Improving Affordability and Student Success:
OER Courses for Ivy Tech
Over the past three years, Ivy Tech has partnered with Lumen Learning to design courses using open educational resources (OER) that improve learning and replace expensive textbooks in high-enrollment subjects. With a cost of just $10-$20 per enrolled student, these courses often surprise faculty members by their combination of quality, ease of adoption, and affordability.
Ivy Tech’s OER initiative is led by an OER Cross Discipline Team made up of program chairs, department chairs and deans from across the College. It was formed in 2016 to prioritize courses for the transition to OER, and to oversee quality in the course development process. Ivy Tech partners with leading OER provider Lumen Learning to support content curation, creation, and delivery of OER content.
Ivy Tech OER Courses
View the Ivy Tech OER Course Catalog or click on a course name to view OER course materials
Ivy Tech OER Courses
Ivy Tech instructional design teams developed the courses below, customized for the needs of Ivy Tech students. Math course are delivered using Lumen’s OHM (online homework system) format, and all other subjects are provided in Lumen’s Candela (eBook) format. All Lumen courses include seamless integration with Canvas.
Waymaker OER Courses
Also approved for use at Ivy Tech are Lumen’s Waymaker courses. They combine great OER content, learning design, and personalization to improve student outcomes.
- BIOL 101: Introductory Biology
- BUSN 101: Introduction to Business
- COMM 101: Fundamentals of Public Speaking
- ECON 201: Principles of Macroeconomics
- ECON 202: Principles of Microeconomics
- ENGL 111: English Composition
- ENGL 112: Exposition and Persuasion
- ENGL 206: Introduction to Literature
- INFM 109: Informatics Fundamentals
- IVYT 112: Student Success in Healthcare
- IVYT 113: Student Success in Technology
- IVYT 114: Student Success in Business
- IVYT 115: Student Success in Computing and Informatics
- IVYT 116: Student Success in Public Service
- MATH 136: College Algebra
- MKTG 101: Introduction to Marketing
- PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology
Coming Soon:
- IVYT 111: Student Success in University Transfer
- MATH 201: Brief Calculus I
- SCIN 111: Physical Science
How to Adopt an OER Course
Use the course links above to preview course materials and find course(s) you’d like to adopt. Click “Request More Info” to ask questions or request a demo.
Click the “Adopt a Course” button and complete the form to indicate the courses you’re interested in.
Contact your campus course builder to add the “OMSF” (Open Material Selection Fee) attribute to your course in Banner. This designates the section as OER. It automatically adds a fee of $10-$20 per student, replacing the textbook cost. This fee guarantees day one access to course content for students. It also funds Ivy Tech’s future OER development and the technical support and OER expertise provided by Lumen.
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Types of Lumen Courses
All Lumen courses curate the best available open educational resources (OER) aligned with learning outcomes. Lumen offers three types of digital course materials, each with unique tools wrapped around the OER content. Most Ivy Tech-developed courses are provided in the Candela (e-book) format, with math course developed using OHM (online homework system). Some, such as College Success, include extensive customization to meet the needs of Ivy Tech students.
Ivy Tech faculty may also consider Waymaker courses, which provide personalized study plans and time-saving messaging tools that improve faculty-student connections. Lumen uses learning data from Waymaker courses to identify trouble spots, analyze why students struggle, and implement updates to improve student success. Research indicates Waymaker courses can improve completion rates and student outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged students.
Extremely affordable and highly customizable e-book with curated text, video, interactives, and other learning materials to replace expensive textbooks.
20 courses customized specifically for Ivy Tech students
OER for 60+ courses
Customizable curriculum
Candela Toolkit
A short guided video tour of Candela courses and how they work
View, download, or print Lumen’s complete course list, including Candela courses
Visit Lumen’s website to learn more about Candela
User-friendly digital courseware with data-driven learning design, personalization, and messaging tools that can increase student engagement, persistence, and passing rates.
Personalized study plans
Texts and supplemental materials
Real-time feedback
Easier communication & connection
Waymaker Toolkit
A short guided video tour of Waymaker courses and how they work
View, download, or print Lumen’s complete course list, including Waymaker courses
Brochure about Waymaker, its key features, and how it works
Step by step quickstart guide for configuring and teaching Waymaker courses
Visit Lumen’s website to learn more about Waymaker
Flexible, LMS-integrated math homework engine with learning content and activities you tailor to fit your students’ needs.
Instruction & homework system
Customizable courses
Immediate feedback for students
Ongoing faculty support
OHM Toolkit
A short guided video tour of OHM
View, download, or print Lumen’s complete course list, including OHM courses
Brochure about Lumen OHM, its key features, and how it works
Step by step quickstart guide for building a course with Lumen OHM
Playlist of training videos on how to build and customize courses in OHM
Visit Lumen’s website to learn more about OHM
Make an Impact on Learning
Research shows more students stay enrolled and pass the course when using Waymaker course materials from Lumen Learning.
We also use learning data to identify areas where students stumble. These insights drive targeted improvements to strengthen learning.
Ask us about the LEARN network and how we collaborate with institutions to achieve your goals for learning impact.
Lumen Learning FAQ
What is Lumen Learning, and what does it do with OER?
Lumen Learning provides digital course materials that replace expensive textbooks in high-enrollment college courses, saving students millions of dollars every term. We take the best available open educational resources (OER) and add timely updates, learning design, and technical support to make the transition to open content simple, reliable, and effective for instructors and students. Visit our Course Catalog to view 50+ high enrollment courses designed using OER.
Are Lumen course materials accessible?
Yes. Lumen courseware aims to adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG) Level AA Success Criteria, a standard that meets or surpasses requirements for Section 508 compliance. Standard design features include text readability via screen readers; alt-text for every image; quality captioning and transcripts for every video or multimedia piece; and text alternatives for interactives and simulations.
Why are Lumen course materials so affordable?
Lumen courses are designed using open educational resources (OER)–learning materials that reside in the public domain or are licensed to allow them to be freely used and repurposed by others. Because our content doesn’t rely on the traditional (expensive) textbook model, we can offer very cost-effective course materials to faculty and students. We can also make quick, timely updates without waiting for multi-year publishing cycles.
Do these OER courses work with my Canvas course shell?
Lumen supports simple, seamless integration with Canvas. Students and faculty can access Lumen course materials through Ivy Tech’s Canvas. Waymaker and OHM courses also offer automatic grade return for built-in quizzes and graded assessments.
Easy Access Via Your LMS
Take Charge of Learning
Lumen provides a simple, well-supported path for faculty to teach with open educational resources inside your LMS
Resolves textbook access/affordability for students
Customizable materials instructors can use as-is or adapt to fit their needs
Better student outcomes validated by research