I have been utilizing OER (Open Educational Resources) in my courses for several years, understanding that the lack of access and affordability of course materials is a barrier to student success, and a major equity issue that disproportionately impacts underserved populations.

For both introductory and upper-level biology courses, I’ve been willing to adopt a text or prepare a combination of course resources that were low- or no-cost to students, even if they were not ideal because (1) I know through conversations and polling that relief from financial stress is more important to my students than text quality and (2) I saw first-hand the disadvantages to students that were unable to purchase texts, including the “affordable” branded, limited-access electronic versions of popular publishers’ biology textbooks.

For introductory biology, which (typically) serves first-year biology majors in our department, I had previously curated custom modules in the course learning management system that brought together various OER texts and other multimodal resources. The ROTEL (Remixing Open Textbooks through an Equity Lens) initiative* provided an opportunity to combine, adapt, and enhance the free materials I had been offering piecemeal to my students, into a single streamlined text that engages readers, aligns with the course learning goals, improves representation and inclusivity in the course resources, and provides students with long-term access.

As a true remix project, this text was adapted from a variety of sources. The original book that forms the ‘bones’ of this project is OpenStax Biology 2e, but many other openly licensed materials were incorporated, including Amanda Simons’ ROTEL publication Chromosomes, Genes, and Traits: An Introduction to Genetics, Andrea Bierema’s An Interactive Introduction to Organismal and Molecular Biology, material from the Khan Academy College Biology  course, and the University of California Museum of Paleontology’s website Understanding Evolution. All attributions appear within the modules where they were used.

Understanding Organisms is an ‘evergreen’ document. This version represents the first phase of this work; plans for a second edition to meet additional project goals and address reviewer and feedback are underway. Future improvements will be focused on representing current science  in a rapidly changing world, and ensuring that the content is accessible, inclusive and culturally relevant. Comments and suggestions are welcomed.

What was accomplished in the current version?

• Customized content to align with course learning goals and objectives.
• Embedded or linked multifarious web-based resources like popular science articles, podcasts, short videos and animations, interactive tutorials, simulations and self-check questions into the chapter content.
• Incorporated the work of biologists from diverse backgrounds in the examples used to support biology concepts and highlight connections to research or real-world applications throughout the text.
• Examined all images and media to ensure compliance with current accessibility standards and compatibility with assistive technologies.
• Modified language choices to uphold diversity, equity, and inclusivity, with adapted chapter content to improve accuracy and inclusivity in sex-related topics such as sexual reproduction, sex determination, and sexual selection.

What is planned for a future edition?

• Expanded ‘Scientist Spotlight’ sections that build on the personal backgrounds, career trajectories, and research projects of diverse biologists, encouraging students to identify as biologists via role models while tying real-world research to core biology concepts.
• Addition or substitution of [special section] within chapters with content that better connects biological concepts to culturally and societally relevant issues.
• Improved chapter summaries or ‘key takeaways.’
• Hyperlinking between related content to support the interleaving of key concepts.

I’d like to thank several people for helping to make this project possible:

• Marilyn Billings, Faculty Advisor and Advocate for the ROTEL grant, and the publishing support team, especially Minh Lee, Richard Lizotte and Vicky Gavin.
• My friend and colleague Tess Killpack, for her feedback and encouragement on this project, her partnership in biology course development and redesign, and her tireless work to promote student success and a more equitable, inclusive, and supportive departmental culture.
• The Salem State University Viking OER and Textbook Affordability Initiative for financial and practical support in adopting and developing no-cost or low-cost course resources for our students.
• My partner, family and young children’s caretakers. Without them, this text would not exist.

Thea Popolizio, Salem State University

Salem, Massachusetts, USA

*This project was supported by the grant initiative Remixing Open Textbooks through an Equity Lens (ROTEL) from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. The ROTEL Project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, (FIPSE).