Transforming the Spanish Classroom: Open Educational Resources (OER), Access, and Equity at UVA.
OER textbooks to be used in beginner and intermediate level Spanish courses will provide more equitable access for all students. This may potentially result in higher levels of achievement, especially among students from underserved populations.
Grant funding will support the creation of two free and openly licensed, online textbooks for SPAN 1010, 1020, 1060, 2010, and 2020 (Beginning and Intermediate Spanish Language). This project builds on work began through previous LTI grants, which assisted with building expertise in Open Educational Resources (OER), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and data gathering from diverse student and instructor communities.
Benefits of OER include the elimination of textbook cost, inclusive pedagogy, accessibility of materials, and improved learning outcomes. Applying the principles of UDL provides further accessibility for students who use assistive technologies or other accommodations.