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Open Educational Resources (OER) and Creative Commons

A guide for faculty interested in incorporating open access materials into their curriculum.

General Textbooks

PSYC 1110 Introduction to Psychology 

Psychology by OpenStax (2020)Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.

Introduction to Psychology: The Full Noba Collection edited by Noba (unknown date): This textbook represents the entire catalog of Noba topics. It contains 101 learning modules covering every area of psychology commonly taught in introductory courses. This book can be modified: feel free to rearrange or remove modules to better suit your specific needs Please note that the publisher requires you to login to access and download the textbooks.

Introduction to Psychology by University of Minnesota (2015): Utilizes the dual theme of behavior and empiricism to make psychology relevant to intro students. The author wrote this book to help students organize their thinking about psychology at a conceptual level. Five or ten years from now, he does not expect his students to remember the details of most of what he teaches them. However, he does hope that they will remember that psychology matters because it helps us understand behavior and that our knowledge of psychology is based on empirical study.

PSYC 2140 Child Psychology and PSYC 2130 Adolescent Psychology ​

Psychology 107: Life Span Developmental Psychology by Study.com (date unknown): Online course by study.com with videos explaining different aspects of Developmental Psychology. The course could easily be adapted to serve as a 21 chapter textbook. 

Psyc 200 Lifespan Psychology by Laura Overstreet (2012): Online course. Open by clicking "Browse", readings can be found in the "course modules" folder. Growth and development through the life span including physical, social, cognitive and neurological development. Topics covered included daycare, education, disabilities, parenting, types of families, gender identity and roles, career decisions, illnesses and treatments, aging, retirement, generativity, and dying.

Psychology Through the Lifespan by Julie Lazzara (2019): This is an Open Educational Resource text for Lifespan Development Psychology at the undergraduate level.

Developmental Psychology curated by Dr. Bill Pelz (date unknown): This course is designed to provide an engaging and personally relevant overview of the discipline of Developmental Psychology. In this course you will examine the cultural, social, psychological, and physiological influences which imp[act human development from conception to death. You - the student - will provide much of the substantive content and teaching presence in this course.

PSYC 2140 Child Psychology

Child Development: Early Stages Through Age 12, 7th Edition (2011) is designed to help students understand how to work with and care for children as they grow. The contents of this authoritative text focus on guiding children’s development and meeting developmental needs from the prenatal stage through the school-age years. The text also explores play activities, ways to keep children healthy and safe, group programs, and child-related careers. Many examples are provided to help apply this information when working with children of all ages.