Library OER grant recipients and projects

Emilio I. Alarcón, Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology (Faculty of Medicine)

“How to Read a Scientific Article in Biomed Sciences” ($6,500.00) (Creation)

The course TMM 4950 “Communication de la science / Science communication” is meant to equip students with valuable tools for effectively communicating science to the general public. They critically read a curated collection of research papers to choose a scientist to be interviewed for a podcast. The reading process is the most critical part of the learning exercise, and understanding the pros and cons of each study is vital to accurately craft a sound interview and structure an engaging podcast. The proposed OER will cover aspects of dissecting each part of a scientific article and how to prepare concise summaries. It will use open-access peer-reviewed publications to train students to accurately identify critical sections to prepare meaningful summaries and articulate questions for further discussion.

Elaine Beaulieu, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology (Faculty of Science)

“Potentially saving biology students $80,000 per year; a continuing project” ($5000.00) (Adaptation)

The aim for this project is to continue the adaptation and translation of additional chapters from OpenStax Biology 2e, which would complete more than 85% of the textbook translation and would be enough to replace the current commercial textbook. Five chapters and over 100 figures have been translated already with the support of a 2022 Library OER Grant.  

Resource:
Introduction à la biologie cellulaire et moléculaire 

Lynne Bowker, Full Professor, School of Translation and Interpretation (Faculty of Arts)

“Taking out the Garbage: Learning How to Write for Translation” ($7,500.00) (Creation)

In a bilingual country such as Canada, many texts are destined to be translated. However, most writers do not specifically formulate their texts with translation in mind. As a result, translation is often an unnecessarily challenging and time-consuming task. One way of improving the output of the translation process is by improving the input. This entails learning how to write with translation in mind and crafting a text in such a way as to maximize its translatability. This OER will provide a series of guidelines and practical exercises that teach people how to write a text in a way that will facilitate translation. It will be developed in both English and French, enabling it to support texts that can be translated in either direction, thus maximizing its use to the uOttawa community.  

Resources:
Garbage in, garbage out! Get better translations by writing translation friendly texts
Médiocre à l’entrée = Médiocre à la sortie! Optimisez vos traductions en optimisant vos textes de départ

Miche-Lyne Chagnon, Academic Staff, School of Social Work (Faculty of Social Sciences)  

“Individual / Family Intervention in Social Work – Phase II” ($7,500.00) (Creation)

With the support of a 2022 Library OER Grant, phase I of the project resulted in a first video in French on individual social work intervention targeting the issue of anxiety in young people. Phase II aims to create complementary videos modeling role-playing on social/family issues for students in the helping professions. These videos will highlight certain approaches and client groups while making it possible to address a variety of intervention issues. 

Jennifer Dekker, Research Librarian (Arts), Library
with Kouky Fianu, Full Professor, Department of History

“History Essay Guide / Guide de rédaction (Département d’histoire)” ($5,000.00) (Creation)

The writing guides created for students taking history courses are outdated and mostly hidden, but they contain very relevant information with respect to the process of research and writing. They require substantial revisions and would benefit from interactive elements that are not possible in their current format. This project aims to update the guides in both languages, insert appropriate interactive exercises, and make them freely available for students in Ontario and elsewhere.  

Melissa A. Fernandez, Assistant Professor, School of Nutrition Sciences (Faculty of Health Sciences)  

“Malnutrition and Food Service in Long-Term Care” ($7,070.10) (Creation)

The current textbook for “Nutrition, gériatrie et santé” (NUT 3508) is American, in English, and not adapted to the Canadian healthcare context. The objective of this project is to create a French case study on malnutrition care and food service management in a long-term care setting that integrates the recently released Canadian guidance on food service for older adults in that setting. It will also assist students’ learning with a real-world practice problem.

Bojan (Paco) Lalovic, Documentalist, Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (Faculty of Arts)

“Oral production instructional vignettes for the FSL 3500 independent learning course” ($4,877.25) (Adaptation)

This project aims to adapt pedagogical resources to support the preparation of the final exam in the French as a second language course, FSL 3500, by establishing a bank of activities available for practice, considering the high number of participants (approximately 300 per term). The main objective is to improve the oral expression skills of intermediate and advanced learners. 

Éric Lyall Nelson, Academic Staff, Telfer School of Management and Faculty of Social Sciences

“Content and Supporting Cases for ADM1701” ($7,500.00) (Creation)

The purpose of this project is to create an OER for ADM1701 “Gestion et société” that includes an update and review of the case studies currently used. Many of these case studies are dated and need to be replaced with cases that are more recent and closer to the local context. The project also aims to develop a French-language textbook based on the numerous notes and content already written for this course.

Qianru (Cheryl) Qi, Assistant Professor, Finance, Telfer School of Management

“The FinTech Explorer: A Comprehensive Guide to Case Studies, Course Notes, and Emerging Trends” ($7,489.00) (Creation)

The FinTech Explorer will be an inclusive resource that delves into the world of financial technology and its influence on global commerce and the financial industry. It will include open educational materials, including case studies written by students enrolled in the FinTech courses (ADM3355/ADM 3755). Professors will contribute detailed course notes that cover the key concepts and technologies driving the evolution of finance, as well as articles on the latest advancements in FinTech worldwide, such as how technology is transforming the financial sector, the regulatory challenges faced by governments and regulators in managing the rapid growth of financial technology, and how FinTech firms are working to address these challenges.

Radamis Zaky, Academic Staff, Department of Communication (Faculty of Arts)

“Communicating Diversity and Understanding Inclusion in Canadian and Quebec Context” ($7,304.00) (Creation)

Professors who teach courses related to organizational communication, government communication, and intercultural communication face problems developing connections between American textbook material and the Canadian context. This project aims to develop five case studies composed of readings, videos, and quizzes that will cover, among other topics, indigenizing organizations, the opportunities, and challenges of bilingualism in organizations, and different meanings for equity and inclusion within organizations.  

Elaine Beaulieu, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology  

“Saving biology students $78,000 per year; a continuing project” ($4,896.48)  

The aim for this project is to adapt and translate Chapters 4 (Cell Structure) and 5 (Structure and Functions of Plasma Membranes) of OpenStax Biology 2nd edition. This continuing endeavour is meant to address the lack of French-language open textbooks in biology. This adaptation will be used in BIO 1540 Introduction à la biologie cellulaire, benefiting over 500 students a year at uOttawa.   

Resource:
Introduction à la biologie cellulaire et moléculaire 

Christina Clark-Kazak, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs  

“Research Across Borders” ($5,000.00)  

Teaching research methods in French in conflict studies, human rights, international development, and international studies poses several pedagogical challenges, including students’ fear of methodology, lack of interdisciplinary materials, few comprehensive teaching materials on the specificities of research in cross-border and cross-cultural contexts, and paucity of French-language open access (or affordable) teaching materials. This project will create French-language OER based on Prof. Clark-Kazak's forthcoming book, Research Across Borders (UTP, 2022). A French-language pedagogical video and applied learning activity based on francophone contexts and examples will be produced for each of the twelve topics covered in the book. It is anticipated that these materials will benefit not only students in ECH 2720 Méthodes qualitatives en études des conflits et droits humains, but also francophone students across uOttawa and elsewhere.   

Miche-Lyne Chagnon, Part-Time Professor, School of Social Work  

“Individual Intervention in Social Work” ($5,000.00)  

This project aims to address the lack of practical tools in French to model individual intervention and meet certain objectives of various courses at the School of Social Work, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The objective is to create video clips modeling role plays for students in helping relationships, highlighting various approaches, clienteles and problems in intervention.  

Resource:
L'intervention individuelle en milieu scolaire (video series)

Anders Knudby, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics  

“Lab exercises for 'Introduction to Geomatics’” ($5,000.00)  

The ability to process geospatial data and turn it into information is crucial for a solid understanding of the patterns and processes that shape the modern world. Introductory geomatics courses include computer-based exercises, in which students gain hands-on experience processing different geospatial data types using industry-leading software. This project will develop lab exercises to accompany an open textbook, allowing the entire course package to be adopted by all instructors teaching GEG 2320 Introduction to Geomatics and GEG 2720 Introduction à la géomatique. 

Resources:
GIS and the Digital Earth Labs
Labos SIG et la Terre numérique

Muriel Mignerat, Associate Professor, Telfer School of Management  

“Textbook for ADM1770” ($5,000.00)  

This project aims to complete the adaptation of an open textbook for ADM 1770 Application des technologies de l’information en gestion. As a rapidly evolving field, it is also difficult to find existing material in French that focuses on the Canadian context. American and European content will be adapted and updated to reflect more recent technologies, and Canadian examples will be added.  

Resource: Manuel ADM1770 - Application des technologies de l'information en gestion (version 2)

Tanya Schmah, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics  

“Translation of Course Notes for MAT 2522 and MAT 2525” ($5,000.00)  

The objective of this project is to translate into French two detailed sets of open course notes, including illustrations, examples, and exercises, created by Prof. Alistair Savage for MAT 2122 Multivariable Calculus and MAT 2125 Elementary Real Analysis. The French versions will be used in the corresponding courses MAT 2522 Calcul différentiel de plusieurs variables and MAT 2525 Éléments d’analyse réelle. A secondary purpose of this project is to further develop an existing mathematical term bank for use in this and future translation projects. 

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Elaine Beaulieu, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology 

“Partial translation and adaptation of a first-year OER textbook in cell biology: cell reproduction” ($4,969.51) 

The aim for this project is to adapt and translate the cell reproduction chapter from OpenStax Biology 2nd edition. It is meant to address the lack of open educational resources in biology in French. This adaptation will be used in BIO1540 - Introduction à la biologie cellulaire.  

Resource: Introduction à la biologie cellulaire et moléculaire 

Anne Broadbent, Associate Professor and University Research Chair, Department of Mathematics and Statistics 

Translation of ‘Vector Spaces First’” ($5,000.00) 

This project consists in translating “Vector Spaces First”, a free textbook written by three University of Ottawa professors and currently used in MAT1341 - Introduction to Linear Algebra. This way, students in MAT1741 - Introduction à l’algèbre linéaire will also benefit from a free, high-quality textbook. 

Resources:
En avant les espaces vectoriels : une introduction à l’algèbre linéaire (première édition)
Vector Spaces First: An Introduction to Linear Algebra (4th edition) 

Ann Hemingway, Research Librarian (Arts), Library 

“Citation Style Tutorials” ($4,793.80) 

The goal of this project is to adapt the APA style tutorial designed and translated into French by the University of Alberta and to create new OER on the foundations of the three main citation styles, namely APA, MLA, and Chicago. The adaptation will consist in customizing the French texts for the University of Ottawa using Pressbooks and will include examples and interactive exercises developed with H5P. 

Resources:
Didacticiel sur le style de citation MLA (9e éd.)
Didacticiel sur le style de citation Chicago Manual of Style 17e édition (Méthode notes et bibliographie)
Didacticiel du style de citation Chicago Manual of Style 17e édition (méthode auteur-date)

Anne Levesque, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law - Common Law Section 

Introduction to legal analysis” ($4,978.75) 

This project aims to create a series of podcasts in French to introduce first-year students to legal analysis. Some activities will be designed in conjunction with these podcasts, but they will also serve as resources for assignments in CML1611 - Compétences et habiletés juridiques. The content will be designed specifically for students in the Programme de common law en français (PCLF) and the Programme de droit canadien (PDC). 

Resource:
L’argumentation juridique 

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Lynne Bowker, Full Professor, School of Translation and Interpretation 

“Introduction to Translation” ($4,992.00) 

This project will consist in the creation of an open textbook, in both French and English, presenting an introduction to translation. In contrast to more specialized resources targeted towards those in the process of becoming professional translators, this textbook will offer a useful primer to anyone with an interest in the topic or who functions in a multilingual environment.

Resources:
Vous traduisez pour le Canada? (2021) / version 2 (2023)
Translating for Canada, eh? (2021) / Version 2 (2023)

Michelle Schira Hagerman, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education 

“Tech4Teachers.ca: Creating French and English video resources to support pre-service teachers’ tech integration knowledges” ($4,915.20) 

This project will consist in the development of a set of bilingual digital resources to be used by teacher candidates in developing their foundational technical skills and understanding of digital literacy. Specifically, screencasts accompanied by pedagogical insight videos will be produced to show BEd students the basics required to use and integrate common digital applications into their emergent teaching practice.  

Resource:
Tech4Teachers (temporary link to archived site on Wayback Machine while content is being migrated [Dec. 2023])

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