About this Guide
Welcome to the OER by Discipline Guide! This guide contains more suggestions of open educational resources (OER) assembled for courses offered at the University College of the North.
Purpose
“The problem with open educational resources is that I feel like we’re in such a large pool, and I can’t find anything with my small spoon.” – Marie-Cécile Domecq, Research Librarian (Health Sciences), University of Ottawa (2020)
For those just getting into the open space, searching for OER can be a daunting and time-consuming task. It has been identified as an ongoing challenge by instructors and librarians alike. This guide was developed with the goal of facilitating the discovery and use of OER at University College of the North by presenting professors (and students) with suggestions of free and open teaching and learning resources in their subject areas. The following table summarises the list of OER under their respective UCN faculty areas.
Table 1.1 OER listed by UCN Faculty areas
| Faculty/Area | Description | Homepage | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty of Arts, Business and Science | The Faculty of Arts, Business and Science at University College of the North offers three- and four-year Bachelor of Arts degree programs, with majors in Aboriginal and Northern Studies, English, History and Sociology. Degree minors are currently offered in Aboriginal and Northern Studies, English, Geography, History, Science and Sociology. | FABS | Part II |
| Kenanow Faculty of Education | The Kenanow Bachelor of Education is a northern-based and Aboriginal-focused teacher education program. The program melds the wisdom and guidance provided by Elders in northern Manitoba with the certification standards and academic expectations of Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning. | Kenanow | Part III |
| Faculty of Health | The Bachelor of Nursing program for the Collaborative Cohort in The Pas and Thompson is a four-year program offered in partnership with the University of Manitoba. Students are able to complete all four years of the program with University College of the North (UCN) at The Pas or Thompson campus. The program offers a community-based approach to health care delivery with a focus on the health of northern people and the learning needs of its students. | Faculty of Health | Part IV |
| Mihcet Meskanawah Teaching and Learning | Mihcet Meskanawah Teaching and Learning supports pathways for students to transition into post-secondary education and/or the workforce successfully. | MMTL | Part V |
| Faculty of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeships & Technology | There are more than 55 trade programs in Manitoba. Explore UCN's trade programs and pathways towards skilled trades certification. | Trades & Apprenticeships | Part VI |
| OER Repositories and Tips for Searching | These are further tools to aid in your search for OER for teaching, learning and research. | Not applicable | Part VII |
This table can be used to navigate to the areas in which OER is sought.
This guide was heavily inspired by the one created at the University of Ottawa and others (see Credits). Like other lists of this type, it is not comprehensive and will continue to be a work in progress.
While in-person learning has resumed after two long years of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still difficult, if not impossible, for academic libraries to acquire some resources assigned in courses, especially digital textbooks, due to publishers’ restrictions.[1] OER are free, accessible, and adaptable alternatives to commercial teaching materials.
If you are already using an open educational resource in your course, please share your adoption with us so they can be included in this guide by sending an e-mail to aqe@ucn.ca. If you have other OER to suggest, please do so using the same e-mail address.
We hope that as University College of the North faculty, instructors, or students you will find this guide helpful as you consider the options available for quality, open educational resources for your courses.
- University of Guelph Library, “Commercial Textbooks Present Challenges in a Virtual Environment,” News (June 22, 2020). ↵
