esterification Reaction

Week 9 Chemistry of Acid Halides, Chemistry of Acid Anhydrides, Ester and amides.  Keto-Enol Tautomerism Alpha Halogenation of Aldehydes and Ketones

Week 10/11 Reactivity of Enolate Ions, Haloform Reaction  Alkylation of Enolate Ions Aldol Condensation Claisen Condensation, Michael Reaction.

Week 12 Amines: Nomenclature, Properties, and Basicity Reductive Synthesis and reactions Amination Hoffman and Curtis Rearrangements Aryl Amines and Heterocyclic compounds spectroscopy amines

Lab Safety:  Please be aware where safety equipment is located (Safety Shower, Eye Wash Station, Fire Extinguishers, Fire Blankets, First Aid Kits and Emergency Exits).    Students are required to wear safety glasses at ALL times for laboratory work and to     observe all safety rules. In the lab there is no smoking, no eating, no drinking, no  open toe shoes or sandals and you MUST have goggles for every lab.  These rules exist for your safety and the safety of everyone in the lab.  If you violate any of these rules you will be asked to leave the lab and you will receive a zero grade for that lab.

Lab Experiments:

Week 1 Lab Safety Procedures, Lab Reports and Reference Style

Week 2  Extraction of Carboxylic acid, Phenol and a Neutral compound

Week 3  Aldol condensation: Synthesis of Dibenzalacetone

Week 4 Gas Chromatography: Dehydration of 2-methyl-2-butanol

Week 5 Infrared and GC Spectroscopy

Week 6 Borohydride Reduction of 2-Methylcyclohexanone

Week 7 Oxidation of Cyclohexanol to Cyclohexanone

Week 8 Friedel-Crafts Acylation of Ferrocene

Week 9 Grignard Synthesis of Triphenylmethanol

Week 10 Chemiluminescence: Synthesis of a cyalume and luminol

Week 11 Dyes: Coupling reactions of diazotized salts (Synthesis of Orange II and Methyl Orange)

Week 12 Lab Final

Virtual Labs and Resources for LAGCC Biology Courses

If you have a question or a request for resources, please leave a comment at the bottom of the page or click the link above.

Browse Applications and by Course

Free Apps for Biology Labs

Dissection lab & 3D Biology are links to Google Play download pages. You can also search for them in the Apple store on iPhone.

Biology models in NS department

Include different models with different views:

Meiosis, mitosis board, Amoeba, Animal cell, Brain Cranial nerves, Brain, Digestive board, Ear, Eye, Euglena, Female genital organ, Glomerulus, Heart, Lung, Male genital organ, Nephron, Neuron, Paramecium, Plant cell, Right Kidney, Spinal Cord, UTS.

SCB 115 – Principles of Biology

SCB 201 – General Biology I

SCB 202 – General Biology II

Classify animals by phylum and their virtual dissections.

Fetal Pig Dissection

Fetal Pig Arteries and Veins

Reproductive Organs of the Fetal Pig

SCB 203 – Fundamentals of Human Biology I

Human 3D Model Online

Skeletal System

Muscular System

Cardiovascular System

Circulatory System

SCB 204 – Fundamentals of Human Biology II

Nervous System and Special Sensors

Sheep Brain

Cow Eye

Rat

Reproductive System

Embryology

Endocrine System

Respiratory System

Urinary System

Digestive System

SCB 208 – Vertebrate Anatomy and Physiology I

SCB 209 – Vertebrate Anatomy and Physiology II

Lab 1  Peripheral & central nervous system, spinal cord

Lab2     Brain and cranial nerves

Lab 3     Special senses

Lab 4     Digestive system

Lab 5     The respiratory system

Lab 6     Midterm + Blood cell types

Lab 7     The heart

Lab 8, 9 The great Blood Vessels, Circulation system

Lab 10   Excretory system

Lab 11   Reproductive system + Review


Adapting, Creating and Publishing OER

Browse topics

Authoring and Publishing Guides

  • The Rebus Guide to Publishing Open Textbooks (So Far)
    A “living repository of collective knowledge, written to equip all those who want to publish open textbooks with the resources they need. Representing two years of collaboration, innumerable conversations and exchanges, and a wide range of collective knowledge and experience, the Guide is a book-in-progress and will evolve and grow over time.”
  • Authoring Open Textbooks
    “This guide is for faculty authors, librarians, project managers and others who are involved in the production of open textbooks in higher education and K-12. Content includes a checklist for getting started, publishing program case studies, textbook organization and elements, writing resources and an overview of useful tools.”
  • BCcampus Open Education Self-Publishing Guide
    Authored by Lauri Aesoph, BCcampus. “The BCcampus Open Education Self-Publishing Guide is a reference for individuals or groups wanting to write and self-publish an open textbook.This guide provides details on the preparation, planning, writing, publication, and maintenance of an open textbook. Copyright, open-copyright licences, and the differences between citation and attribution are discussed as well as the importance of copy editing and proofreading. Checklists and templates are also provided. This guide replaces the BCcampus Open Education Authoring Guide.” This site also links to Adaptation Guide and Print-on-Demand Guide.
  • A Guide to Making Open Textbooks with Students
    “A handbook for faculty interested in practicing open pedagogy by involving students in the making of open textbooks, ancillary materials, or other Open Educational Resources. This is a first edition, compiled by Rebus Community, and we welcome feedback and ideas to expand the text.”
  • Modifying an Open Textbook: What You Need to Know
    “This is a five-step guide for faculty, and those who support faculty, who want to modify an open textbook. Step-by-step instructions for importing and editing common open textbook file and platform types are included.”
  • The OER Starter Kit Workbook
    “The OER Starter Kit Workbook is a remix of the OER Starter Kit to include worksheets to help instructors practice the skills they need to confidently find, use, or even create open educational resources (OER)”
  • OER Authoring Tools
    Guide of resources compiled by Michele DeSilva, COCC & Amy Hofer, Open Oregon Educational Resources.
  • Pressbooks User Guide
  • Open Access Journal PublishingResource Index by SPARC
  • Open Textbook Adoption Tutorial Five steps to adopting an Open Textbook for a course from Openstax CNX.

Tools for Authoring and Publishing

The list of free to access authoring and publishing tools is not meant to be an exhaustive listing. Some of the tools are free or available only to the CUNY Community.

  • Open Author Tool from OER Commons
    Open Author helps you build Open Educational Resources, lesson plans, and courses (on your own, or with others) — and then publish them on OER Commons (powered by ISKME)
  • State University of New York SUNY OER. Similar to Author Tool (also powered by ISKME) Services include (1) Tools & a platform for creating a textbook; (2) Consultation on publishing workflow; (3) Community resources for faculty mentors, volunteer editing, & peer review; (4) Print on demand services; and (5) OER sharing platform. The site suggests:
  • OpenEd CUNY (City University of New York) is similar to SUNY and OER Commons Author Tool (also powered by ISKME). It is a WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get online) editor. “Note: Currently, remixing is limited to resources that are created directly in OpenEd CUNY. This means that you can use Our Remix tools for content created with our authoring tools, but not content that is hosted on another site.” Limited type of file import and export.
  • Open Educational Resources: OER Authoring Tools (SUNY Empire)
  • MERLOT Content builder (similar to the OER Commons authoring tool)
  • Manifold (limited editing on the platform; intended for publishing)
    “With iterative texts, powerful annotation tools, rich media support, and robust community dialogue, Manifold transforms scholarly publications into living digital works. This CUNY installation serves as a free publishing platform for the CUNY community and as a repository of open educational resources for teaching and learning.”
  • CUNY Academic Commons (for CUNY faculty, staff and students) (powered by WordPress)
  • LAGCC ePortfolio (for LAGCC faculty, staff, students)
  • CUNY Pressbooks (coming) (Pressbooks is similar to WordPress but tailored for books) (free Pressbooks plan is limited to 5 MB storage and limited export and download formats)
  • CUNY Graduate Center LibGuide Digital Tools and Techniques
  • LibreTexts Remixer (Chemistry example)
  • Hypothesis
    Freely accessible web annotation tool
  • H5P
    “Create, share and reuse interactive HTML5 content in your browser”
  • TED Ed Lesson Builder
    Build lesson plans around TED talks.
  • MyOpenMath “is a free, open source, online course management system for mathematics and other quantitative fields. MyOpenMath’s primary emphasis is to facilitate the creation and implementation of online homework and assessment, although it also supports content delivery on a limited basis. MyOpenMath runs on the open source IMathAS platform, providing free hosted use of this platform in support of free, open textbooks like the ones listed on OpenTextBookStore.com.” Functions include randomizing questions, online tests, and automatic grading. It can be integrated into BlackBoard, Canvas, and other learning management systems.
  • WeBWork (supported by MAA and NSF; it is similar to MyOpenMath but must be self-hosted or there is limited hosting for NGOs)​
  • OpenOChem (like MyOpenMath but with organic chemistry questions; the 2D editor is based on ChemDoodle and the 3D editor is based on JSmol.)
  • Jupyter Book and Notebook open-source web applications allow you to create and share documents that contain live code, equations, visualizations and narrative text.
  • WIKIBOOKS
  • Gitbook (hosted on GitHub) (markdown)
  • CK-12 FLEXBOOKS (As of 2.1.2021, there were five college-level books, including Biology and Astrobiology)
  • H20 (Harvard, legal textbooks, written in Python)
  • LibreOffice (free) (Wordprocessor, Spreadsheet, Slides, Draw) (alternative to Microsoft Office)
  • Google Docs and Google Workspace (previously G Suite) (free online version or educational account)

Notes: LAGCC faculty authoring a new textbook found the OpenStax online CNX Legacy Editor very slow to use. The only format that can be downloaded is CNMXL.
Many of the authoring platforms listed above are for creating new contents on or remixing contents that have been authored on the platform.

Forums

  • Rebus Community Forum
    “The Rebus Community is developing a new, collaborative process for publishing open textbooks.

Attribution: Most of the resources listed are copied from OER@BCMM.

Chemistry OER

The links below are intended to provide a jump start with a few specific resources. They are not exhaustive. Use Google Advanced Search (set “usage rights” at the bottom to “free to use share or modify” ), OASIS, MERLOT, OER Commons, OpenEdCuny, and other OER search tools to find updated and additional resources and connect with others. CC Search or the CC Search Browser extension makes it easy to locate, download and cite images. Stay connected by joining disciplinary OER and general OER communities.

Textbooks and Lecture Slides

  • Chemistry Open Textbooks from BCcampus
    List of seven open textbooks, including Introductory Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry 2.0, Concept Development Studies in Chemistry, Organic Chemistry With a Biological Emphasis – Volumes I & II, and those listed below from OpenStax and Open Textbook Library.
  • Chemistry2e (OpenStax)*
    “Chemistry is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of the two-semester general chemistry course. The textbook provides an important opportunity for students to learn the core concepts of chemistry and understand how those concepts apply to their lives and the world around them. The book also includes a number of innovative features, including interactive exercises and real-world applications, designed to enhance student learning.”
  • Chemistry: Atoms First (OpenStax)*
    Chemistry: Atoms First (2nd edition) is a peer-reviewed, openly licensed introductory textbook produced through a collaborative publishing partnership between OpenStax and the University of Connecticut and UConn Undergraduate Student Government Association. This title is an adaptation of the OpenStax Chemistry text and covers scope and sequence requirements of the two-semester general chemistry course. Introduces atomic and molecular structure much earlier than the traditional approach, delaying the introduction of more abstract material so students have time to acclimate to the study of chemistry.
  • General Chemistry: Principles, Patterns, and Applications (Univ. of Minnesota’s Open Textbook Library, 2011) Covers relevant aspects of biological, environmental, and materials science.
  • General Chemistry – Wikibook An introduction to the basic concepts of chemistry, including atomic structure and bonding, chemical reactions, and solutions. Other topics covered include gases, thermodynamics, kinetics and equilibrium, thermodynamics, redox, and chemistry of the elements.
  • Organic Chemistry – Wikibook This is written by a team of experts and chemistry professors from Cleveland State University and other institutions.
  • Organic Chemistry – Michigan State University Written by William Reusch, this virtual textbook allows for visualization of 3D-molecular models while teaching principles of Organic Chemistry.
  • General Chemistry 1 and General Chemistry 2 (Open Learning Initiative) (textbook and practice adapted from OpenStax within free course)

*All 33 OpenStax books, including chemistry textbooks, are also available as PressBooks versions at BCcampus and available on OER Commons. There are also adapted OpenStax, Boundless (archived by Lumen Learning) and other chemistry books and anciliaries at LibreTexts.

Homework and Exercises

  • Exercises for Openstax Chemistry2e on Libretexts
  • MyOpenMath “is a free, open source, online course management system for mathematics and other quantitative fields. MyOpenMath runs on the open source IMathAS platform. Functions include randomizing questions, online tests, and automatic grading. It can be integrated into BlackBoard, Canvas, and other learning management systems

Lab Experiments and Manuals

Interactives, Simulations and Games

  • phET Chemistry Interactive Simulations
  • Chem Collective
    “The ChemCollective is a collection of virtual labs, scenario-based learning activities, tutorials, and concept tests. Teachers can use our content for pre-labs, for alternatives to textbook homework, and for in-class activities for individuals or teams. Students can review and learn chemistry concepts using our virtual labs, simulations, and tutorials. The ChemCollective is organized by a group of faculty and staff at Carnegie Mellon who are interested in using, assessing, and creating engaging online activities for chemistry education.”

Tests, Quizzes and Assessments

Multimedia and Images

Free to Access Courses, Journals and OER Hubs

Other Resources

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine Online and PDFs of different subjects that can be downloaded for free by the chapter or the entire book.

Attribution/Credits

The sources listed above are adapted from:

Evaluating OER Effectiveness and Impact

Browse Topics

Human Subject Research and IRB

It is important to consider the extent to which OER related assessments are done as program improvements or qualitative improvement and are not “research” requiring an IRB exemption or approval. Even if the assessment activity is “human subject research”, when data is collected anonymously, the research may fall within the exempt categories 45 CRF 46.101(b)(1) (established educational settings) and (b)(2) (anonymous data collection).

Literature and Systematic Review

CUNY OER and related studies

CUNY OER and related assessments on CUNY Academic Works include:

Questions to consider in reviewing the literature

  1. What is the problem statement? How is the problem, question, or issue framed?
  2. Are the students sampled in the studies similar to those at LGACC (Overall, in 2018, 22% Asian, 17% Black, 48% Hispanic, 11% White and 2% Other/Unknown); 55% full-time; 46% part-time; 59% foreign born; 59% received financial aid)? See 2019 Institutional Profile – LaGuardia Community College
  3. Is the study at the community college level?
  4. What is the sample size/response rate?
  5. What is the theory of change? What are the hypotheses? What are the assumptions?
  6. What types of OER are included in the study?
  7. What disciplines are included?
  8. What is the research design? 
  9. What/who are the comparison groups, if any?  Is there a controlled group? What comparisons are being made?
  10. Has there been a change in learning or teaching? What is/are the change(s)?  Positive, negative, neutral/none?
  11. Are the data and instruments available for review?
Heppich Galaxy 4 Painting
Eppich, Helmut. Galaxy 4. ©199? LaGuardia Community College. Photo by Diana Pizzarello.©2020.

Program and Project evaluation

Research Design

  • OER Research Guidebook (PDF, Word, InDesign), COUP Framework
  • Do open educational resources improve student learning? Implications of the access hypothesis. (Online, PDF)
    The article recommends surveying students before the intervention to see who did not get the textbook and after to see if their access changed. The study should have an explicit hypothesis about why using OER would result in improved learning outcomes.  Under the authors’ access hypothesis, access — getting the textbook — is the primary mechanism for why there might be improved learning. This assumes that if students get the textbook, they will use it, with the caveat that different types of usage can results in different learning outcomes.

Data Collection and Analysis

Datasets

  • First cross-campus survey of CUNY student opinions on Zero Textbook Cost Data (2018 survey data download)
  • OER Hub survey of 7000 OER users and their perceptions of OER impact on teaching and learning (Data CVS , xlsx)

Funder Grantmaking and Reports

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Evaluating and Selecting OER

Guides

  1. Considerations when Evaluating OER adapted by Lehman College, from Evaluating Resources by Affordable Learning Georgia.
    Consider the following when evaluating the OER:
    • Clarity, Comprehensibility, and Readability
      • Is the content, including any instructions, exercises, or supplemental material, clear and comprehensible to students?
      • Is the content well-categorized in terms of logic, sequencing, and flow?
      • Is the content consistent with its language and key terms?
    • Content Accuracy and Technical Accuracy
      • Is the content accurate based on both your expert knowledge and through external sources?
      • Are there any factual, grammatical, or typographical errors?
      • Is the interface easy to navigate? Are there broken links or obsolete formats?
    • Adaptability and Modularity
      • Is the resource in a file format which allows for adaptations, modifications, rearrangements, and updates?
      • Is the resource easily divided into modules, or sections, which can then be used or rearranged out of their original order?
      • Is the content licensed in a way which allows for adaptations and modifications?
    • Appropriateness
      • Is the content presented at a reading level appropriate for higher education students?
      • How is the content useful for instructors or students?
      • Is the content itself appropriate for higher education?
    • Accessibility
      • Is the content accessible to students with disabilities through the compatibility of third-party reading applications?
      • If you are using Web resources, does each image have alternate text that can be read?
      • Do videos have accurate closed-captioning?
      • Are students able to access the materials in a quick, non-restrictive manner?
      • See CUNY Accessibility page for more details.
    • Supplementary Resources
      • Does the OER contain any supplementary materials, such as homework resources, study guides, tutorials, or assessments?
      • Have you reviewed these supplementary resources in the same manner as the original OER?
  2. Evaluating an Open Textbook for Faculty from the BC Campus Adaption Guide, citing Open Oregon Educational Resources checklists for faculty, students and administrators.
  3. Checklist for Evaluating OER by Austin Community College
  4. Identifying, Finding, and Adopting OER, by SUNY OER Services
  5. OER Assessment Rubric
  6. Rubrics for Evaluating Open Education Resources Objects
  7. Evaluation and Selection Criteria for OER (Zhadko, O. & Ko, S. (2019)).
  8. Rating the Quality of Open Textbooks: How Reviewer and Text Characteristics Predict Ratings

Finding OER

The websites below are general to specific sources for finding open educational resources (OER). Discipline specific sources are at Biology OER, Chemistry OER, and Physics and Astronomy OER.  Visit Resources for overview of sources for finding OER and other topics, such as creating contents, copyright, and accessibility.

Search Engines and Curated Indexes

The OER oriented search engines typically produce similar results, and results often have duplicates and cross-postings.

Textbook and Ancillary Resource Portals

Many of the following sites are based on project or grant funding and their collections may be limited. They may also have a platform for authoring, adapting, remixing and changing textbooks and other material types.

  • Open Textbook Library (University of Minnesota) includes OER textbooks that have been reviewed for quality by faculty from a variety of colleges and universities
  • Open SUNY Textbooks is an open access textbook publishing initiative established by State University of New York libraries. This initiative published high-quality, cost-effective course resources by engaging faculty as authors and peer-reviewers, and libraries as publishing service and infrastructure.
  • Lumen Learning offers individualized learning experiences and creates digital course materials that replace expensive textbooks in high-enrollment college courses and save students millions every term.  Candela (ebooks and curated learning materials-$10/enrolled student (ER) as of 10/19/19), Waymaker ($25/ER), and OHM (Lumen Online Homework Manager $25/ER)
  • Open NYS is a collaboration between CUNY and SUNY to showcase and support the use of Open Educational Resources.
  • OER Commons is a public digital library of open educational resources. Explore, create, and collaborate with educators around the world to improve curriculum. They have the OER Author tool that CUNY customized for OpenEd CUNY .
  • Carnegie Mellon’s Open Learning Initiative provides dozens of college-level courses, and a platform that enables research and experimentation with any aspect of the learning experience.
  • OpenStax: A nonprofit educational initiative based at Rice University. Their mission is to give every student the tools they need to be successful in the classroom
  • CK-12: Provide support primarily for K-12 but also has some free digital College Flexbooks.
  • MyOpenMath is a “free, open source, online course management system for mathematics and other quantitative fields. MyOpenMath’s primary emphasis is to facilitate the creation and implementation of online homework and assessment, although it also supports content delivery on a limited basis. MyOpenMath runs on the open source IMathAS platform, providing free hosted use of this platform in support of free, open textbooks like the ones listed on OpenTextBookStore.com.” MyOpenMath can be integrated into BlackBoard.

Institutional Repositories

Many academic institutions have online repositories for storing, finding, and downloading works authored by their faculty, students and staff. Not all the works have an open license. At CUNY, works that are OER have been tagged and can be browsed and searched.

  • CUNY Academic Works institutional repository (archives) provides public access to the scholarly and creative work of CUNY.  The Open Educational Resources series collects instructional materials — from textbooks to syllabi — created by the CUNY community.
  • Digital commons Network gives free access to full-text scholarly articles and other research from hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide.

Curated OER LibGuides

There are many curated OER and Open Access (OA) library guides (LibGuides). Below are STEM-related guides curated by librarians within the CUNY colleges.