DeLoris Hesse, coordinator of UGA’s undergraduate anatomy and physiology program, has received a Textbook Transformation Award from Affordable Learning Georgia for her efforts in adopting and creating open educational resources for the benefit of UGA students.
ALG is a University System of Georgia initiative that promotes the use of lower cost alternatives to traditional textbooks, including OERs.
“The adoption of open educational resources across campus is expected to save students nearly $2 million in textbook costs by the end of the current academic year,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “We congratulate Dr. Hesse on receiving this outstanding recognition and appreciate all of her efforts to advance this important student-centered initiative.”
As coordinator of the undergraduate anatomy and physiology program at UGA, Hesse manages course scheduling, development and materials for more than 700 students per year who must complete the A&P sequence as a part of their program of study. A&P students take two courses using the same textbook and lab manual. Switching to the open textbook saves A&P students $175,000 per academic year.
Rob Nichols and Leslie Pryor, who teach the large sections of both courses, have been essential to the project’s success, said C. Edward Watson, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. Hesse, Nichols and Pryor now are helping to complete an open lab manual for the OpenStax text that will be ready this summer.
“Instructors who are interested in supporting this initiative can look to the UGA Libraries’ extensive electronic and print holdings for affordable educational content,” said Toby Graham, university librarian and associate provost. “As part of our course reserves service, we help faculty to easily upload into eLC lists of electronic and digitized readings from the library.”
Affordable Learning Georgia is a component of USG’s GALILEO virtual library.