Katharine Rollwagen - History

1) What drove you to make the decision to switch to OERs?

When I decided to adopt John Belshaw’s textbook, History of Canada: Pre-Confederation in 2015, I wanted to minimize student costs without compromising the quality of the material they were reading. Belshaw’s text allows me to save students money, link chapters of the text to modules in VIULearn, and use only those parts of the textbook that I wish to use while ensuring that students get a well-written and comprehensive resource.

2) What was the biggest hurdle you overcame?

There were no hurdles to overcome; the textbook had already been published, and it was easy to find and access online. Some students do experience difficulty connecting to the internet, but I encourage them to download the entire text as a pdf file at the beginning of the term.

3) Where did you find the most support?

Some students prefer not to read off a screen, and the bookstore has been very supportive by printing copies of the textbook that are available for sale. The cost is substantially less than a traditional textbook, and numerous students typically purchase the printed copy for easier reference.

4) What would you say to other faculty about adopting open educational resources for their classes?

It’s worth taking a look to see what open educational resources are available in your area. Ultimately, the instructor has to make the choice that continues to serve the learning objectives of the course.

5) What are your thoughts on using OERs since you made the switch?

Using Open Educational Resources in my introductory history courses continues to be the accessible option. The students appreciate the savings and the fact that the text is available in multiple digital formats. I now use three online textbooks in two of my Canadian history courses.

Original interview October 2018, updated October 2021.