Organizing Your Resources
Before delving into the task of finding zero cost course materials, it's helpful to consider the broader task of course curation. If you can't find a single OER textbook that meets you needs, you may need to find a few OER to use throughout your course. You can then either use them separately or combine them into a single resource. You can also supplement OER textbooks with library-licensed materials.
Spreadsheet Template
The Course Organization Spreadsheet can help you organize and keep track of relevant resources you come across for your course. The spreadsheet has room for all the information you need to organize your course content. The more fully you fill it out, the easier it will be when you are ready to make a single resource or integrate them into your online course. However, we recognize that this may not work for everyone's workflow or process. Use whatever may be of value to you.
- Template: Course Organization Spreadsheet (Google Sheet)
- To make a copy for use in your own Google Drive account
- Sign into your Google account
- Click on the template link above
- Go to file > Make a Copy
- To use in Microsoft Excel
- Click on the template link above
- Go to file > Download > Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)
How to Use the Spreadsheet
- To begin using the spreadsheet, you may want to use your course outline of record, syllabus, schedule of learning activities, or other documents/references that break down your course into sections. If your course is an online or hybrid course for which you have existing modules in Canvas, that may be an easier approach. This will help you identify topics for which you need to find materials, etc.
- You can work systematically through your spreadsheet lesson by lesson, or you can fill out the spreadsheet as you find useful content.
- Review the example spreadsheet to get a sense of what the spreadsheet will look like filled out.
Spreadsheet adapted from "Getting Started: A Content Catalog" by Quill Wes, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0
