Education
Education
Faculty at Montana Tech Produce Open Textbook for Co-Requisite Writing Courses
University writing faculty keen to acknowledge the financial burden that textbooks place on students now have a new option when selecting books for their courses. Mindful Technical Writing: An Introduction to the Fundamentals, an open textbook composed by Montana Technological University writing instructors Dawn Atkinson and Stacey Corbitt, offers a no-cost alternative to commercially produced products.
Recognizing the need for targeted co-requisite learning and teaching support, authors Atkinson and Corbitt designed the free textbook—available at www.oercommons.org…—for use in pairings of developmental writing and introduction to technical writing. The textbook’s Creative Commons license means instructors can adopt it as is or customize it for their own co-requisite or other writing courses.
In a co-requisite pairing, students who place into a remedial class can enroll simultaneously in a college-level and accompanying developmental course. The developmental segment of the co-requisite arrangement supports students’ success in the college-level class by combining study skills work with discipline-specific instruction and a linked curriculum.
Atkinson and Corbitt’s textbook employs a modular design to maximize flexibility of use. By interlacing new material with reviews of key topics, such as academic integrity, and combining practical guidance with interactive exercises and thoughtfully designed writing opportunities, it also offers ample coverage of topics and genres.
The authors gratefully acknowledge funding and support from Montana Technological University’s Faculty Seed Grant Program and the TRAILS (Treasure State Academic Information and Library Services) Open Educational Resources Program through the Office of the Commissioner for Higher Education, which helped to make the textbook project a reality.
Montana Technological University is a premier STEM-focused university in Butte, Montana. As the special focus university in the state of Montana, Montana Tech offers transformational opportunities for all students through hands-on, applied, and experiential learning. Montana Tech has evolved into a dynamic institution which connects focused students to a network of people, opportunities, and experiences that empower them to change the world. Montana Tech offers world-class opportunities in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, health, and business. For more information, go to www.mtech.edu.
Recognizing the need for targeted co-requisite learning and teaching support, authors Atkinson and Corbitt designed the free textbook—available at www.oercommons.org…—for use in pairings of developmental writing and introduction to technical writing. The textbook’s Creative Commons license means instructors can adopt it as is or customize it for their own co-requisite or other writing courses.
In a co-requisite pairing, students who place into a remedial class can enroll simultaneously in a college-level and accompanying developmental course. The developmental segment of the co-requisite arrangement supports students’ success in the college-level class by combining study skills work with discipline-specific instruction and a linked curriculum.
Atkinson and Corbitt’s textbook employs a modular design to maximize flexibility of use. By interlacing new material with reviews of key topics, such as academic integrity, and combining practical guidance with interactive exercises and thoughtfully designed writing opportunities, it also offers ample coverage of topics and genres.
The authors gratefully acknowledge funding and support from Montana Technological University’s Faculty Seed Grant Program and the TRAILS (Treasure State Academic Information and Library Services) Open Educational Resources Program through the Office of the Commissioner for Higher Education, which helped to make the textbook project a reality.
Montana Technological University is a premier STEM-focused university in Butte, Montana. As the special focus university in the state of Montana, Montana Tech offers transformational opportunities for all students through hands-on, applied, and experiential learning. Montana Tech has evolved into a dynamic institution which connects focused students to a network of people, opportunities, and experiences that empower them to change the world. Montana Tech offers world-class opportunities in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, health, and business. For more information, go to www.mtech.edu.
