United States History: History 111

About the Textbook

History in the Making: A History of the People of the United States to 1877

Description: 

This open textbook produced by the University Press of North Georgia (UPNG) examines U.S. History from before European contact through reconstruction while focusing on the people and their history. This book provides a strong emphasis on critical thinking about US History by providing several key features in each chapter. Learning Objectives at the beginning of each chapter help students to understand what they will learn in each chapter. "Before You Move On" sections at the end of each main section are designed to encourage students to reflect on important concepts and test their knowledge as they read. In addition, each chapter includes Critical Thinking Exercises that ask the student to deeply explore chapter content, Key Terms, and a Chronology of events.

Authors:

• Catherine Locks, M.A., M.Ed., Fort Valley State University.
• Sarah K. Mergel, Ph.D., Dalton State College, Georgia
• Pamela Thomas Roseman, Ph.D., Georgia Perimeter College
• Tamara Spike, Ph.D., University of North Georgia
  

Formats:  

Book can be read as PDF or Word document. Can also purchase print copy for $35.

Supplemental Resources:  

I supplement the text with primary sources from the Library of Congress and other high-quality public repositories.

Peer Reviews: 

The book has been reviewed by a CCC, CSU, and UC faculty member from within the California higher education system. There is also an Accessibility Evaluation. 

Cost Savings:  

Students can experience significant savings depending on previous textbook selections. The previous textbook used in this class was Eric Foner's Give Me Liberty which is widely available used from $40 to $70. Most students are using the free digital version of the open textbook that I have adapted and uploaded to Blackboard, but a printed version can be ordered from University Press North Georgia (UPNG) for $35.

Accessibility and Diversity:  

The full-text PDF version has been evaluated and edited for 508 compliance and UPNG plans to complete the same for the ePub version and the individually formatted chapters. The authors attempted to write an inclusive narrative of American history that incorporates the historical experiences of people from diverse backgrounds.

License:  

Except where otherwise noted, History in the Making:  A History of the People of the United States to 1877 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon the work even for commercial use, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms.

About the Course

HIST 111: United States History 1

Description: 

Surveys American civilization, from the Pre-Columbian era through Reconstruction, emphasizing the political,cultural, economic, and social history of the United States. Meets Title V American Institutions U.S. History requirement for the associate degree. 

Prerequisite:   None

Learning Outcomes: 

As part of the final exam, students will be assessed based on the following outcomes:

• Assess the history of America and the United States from the Colonial period through Reconstruction.
• Analyze the cultural, social, and political diversity embodied in the American experience from the sixteenth century through 1877.
•  Examine the origins of the United States Constitution and the milestone events associated with that document from the ratification process through the Civil War and Reconstruction, including the implementation of federalism and the Bill of Rights.

Curricular Changes:  No changes

Teaching and Learning Impact:

Collaboration with other faculty: Next year
Wider range of teaching materials: Yes
Student learning improved: Anecdotally yes
Student retention improved: Not measured
Any unexpected results: None

Open-source textbooks are vitally important to History courses, as they can provide effective ways of engaging students across many different ability levels.  Not only are they affordable, but most significantly OER textbooks can be an integral part of open pedagogy, allowing students to take an active role in their readings, assignments, and assessments.

Update for 2015:  I am continuing to use the textbook, and have expanded both its content and its use in my classes.  For instance, I have added new primary source materials, and I have begun using it in all of my early American History course, as opposed to simply piloting it in a one-course section.

Sample Assignment and Syllabus:

As part of the textbook analysis and in-class work that is conducted throughout the semester, students work in pairs or teams to review three primary sources about the American Revolution and find material in the textbook that either supports or contradicts the first person accounts.  This work is then scaffolded for later assessment on quizzes, exams, and essay assignments.  

Furthermore, the student contributions and primary source additions to the textbook are in turn used by future classes.

History 111 Syllabus
Syllabus from fall 2014 with assigments and exam schedules.

Textbook Adoption

OER Adoption Process

I want my students, regardless of socio-economic status, to have access to the textbook and an OER textbook makes that possible.  I have adapted the textbook where necessary to be appropriate for college students in areas such as reading level and embedding primary sources. I will make those modifications available next year. 

I am currently working with colleagues in my department to adopt the OER textbook on a wider scale.  So far, the response has been positive.  

Student Access:  

Students have three options to access the text.

• Each chapter is loaded into the course management system under the appropriate module.
• Students can download individual chapters (in PDF) or the full text (in PDF or ePub) from the University Press Northern Georgia (UPNG) site. 
• Students can purchase a print-on-demand copy of the book through the UPNG site for $35.  I estimate that between 10 and 20 percent of students purchase a printed copy.

Student Feedback or Participation:  

Anecdotally, students have indicated that they find the text I have implemented to be more accessible, and easier to read than traditional history books they have used in other history classes.  I have also consistently heard from students that, unlike other history courses, they are reading most or all of the assignments.

Sometimes students have mixed feelings about my OER text.  Some are happy about the free aspect of it, but many students, despite the common perception of them as tech-savvy, actually find the interface difficult and prefer a hard copy. 

Slides Attached:  

My presentation on the faculty experience of adopting an open textbook with the Community College Consortium for OER (CCCOER) in November 2014.

Developing OER in History Courses

Brent Riffel, Ph.D.

I am a tenured Professor of History at College of the Canyons in California where I have been teaching full-time since 2008. I specialize in modern American history, with a particular emphasis on the Civil Rights Movement, as well as  social and cultural American history, and the history of the Middle East.

In addition to teaching, I am the advisor for the History club and the coordinator of the Student Skills committee at College of the Canyons. One of the questions that the committee is working on right now is how open educational resources may contribute to student success.