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April 2024 Textbook Hero - Mary Purvis

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Name: Mary Purvis What are some of the classes you teach? General Physics and Astronomy How long have you been with CVTC? About 20 years How long have you been using low-cost and/or no-cost textbooks? 11 years for my Physics classes What is your favorite part of using low-cost and/or no-cost textbooks? Using an OER textbook allows me to have a stable curriculum for my course. The concepts taught in first semester Physics have not changed in the last 50 years. When I used a textbook from a publisher, the scope and sequence of the book, the content, and the problem sets changed every two to three years. I was always changing my lessons to match the publishers changed content. When I switched to an OER book, I got off the textbook merry-go-round. I could spend more time contextualizing the lessons for the programs I was working with. I could spend more time inventing labs and being creative. I wasn't wasting time constantly updating lessons because the book changed. Yes, it was more