This chapter offers guidelines on planning, workflow, and development of Open Educational Resource (OER) Textbooks. The first section, planning, offers selected guidelines from the BCcampus Self-Publishing Guide. These have been modified for American English spelling conventions. The second section, workflow and organization of labor, offers selected guidelines from the BCcampus Self-Publishing Guide on project outlines and timelines, and on technology accounts and training, as well as a sample development workflow used for a previous UH OER text. It also offers guides to authoring and publishing tools. from Open Textbook Network.

When building a team, it will be useful to plan out and write down who will take on which roles. You may have roles such as: contributing authors, leadership, management and administrative roles; and OER professionals to help you. It will also be useful to think about and write down a plan for any necessary training, such as technology accounts and technology training, Open Pedagogy, professional development, and best practices for Open Pedagogy, OER textbooks, lesson planning, and instructional materials.

The third section offers selections from the BCcampus Self-Publishing Guide related to OER textbook development.

Below is a linked table of contents for this chapter.

Table of Contents: Planning, Workflow, and Development

• Planning
  • Experience
  • Quality
  • Who Owns Copyright
  • Contributing Authors
  • Identify Support
• Workflow and Organization of Labor
  • Project Charter and Timeline
  • Technology: Accounts and Training
  • Authoring Tools
  • Publishing Tools
  • Sample Development Workflow
• Developing Open Textbooks
  • Five Rules of Textbook Development
  • Open Textbook Formats
  • Quick Guide to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, (EDI), Localization, and Indigenization
  • Textbook Outline
  • Create a Style Sheet

Planning

Table of Contents: Planning

• Experience
• Quality
• Who Owns Copyright
• Contributing Authors
• Identify Support

Experience

How does your experience match the requisites of open textbook writing and publishing?

For many, writing and self-publishing an open textbook is unfamiliar terrain. However, identifying pertinent skills from past and current professions will help you gauge how your expertise fits with this new endeavor and where you need to draw on the knowledge of others to fill in the gaps. Publishing an open textbook is not a one-person job, so use the information you generate from this chapter as the springboard from which to build your team.

Publishing experience

As you consider which of your talents might transfer to producing and publishing an open textbook, write down related positions you’ve held. These might include:

• Editor
• Graphic designer
• Instructional designer
• Librarian
• Marketer
• Project manager
• Publicist
• Researcher
• Writer

Next, by each role, describe the details of that job. Then fill out the below table by matching your skills with the knowledge needed to produce an open textbook. The skills gaps can be filled by others. (See Identify Support.)

Writing experience

Previous writing experience comes in handy for both you and your contributors. Seasoned textbook authors know that this kind of project can take one to three years to complete when all stages are factored in: consultation, planning, researching, writing, and publication. The writing portion alone can range from six to eighteen months, depending on the length and complexity of the book. Knowing this upfront and understanding the determination and specific skills required to complete the task helps set the stage for successful authoring.

If you haven’t authored a textbook before, create a list of other writing assignments you’ve completed or contributed to. These might be:

• Textbook(s) in your field or another
• Book(s), fiction or non-fiction, in an unrelated field or subject
• Chapter(s) for a textbook or other book
• Course content; course packets; supplementary material for a course
• Article(s) published in a professional journal
• Article(s) published in a magazine related to your discipline
• Reviews about books in your field
• Letters to the editor for a professional journal in your field
• Professional blog about subjects in your field

Qualifications as a writer — in any capacity — prepares you in other ways too. As a writer, you will know what to look for when selecting colleagues as contributing authors. Although writing is not synonymous with book production, many authors are acquainted with at least some aspects of publishing. This know-how, however minor, can be very handy when planning an open textbook project.

Quality

Questions about the quality of open educational resources has been cited as one of the top three concerns among faculty who are considering adopting OER, including open textbooks, to use in the classroom. Therefore, as an author of a textbook, it is vital to factor in the quality of your work during the planning stages.

The quality of an open textbook is determined by many different things. When designing a textbook, an author should consider the quality of the following aspects:

1. Information. Is it current, complete, relevant, and well-cited?
2. Design. Is it well-structured and consistent? Does it include pertinent learning objects and align with learning objectives for the intended curriculum or curricula?
3. Accessibility. Is the content in the book accessible to the greatest number of students?
4. Copy. Is the writing clear and concise? Is the text grammatically correct with no spelling errors? Is the writing style, spellings, layout (use of headings, bold, italics, etc.) used in an appropriate and consistent manner? Are all figures, tables, graphs, and other learning objects clearly identified, numbered, and labelled for easy reference? Is a style guide being used? Has a style sheet been created for the book?

Open-copyright licenses allow people to share and build on knowledge, both of which are beneficial, and technology has made these tasks faster and easier. However, quick and simple sharing can also perpetuate an error made by the original author.

Who Owns Copyright

Who are the copyright owners for your open textbook?

Determining who will own copyright for the various components in an open textbook — before writing begins — is very important. This was one of the first items that BCcampus project managers discussed with authors, and the results were included in the contracts they signed. We learned early on that a faculty’s contract with their employer might state that the institution owns copyright for all writings produced during employment. Therefore, we needed to be careful about copyright ownership: was it with the author or the author’s employer?

It’s possible that, as the primary author and publisher, you will decide to pay contributors for their work and their copyright. If this is the case, outline this condition in those contracts. A writer who is paid this way is called a write for hire.

Here are potential copyright owners participating in the creation of an open textbook.

• Primary author
• Primary author’s institution
• Contributing authors
• Photographers
• Illustrators
• Graphic designers or others who contribute tables, graphs, charts, etc.
• A contributor’s institution

It is not usual practice to include copy editors and proofreaders as copyright holders. Instructional designers, who assist with the layout of a textbook but do not contribute content, are also not included.

Once you’ve established who owns copyright to specific material in the textbook, decide how you will acknowledge each creator for their work. This information should be recorded in your project timeline. (See Project Charter and Timeline.)

Talk to the copyright librarian or other intellectual property (IP) expert at your institution for additional assistance or questions on this topic.

Contributing Authors

None of us is as smart as all of us.

— a Japanese proverb

As you plan the content of your book, think about experts in your field who might write on a specific topic. To help make a decision about who to approach, ask yourself if contribution from an individual will add value to your textbook and whether or not they have the experience to author a chapter or section for a textbook. Familiarity with open education is a plus.

The BCcampus Open Education team oversaw the production of fifty-four new open textbooks and ten major adaptations during its initial phase. Inviting collaborators to participate was left to the lead author who had proposed the textbook idea to us. It was felt that, as the subject-matter expert, this individual was most qualified to make these decisions. From the sidelines, our project managers watched the interplay between the primary author and their contributors. We  learned what worked and what didn’t, and how problems could be avoided in the future.

The biggest lesson learned was the importance of establishing expectations for your contributors before writing begins. If you decide to invite one or more colleagues to provide material to your textbook, determine the parameters of this business relationship and then clarify with each author the following points:

1. Who will own copyright
2. Disclose the type of open-copyright license that will be used to release the book. Be prepared to answer concerns and questions for colleagues not familiar with open textbooks.
3. Decide if contributing authors will be compensated for their efforts. Be clear about how much they will be compensated or paid.
4. Provide written details about their contribution, including:
   1. the topic — be specific
   2. length of their work by word count
   3. layout of the contributing piece including sections and subsections, number and type of images, tables, graphs, or other support resources
   4. the timeline and deadline for the first and subsequent drafts
   5. the timeline and deadline to review questions from the copy editor and make revisions

Use a contract or written agreement to clearly describe these expectations so there are no misunderstandings. This will be a valuable document to reference if either party has questions during the writing process.

Identify Support

Many hands make light work.

— English Proverb

Self-publishing a book is not new. With advances in technology and the advent of the Internet, this endeavor has been made that much easier. Still, producing your own book — especially a well-written, high-quality textbook — is a big undertaking, and for best results should include a team of individuals, each armed with skills that would otherwise be filled by employees at a publishing firm. Remember: When you self-publish, you become the publisher.

BCcampus published over fifty open textbooks. Each author was assigned a project manager — similar to a managing editor — who organized book layout, scheduled copy editing and proofreading, attended to editorial development, ordered the textbook cover, and saw that the book was promoted and posted in the B.C. Open Textbook Collection. When we moved to the next phase of our work and encouraged authors to look to their post-secondary institutions for support, it was recognized that many of the publishing tasks — previously filled by BCcampus staff — fell to the author. This realization was one of the impetuses for writing this guide.

Find help

As you list how and who will pay for your textbook (see Who Pays For This), include your support — or publishing — team. At your home institution, look for support from:

• Instructional designers (for design and layout)
• Graphic designers or illustrators (for images)
• Librarians (for copyright and license information, and help evaluating resources and repositories)
• Technical support (assistance with authoring platforms, videos, and audio files)
• Student assistants (for gathering external resources and working as fixers). (See Fix as You Go.)

Outside of your post-secondary institution, look to:

• Colleagues at other institutions
• Your professional organization
• Open-textbook and OER communities

Who Pays for This

In terms of money, open textbooks are free for students, faculty, and anyone else to use.  But they’re not free to produce. If you decide to write and publish an open textbook, you need to think about how you are going to compensate not only the people who help you, but yourself as well. The cost of producing an open textbook is often underestimated by authors.

Before you begin, make a list of the individuals you will need to support your project and resources.

Funding and compensation comes in different forms. Besides cash, in-kind contributions should be considered. For example, your institution may offer support by providing access to instructional designers, librarians, or in-house copy editors. The OER Grants offered by BCcampus Open Education to faculty and staff in this province stipulate that:

(s)uccessful applicants must secure matching funds by their institution (for the requested OER Grant amount) in advance of submitting a proposal.

Typically, the creation of an open textbook is funded (often through grants) by:

• Open textbook projects
• Government (provincial or state, federal)
• Philanthropic organizations (e.g., Hewlett Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
• Professional societies (e.g., Association for Psychological Science)
• Consortia (e.g., Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction)
• A faculty author’s post-secondary institution (grant, release time, in-kind contributions, other)

Quiz: Planning

Workflow and Organization of Labor

Table of Contents

• Project Charter and Timeline
• Technology: Accounts and Training
• Authoring Tools
• Publishing Tools
• Sample OER Development Workflow

Project Charter and Timeline

Writing and publishing an open textbook will take longer than you think. Plan for thinking time. Be prepared to incorporate new ideas as you conduct your research. Be ready to cut material that doesn’t work. Our team began each textbook project with a well-thought-out plan and timeline. Early meetings with the author included  the communication plan, instructions on what each stage would entail, deadlines for each chapter, how and when the copy editors would contribute, and all phases that led to the release of the finished product.

Timeline tasks

There are many steps to producing a textbook, and each of those steps involve multiple responsibilities. As you record these on your timeline, calculate how long each will take — and then add some additional time as a buffer.

1. Research. Track all references carefully as would be done for any academic work. If you are using openly licensed text, images, or other resources, place close attention to the legal requirements for the license.
2. Gather or create resources. Resources may include photos, illustrations, graphs, tables, figures, videos, audio files, or spreadsheets. Remember, if you’re using someone else’s work, it must be openly licensed or in the public domain. If a resource is copyrighted and all rights are reserved, you may provide a link to it. However, linking should only be used as a last resort when an openly licensed resource cannot be located.
3. Write the book outline. This includes chapters, chapter sections, front and back matter, learning objectives, exercises, key terms and takeaways, and the glossary. Outline how chapters and chapter sections will be laid out.
4. Find supplemental resources. Not all textbook authors or publishers create ancillary resources, such as test banks, for their books. However, many instructors and students find them helpful, and textbooks with ancillary resources are often highly adopted. Determine what your textbook will need in order to be most effective.
5. Plan each chapter. During the book-outline phase, determine the structure for each chapter in addition to the research and resources required to write it. Record these in your timeline beside the designated author. Use this information to calculate how long each chapter will take to complete. Remember to build in extra time for the beginning phase of the project, as this is when you and your team are learning to work together and with the textbook, and for any unanticipated delays. While working with many authors is a good way to incorporate expertise and multiple viewpoints, it will take extra time as you or your project manager communicate with the team and manage their work.
6. Peer review. Schedule time for the peer review of your textbook by subject-matter experts.
7. Fix as you go. As you go, expect to be regularly reviewing the style and format as well as auditing external images and resources to ensure all are openly licensed or in the public domain.
8. Copy edit. Have the book copy edited.
9. Proofread. Have the book proofread.
10. Prepare for publication. Conduct a final check of your book and set up print-on-demand copies.
11. Promote. Launch and communicate about your new book.

Technology: Accounts and Training

If you decide to use an authoring platform, such as Pressbooks or Scalar [New Tab], to create your textbook, you must also ensure that all participants have accounts to access the platform and the training to use it. While this latter item will require additional effort, it is worth the time in order to avoid confusion and mistakes during production.

This chapter uses Pressbooks as an example of an authoring platform.

Determine access

Begin by determining who should have access. If you have multiple authors, it’s often best to restrict access to the book in Pressbooks to one or two “gatekeepers” to maintain the textbook’s formatting, style, and layout. One of the gatekeepers might be the individual responsible for reviewing and fixing the textbook as they will be very familiar with the book’s flow. Others who will need platform access are the copy editor and proofreader.

If you wish others to view the textbook, but do not want them to have editing or administrative privileges, “view only” rights can be granted or a generic account can be created for all who require in-progress viewing access.

The BCcampus Open Education Pressbooks Guide [New Tab] contains information specific to Pressbooks. This guide will explain how to set up a Pressbooks account and how to add an author, editor, or other user to your textbook. (See Setting up an Account: Where to Begin [New Tab] and Adding an Author or Editor to a Book [New Tab].)

Platform set-up, training, support

Once you have established the required accounts for Pressbooks, or other authoring platform, then it’s time to create the book shell. Information on setting up a book, importing a Pressbooks or WordPress file, and importing a Word document are all covered in the BCcampus Open Education Pressbooks Guide [New Tab]. However, listening to a recorded session [New Tab] or viewing the PowerPoint slides [New Tab] from past Pressbooks Training webinars, or watching a Pressbooks Tutorial video [New Tab] can help. You may also consider hiring an expert to offer a training session to your support team.

Lastly, identify who will provide technical support. Many platforms and systems have very good support resources available; however, it’s always nice to have a friendly, knowledgeable individual to call on. The helpdesk or teaching-and-learning centre at your university or college is a good place to start.

Other technology

In addition to the system you’ll be using to house and create your textbook, consider all other technologies that will be needed. These might include:

• Video-creation software and hosting platforms, e.g., Audacity [New Tab]
• Audio-recording systems and hosting platforms
• Graphic-design software
• Repositories containing openly licensed media

____________________________________________________________________

Authoring Tools

Authors usually select an authoring tool based on experience and comfort. For example, many writers use Microsoft Word because they know it well and their institution provides them with it.

An authoring tool may also be a publishing tool (see the next chapter for more about publishing tools). Certainly many tools work to meet both needs. In addition, there are new tools currently in development that aim to robustly support authoring and publishing functions in one. For now, there are often tradeoffs between the two, and many authors write using one tool then publish using another.

Don’t see your favorite authoring and/or publishing tools in this guide? Let us know! Email: open@umn.edu.

Google Docs and MS Word

Arguably the two most popular authoring tools for writing textbooks are Google Docs and MS Word.

Google Docs is free and online. It allows for multiple authors and editing, which can work well for groups writing together. Collaborators can @ each other with comments, make suggestions and track revisions. You can also upload existing files to Google Docs, and export to both PDF and EPUB.

Microsoft Word is a tool available for purchase and installation on a personal computer. Most people have access to it through their institution. Users have to deliver the file to others in order for them to access it, usually via email or online file sharing. It is possible to track changes and ask others to leave comments and suggestions. You can save a Word file as a PDF.

If you are a Word user who seeks the collaborative aspects of Google Docs, consider Office 2016 or using OneDrive, using these options, users can “Save to Cloud” and then invite collaborators to work together in real time.

In addition, especially for authors familiar with WordPress, Pressbooks is another popular authoring tool. Please see the next chapter for more information about Pressbooks.

OERPUB’s TextBook Editor

The TextBook Editor tool enables authors to create OER artifacts from scratch and arrange them into textbooks: http://oerpub.github.io/github-bookeditor/

Other Tools for Support

Making a textbook involves more than writing. Especially if there are multiple collaborators on a project, it can help to use a collaborative tool for tracking communication and setting deadlines. There are many free tools available. For example, Trello and Wunderlist are collaborative list-making tools that can help authors and project teams communicate with one another. Basecamp is a project management tool often used by creative teams to move projects forward and track communication. All of these tools can send automated updates to teams.

Publishing Tools

We have had a lot of success with Pressbooks. Pressbooks creates some really nice online open textbooks, and multiple export formats including PDF and EPUB. That is really handy. — Shane Nackerud, Technology Lead, Library Initiatives, University of Minnesota Libraries

Consider your project goals and existing options at your institution when deciding which publishing tool to use. Other considerations include which file formats students may prefer, as well as accessibility and formatting requirements.

In terms of workflow, authors often write using one tool (see the previous chapter on authoring tools) and then import their completed work into a publishing tool. This can be relatively painless or quite painful, so you may want to map out a plan before you get started. Many publishing tools also offer authoring features, so there may be an inclusive authoring and publishing tool that works for you.

Pressbooks and LaTex are arguably the two most commonly used publishing tools in open textbook publishing. It’s also common for authors to write in Microsoft Word, then save their work as a PDF to share more broadly. However, the PDF format does not allow for future users to easily make changes to the textbook. For more information about file types that allow for easier editing, see Modifying an Open Textbook: What You Need to Know.

Don’t see your favorite authoring and/or publishing tools in this guide? Let us know! Email: open@umn.edu.

Pressbooks

“Pressbooks is simple book production software. Write your own book on Pressbooks, or import your manuscript, choose a book design theme, and export into all the file formats you need to publish your books:

• MOBI format (for Kindle ebooks)
• EPUB format (for all other ebookstores)
• designed PDF (for print-on-demand)
• more exotic XML formats

Pressbooks is used by authors and publishers around the world.” (From https://pressbooks.com/about/)

LaTeX

Depending on the length of the text, I would encourage authors to write in whatever word processing software they prefer but then to create the textbook itself using LaTeX, which is a free and open software package used for typesetting documents. I taught myself how to use the software for this project and it not only will make your textbook look more professional, but you can also use it to easily create a glossary, a list of figures, and a table of contents. — Caitie Finlayson, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of Mary Washington. Author of World Regional Geography (CC BY NC SA).

“LaTeX is a high-quality typesetting system; it includes features designed for the production of technical and scientific documentation. LaTeX is the de facto standard for the communication and publication of scientific documents. LaTeX is available as free software.” (From https://www.latex-project.org)

If a first-time author plans to produce their own book — i.e., type setting — I think it makes sense to use a powerful tool like LaTeX if one is doing a traditional hardcopy book. If I had to do it over again I would also use a versioning system, such as the open source github system, to keep track of versions and edits. — Ralph Morelli, Professor of Computer Science, Emeritus, Trinity College. Author of Java, Java, Java: Object-Oriented Problem Solving (CC BY).

In general, for authors who are writing textbooks that includes formulas, LaTeX is most recommended.

We have found that Pressbooks is not very good for math based books, or more specifically books that require a heavy amount of LaTeX. LaTeX is the preferred method of writing math based content for many STEM faculty, and while Pressbooks has LaTeX capabilities they aren’t typically as robust as is needed by these faculty content providers. — Shane Nackerud, Technology Lead, Library Initiatives, University of Minnesota Libraries

GitBooks

“GitBook.com is the online platform to create and host books built using the GitBook format. It offers hosting, collaboration features and an easy-to-use editor. GitBook can output your content as a website (customizable and extensibles) or as an ebook (PDF, ePub or Mobi).” (From https://toolchain.gitbook.com)

Hosting is free if the book is open. GitHub users will likely feel most comfortable with GitBooks. Others may find it a bit overwhelming at first, especially if they need help getting oriented. Find documentation at toolchain.gitbook.com.

Sample OER Development Workflow

Based on a textbook developed at UH Mānoa.

Pre Production

• • Scope desired OER output (textbook, course, etc)
    • • Create content outline of desired OER
      • Confirm learning objectives/outcomes
  • Estimate/scope work needed
    • • Create MOA/Letter of Agreement
  • Develop timeline for completion
  • Audit known OERs
    • • Compile list of existing OERs
      • Complete review of OERs on list
        • Existing open textbooks
        • Existing interactive learning content
  • Assess technical editability of selected OER

Design Phase

• • Flesh out content outline
    • • Include chapters and topics
      • Include learning outcomes
      • Include intro paragraph for chapters
  • Task division
    • • Chapter contributions
      • Images (sourcing, creation)
      • Copyediting
      • Chapter reviewing
      • Metadata management

Development Phase

• • Chapter contributions
    • • Write/revise chapters
      • Include images/media
  • Review content
    • • Copyediting
      • Chapter reviewing
  • Quality assurance checks
    • • Proofreading
      • Clear IP rights
      • Attributions
  • Import to Pressbooks
    • • Import Pressbooks XML file
      • Organization
        • Part and chapter order
        • Media import and display
        • Metadata placement
        • Front matter and back matter
  • Final quality assurance check

Release

• • Book made live
    • • Move to production server
      • Export formats made available
  • Edition deposited in UH OER library
    • • DOI/handle created

Feedback and Monitoring

• • Collect student feedback re: Textbook
  • Faculty reviews and comments/suggestions
  • Monitor success rates of courses using OER

Quiz: Workflow and Organization of Labor

Developing Open Textbooks

Table of Contents: Developing Open Textbooks

• Five Rules of Textbook Development
• Open Textbook Formats
• Quick Guide to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, (EDI), Accessibility, Localization, and Indigenization
• Textbook Outline
• Create a Style Sheet

Five Rules of Textbook Development

The below list provides five rules that help guide the development of a good textbook.

1. Rule of frameworks

Memory and understanding are promoted by the use of a structure that mimics the structures we all use within our minds to store information. Before we can use or master a subject, we have to have a mental road map that allows us to navigate within and through the subject domain. The text can best aid understanding by making this framework visible early on within each section or topic. The extent to which the student understands that they are using a framework, and knows what that framework is, is important as they internalize and make use of the material presented.

2. Rule of meaningful names

Everything we know is tagged with an index or a title. These indices are critical to the ability to recall or retrieve the things we know and remember. Each concept, process, technique or fact presented should aid the student to assign a meaningful name for it in their own mental organization of the material. To be most useful, these names shouldn’t have to be relearned at higher levels of study. The names assigned by the text should be useful in that they support some future activities: communication with other practitioners, reference within the text to earlier mastered material, and conformity to the framework used for the subject. Each unique element of the subject domain should have a unique name, and each name should be used for only one element.

3. Rule of manageable numbers

When we learn from an outline, an illustration, or an example, most of us are limited in our ability to absorb new material. As we become familiar with part of a subject domain this number expands, but for new material four to six new elements is a reasonable limit. If a chapter outline contains twelve items, the student will have forgotten the outline before getting to the last item. When a text fails to support this rule, it requires even a diligent student to needlessly repeat material.

4. Rule of hierarchy

Our mental frameworks are hierarchical. Learning is aided by using the student’s ability to couple or link new material with that already mastered. When presenting new domains for hierarchical understanding, the rules for meaningful names and manageable numbers have increased importance and more limited application. A maximum of three levels of hierarchy should be presented at one time. The root should be already mastered, the current element under consideration clearly examined, and lower levels outlined only to the extent that they help the student understand the scope or importance of the current element. This area is supplemented by two more rules within this rule: those of Connectivity and Cohesion. Connectivity requires consideration of what the student likely knows at this point. The more already mastered elements that one can connect with a new element, the easier it is to retain. Cohesion requires that the characteristics of new elements as they are presented be tightly coupled.

5. Rule of repetition

Most people learn by repetition, and only a few with native genius can achieve mastery without it. There is a pattern of repetition that aids in promoting the elements of a subject from short-term to long-term memory. Implementations of this rule may mean that frameworks and important hierarchies are repeated as many as five or six times, while frequently used elements are repeated three or four times, and elements of lesser utility may not be repeated at all. The first repetition should normally occur within a day of first presentation, followed by a gradually decreasing frequency. Exercises and review sections are ideally contributing to a designed repetition pattern.

Attributions

The content in this chapter comes from Wikibooks:Textbook considerations and is used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 Licence.

Long Descriptions

5 Rules of Textbook Development long description:

1. The rule of frameworks means maintain a consistent structure. The text can best aid understanding by making this framework visible early on.
2. The rule of meaningful names means create and use consistent titles and terminologies. The names are critical to the ability to recall or retrieve the things we know and remember.
3. The rule of manageable numbers means limit the amount of new information introduced at one time.
4. Rule of hierarchy means new knowledge builds on learned knowledge. The student needs to understand the foundational knowledge before being introduced to a new concept. When new concepts are introduced the should be explicitly connected to the foundational material.
5. The rule of repetition means repeat important concepts. There is a pattern of repetition that aids in promoting the elements of a subject from short-term to long-term memory.

[Return to 5 rules of textbook development image]

Open Textbook Formats

You will notice that open textbooks are available in a number of different technical formats, some of which may not be familiar to you. The reason for this is because research into student preferences around textbook formats shows that students want flexibility and options. Some students, prefer physical textbooks, some want their textbook delivered to their favourite eReader device, and others prefer the familiarity of a PDF or a website.

Here is a brief guide to the different types of document formats that open textbooks are most often available in.

EPUB

EPUB is a standard format for ebooks. Students will need an eReader to use EPUB files. eReaders are available as stand-alone devices (such as a Nook or Kobo reader) and as software packages that students can install on their PC, Mac, tablet, or mobile phone.

There are a number of eReaders available for free, and many have features such as cloud syncing, which allows users to read their book on their tablet, PC, and phone and keep the book in sync. Many also offer annotation and highlighting capabilities.

EPUB is superior to PDF in that the text in EPUB files can shift to fit the size of the device being used to read the book, giving the user a smooth side-to-side reading experience. eReaders also often provide options to resize the text, change the font, or change the colour of the text.

Those who have a Nook, Kobo, or other dedicated eReading device or have downloaded and installed eReader software on their tablet, PC, or mobile device will want to use an EPUB file. Note that Kindle does not support EPUB. Instead Kindle users will want to use the MOBI format (see below).

These are just a few of the many EPUB readers available. Wikipedia has an extensive comparison list of eReaders [New Tab].

MOBI

Students should choose the MOBI format if they have an Amazon Kindle or use the Amazon Kindle software, which anyone can download. Kindle apps and software [New Tab] are available for download on Mac, PC, Android, BlackBerry, Windows OS, and iOS.

Website/HTML

An HTML website is a good format to use to distribute your textbook to students as it is a universal format that does not require any additional software beyond a web browser. HTML is also a good format to distribute your textbook in if you want others to be able to edit or customize your book. If possible, you can create a zip file of your HTML documents and make those available for other instructors to download, edit and host on their own websites.

PDF

PDF is a common file format that requires a PDF reader. Free PDF readers include Adobe Reader [New Tab], Foxit [New Tab], and Nitro [New Tab]. PDF is a good format to make available to students because it is common and most students will know how to work with a PDF document. However, PDFs are difficult to edit, so if you plan to openly license your textbook, you should also make your source files available so other instructors can edit the book.

Word/OpenOffice

Some open textbooks are available as Word/OpenOffice documents. These file formats will be have the .docx or .odt file extensions. You will need Microsoft Word [New Tab] or OpenOffice [New Tab] to view these files. Word/OpenOffice documents can be used to distribute a textbook to students as it is a common file format. However, it is more common that you would convert the Word/OpenOffice document to a PDF, EPUB or HTML file for distribution to students and provide Word/OpenOffice as a source file for others who may want to edit or adapt the textbook.

LaTeX

LaTeX is a document format often used when complex scientific or mathematical equations and notations are required. LaTeX [New Tab] requires special software [New Tab] to read and edit. These files are not recommended for students and are primarily provided as source files for instructors who wish to modify or customize a textbook.

Attributions

Information and much of the text used in this chapter are based on the blog “Open Textbook Formats Explained” by Clint Lalonde and is used under a CC BY 4.0 Licence.

Quiz: Developing Open Textbooks

Quick Guide to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, (EDI), Localization, and Indigenization

This section provides a quick guide to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, as well as localization and Indigenization. This section also concerns Accessibility, Equity, Cultural Relevance & Usability.

For a quick introduction to some of the stakes of this work, please see the CCCOER blog post “Equity & Openness : Perspectives from North American colleges and universities.”

The OER textbook Human Nutrition, from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Food Science and Human Nutrition Program, provides an example of a UH Mānoa OER textbook which centers Hawaiian and local knowledge. In the preface, the authors state that, “This open access textbook was developed as an introductory nutrition resource to reflect the diverse dietary patterns of people in Hawaiʻi and the greater Pacific. Using the ʻōlelo no‘eau, or Hawaiian proverb, stated above, [ʻA‘ohe pau ka ‘ike i ka hālau ho‘okahi. Knowledge isn’t taught in all one place] we believe that the principles of nutrition should be taught through the context of our communities and environments.”

The Chronicle of Higher Education has listed UH Mānoa as “the most diverse university in terms of students and faculty, with a student-body Diversity Index of 76 — a full 22 points greater than the index for the U.S. population as of 2010 — and a faculty index of 61.”

Below is a short video from Ryerson University on the benefits, necessity, and implementation of strategies for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in education at the university level.

Localization in education involves being aware of local identity, culture, and history when planning educational materials and activities. Below is a video of local linguist Kent Sakoda, professor of Second Language Studies at UH Mānoa, discussing the Pidgin (Hawaiʻi Creole English) language, history, and culture in Hawaiʻi.

Indigenization involves centering perspectives of local Indigenous groups in education. The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is an Indigenous-serving institution with a mission to be a Hawaiian Place of Learning. Below is a video featuring the dean of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, Professor Jonathan Kamakawiwoʻole Osorio.

The 2015-2025 UH Mānoa Strategic Plan aspires to situate the university as a “premier student-centered, Carnegie Research 1, community-serving university grounded in a Hawaiian place of learning that summons our rich knowledge systems to help mālama Hawaiʻi and the world for future generations.” Below is a video on Hawaiian knowledge and learning taking place at Ka Papa Lo‘i o Kānewai cultural garden at the Hawai‘inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at UH Mānoa.

Quiz: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, (EDI), Localization, and Indigenization

Accessibility, Diversity, and Inclusion — BCcampus

One of the basic premises of open education is access. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) believes:

…that universal access to high quality education is key to the building of peace, sustainable social and economic development, and intercultural dialogue. Open Educational Resources (OER) provide a strategic opportunity to improve the quality of education as well as facilitate policy dialogue, knowledge sharing and capacity building.

Access in this context refers to the ability for students, instructors, and others to obtain access to education. Releasing textbooks and other educational resources with open-copyright licences is a big step toward removing barriers, as it makes these materials free of cost and free to use, distribute, and change. But there is more that goes into accessing a resource than it just being free and online.

For a textbook to be truly accessible, people of all abilities need to be able to access the content. This means designing a textbook that accommodates people with diverse learning styles and ensuring the content can be accessed by all, regardless of disability. It also means creating materials that include diverse viewpoints and voices. As you plan your textbook, contemplate how to design it so it is accessible, diverse, and inclusive.

Read what your colleagues are saying about Equity, Cultural Relevance, Usability & Open Education [New Tab].

Accessibility

As an open textbook author and publisher, it’s important to consider the social-justice side of open education. Listed below are some of the barriers students face during their education, as well as some solutions and examples.

Equity and Cultural Relevance

In the context of writing an open textbook, equity and cultural relevance means centering a wide range of perspectives in your textbook. This can help ensure that more readers identify with and relate to the material. Some benefits are:

• Engaging more students because they recognize themselves or their life experiences in the material
• Appealing to instructors in a variety of educational settings
• Creating a more interesting reading and learning experience

Quiz: Accessibility

Textbook Outline

Before you begin writing, create an outline that details the topics to be covered in your textbook and how they will be organized in a table of contents. Consider the type of students who will use your textbook and the course level and program for which the textbook is intended. Taking time to consider the audience and classroom will direct the tone and complexity of your writing. As such, it should be scheduled in your project timeline. This vital step will save time and money, reduce mistakes, and hopefully result in a more useful, engaging textbook. (See Project Timeline.)

Details and decisions

An outline is most useful when it includes all the details needed to build and arrange your book. Recruiting a copy editor at this early stage, someone who can ensure that all elements and layout are covered, will save time later in the project. The copy editor can also assist you with selecting a style guide and setting up a style sheet, which they will reference during the copy-editing and proofreading phases. (See How to Copy Edit and Create a Style Sheet.)

Front matter

The front matter is the introductory section of your textbook and the first thing readers see. If you’re using an authoring platform such as Pressbooks, the system will set up some of these sections for you, including a copyright page and a table of contents. The following table lists the items typically included in the front matter and the order in which they appear. While most open textbooks will have many of these elements, very few will have all of them. Only include the sections relevant to your textbook.

Body

As you shape the content of your textbook’s main body, ask these questions:

• How will the main body be divided? Indicate if parts or units will be used.
• Will each chapter include chapter sections? (If chapter sections are included in the table of contents, it is easier for students and other instructors who might use your textbook to see at a glance the textbook’s content and navigate through the book.)
• Will numbering and/or titles be used to identify parts, units, chapters, and chapter sections? If possible, include these in the outline. (Titles and numbering can be changed in the final draft, but establishing working titles helps during the organizational phase.)
• How long should the book be? Estimate the word count for the entire book, and then break this number down into individual chapters.

Next, consider the layout, style, and length for each chapter and chapter section. Decide what elements to incorporate such as:

• Learning objectives or outcomes that align with the textbook content, typically identified at the beginning of each unit, chapter, or chapter section
• Chapter introduction
• Exercises, essay questions, practice quizzes, or other methods for the student to self-test during reading or for the instructor to use for grading
• Key terms, highlighted and defined throughout the textbook; some authors summarize these in a Glossary placed in the back matter
• Chapter-end summary or list of key points or key takeaways
• Suggested/additional reading lists at the end of each chapter or in the back matter
• Resources (photos, illustrations, diagrams, graphs, charts, tables) and how they will be labeled, numbered, and captioned. Will these items be original creations or retrieved from external sources? (See BCcampus Resources: Search and Find [New Tab].)
• Multimedia (videos and audio clips) for online textbooks. Will these be embedded or will a link be provided? How will these elements be labeled, numbered, and captioned? Will transcripts be provided to ensure accessibility? Will you offer editable files? (See the BCcampus Open Education Accessibility Toolkit [New Tab].)

Estimate the amount of time needed to create each item for each chapter or chapter section — and then double it. The majority of self-publishing authors underestimate the amount of time required to write and produce or collect resources and multimedia. If tasks are completed ahead of schedule, bank this extra time for other delays later on. Ask your copy editor to include the above items on their review list.

Back matter

Items at the end, or as part of the back matter, of a textbook are typically supplements to the main text.

Attributions

Front Matter and Back Matter tables: Some of this information was taken from Book design on Wikipedia and is used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 Licence.

Create a Style Sheet

A style guide should be used when writing an open textbook to ensure that style and formatting is consistent throughout the work. (See Appendix 2: Style Guide.) Style guides usually include citation style as well, i.e. how cited or referenced material should be treated both in the text (in-text) and within the reference list. Commonly used style guides include,

• APA Style [New Tab]. APA (American Psychological Association) style is typically used to cite and style works in the social sciences and education.
• The Chicago Manual of Style Online [New Tab]. Chicago style is most often used to cite and style works in the humanities. This style was developed by the Chicago University Press in 1906.
• MLA Style Manual [New Tab]. MLA (Modern Language Association of America) style is most frequently used to cite and style works in the literary and humanities fields.
• The Associated Press Stylebook [New Tab]. The Associated Press style is the standard for style guide for those working in the media and communications.

In addition to selecting a style guide, it is advised that a style sheet be created and updated throughout the writing process. A style sheet is a record of the styling and formatting exceptions for your textbook, such as spelling choices, selection and placement of learning objects, and differences in punctuation, layout, and style from the style guide. Frequently used style elements can also be noted on the style sheet for easy reference, especially during the copy editing and proofreading stages.

How to set up and use a style sheet

1. Download the above style-sheet template and fill out as much information as possible, including book title, author, copy editor, and proofreader.
2. Add or remove items as they pertain to your book. These might include:
   1. exercises (and how to format them)
   2. back matter and/or appendix information and how to label each
   3. key terms: how and when to highlight them in the text body and if they should be summarized in an end-of-book glossary
3. In addition to different or additional styles and formatting, you can list:
   1. styling issues included in the style guide, but repeated in the style sheet for easy reference
   2. the correct usage of grammar and spellings that are often inaccurate
4. Change and update the style sheet throughout textbook production. Update the style sheet each time you make changes or add to it and share it with your team.
5. When the book is finished, date the style sheet and mark it as the “final copy.” This reference document can be shared as part of your textbook when it’s published.

Quiz: Textbook Outline and Style Sheet