While AI can be a useful tool in the beginning of your OER search, we discourage you from using AI as your sole method of finding OERs. Popular generative AI tools such as ChatGPT should be used as a preliminary research tool at most. As you can see in the examples below, AI is an inadequate substitute for the accurate and customized research assistance a librarian can provide. The prompts below can provide a good start, but if you use them, thoroughly vetting your resources is highly encouraged.
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
This information is displayed to provide accessible avenues of OER research for faculty who are not yet familiar. We do not condone the exploitative labor that goes behind AI development, and use it with moderation. We still recommend contacting the ZTC librarian with your query for the most accurate (and ethical) results.
Image by JoyPixels, EmojiOne Project via Createzilla, CC BY 4.0
Below are some prompts you can use to start a preliminary search of OER.
These prompts were tested on ChatGPT.
Sure! Here are some open education textbooks for college-level English classes that are licensed under CC-BY-SA, CC-BY-NC, or CC-BY-NC-SA:
"Writing for Success"
License: CC-BY
Description: Covers the fundamentals of writing in various contexts, including academic, professional, and personal writing.
"Introduction to Literature"
License: CC-BY-NC-SA
Description: A collection of literary works, including poetry, short stories, and essays, designed for introductory literature courses.
"The Writing Center Handbook"
License: CC-BY-NC-SA
Description: A resource for students and tutors in writing centers, focusing on writing strategies and tutoring techniques.
"Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing"
License: CC-BY-NC
Description: Explores various genres of literature and includes writing exercises to develop critical thinking and analytical skills.
"Technical Communication"
License: CC-BY-SA
Description: Focuses on principles of technical communication, including writing manuals, proposals, and reports.
You can usually find these textbooks on platforms like OpenStax, OER Commons, or the Open Textbook Library. Let me know if you need more specific options or additional resources!
š”Tip: You must type āentire URLā or ācomplete URLā (rather than just āthe linkā) to get the full URL. Otherwise, the AI will only provide hyperlinks, which donāt always work and can easily break when copied and pasted to other platforms.
Absolutely! Here are some open education textbooks for college-level English classes, along with their licenses and complete URLs:
"Writing for Success"
"Introduction to Literature"
"The Writing Center Handbook"
"Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing"
"Technical Communication"
These resources are excellent for various English courses. Let me know if you need more information or further assistance!
Yes, there are several open education literature anthologies available. Here are a few you might find useful:
"The Literary Anthology"
"Open Anthology of Earlier American Literature"
"The Common Reader" by Virginia Woolf
"The Norton Introduction to Literature (Open Edition)"
"Writing with a Purpose"
You can find these anthologies on platforms like OER Commons, OpenStax, or through specific university repositories. If you need help locating any of these, just let me know!
Certainly! Hereās an open education resource that covers poetry from the 1800s:
"The Open Anthology of Earlier American Literature"
License: CC-BY
Description: This anthology includes a selection of American poetry and prose from the colonial period through the early 19th century, featuring significant poets of the 1800s such as Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman.
URL: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/open-anthology-of-earlier-american-literature
This resource should provide a good foundation for studying poetry from that era. Let me know if you need more options or specific details!
Sure! Hereās a summary of the reviews for the open textbook "Introduction to Literature: Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, and How They Shape Us":
Overall, the textbook is well-received for its thoughtful approach to literature, particularly in exploring the cultural significance of fairy and folk tales. Let me know if you need more specific details or further insights!
š”Tip: You may notice that this response didnāt contain any negative feedback for this resource. In that case, you can use the following prompt to pull up negative reviews.
Certainly! Hereās a summary of the negative feedback for "Introduction to Literature: Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, and How They Shape Us":
Overall, while the resource is appreciated for its foundational content, these critiques suggest areas for improvement to enhance its effectiveness and engagement. Let me know if you need anything else!
š”Tip: You can use the following prompt to generate positive and negative reviews at the same time.
Sure! Hereās a summary of the pros and cons of "Introduction to Literature: Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, and How They Shape Us":
Overall, the textbook is valued for its foundational content and accessibility, but there are suggestions for improvements to enhance its depth and inclusivity. Let me know if you need more information!
Sometimes, the AI generates incorrect results. It is important to always double check the accuracy of AI-generated information before using it in your curriculum. You may need to modify your prompts until you get the results you want, as illustrated below.
In the examples below, the inaccurate results are marked in bold red underlined text.
Certainly! Here are some works by Native American authors that are in the public domain, along with their complete URLs:
"Black Elk Speaks" by John Neihardt
"The Life of Black Hawk" by Black Hawk
"Indian Boyhood" by Charles A. Eastman
"The School Days of an Indian Girl" by Zitkala-Sa
"The Soul of the Indian" by Charles A. Eastman
These works provide valuable perspectives on Native American experiences and culture. Let me know if you need more information or additional titles!
One of those entries is a biography written by a non-Native author. I tried to correct the results with the following.
Absolutely! Hereās a replacement for the earlier entry, featuring a work by a Native American author:
"The School Days of an Indian Girl" by Zitkala-Sa
"Indian Boyhood" by Charles A. Eastman
"The Life of Black Hawk" by Black Hawk
"The Soul of the Indian" by Charles A. Eastman
"The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar"
Thank you for your patience, and let me know if you need more information or further assistance!
The result by Paul Lawrence Dunbar still doesnāt follow the prompt. Letās try again.
Here are works by confirmed Native American authors that are in the public domain:
"The School Days of an Indian Girl" by Zitkala-Sa
"Indian Boyhood" by Charles A. Eastman
"The Life of Black Hawk" by Black Hawk
"A Daughter of the Middle Border" by Hamlin Garland
"The Legends of the Iroquois" by James E. Howard
Thank you for your understanding, and please let me know if you need further assistance!
This list still did not accurately answer the prompt. I had to get very specific to finally receive a list of works written by Native American authors, using the following prompt.
š”Tip: When filtering out unwanted results, the more exclusionary terms you use (words/phrases such as āonlyā and ā...and nothing elseā), the more likely you are to receive correct results.
I apologize for the oversight. Hereās a list of works by confirmed Native American authors that are in the public domain:
"The School Days of an Indian Girl" by Zitkala-Sa
"Indian Boyhood" by Charles A. Eastman
"The Life of Black Hawk" by Black Hawk
"My People the Sioux" by Mary Eastman
"The Soul of the Indian" by Charles A. Eastman
Thank you for your patience, and I hope this list meets your needs!
š”Tip: Did you notice that I only asked for the complete URL once, and in each following correction the AI still included full URLs without me asking again? It also remembered that I was asking for public domain works in the initial prompt.
As you can see above, you may need to repeat your request multiple times to the AI, with as much specificity as possible, in order to achieve the accurate results you are looking for.