In a recent webinar we ran in partnership with the ROTEL project, faculty from Massachusetts public colleges shared how they’re remixing open textbooks to better reflect their students’ lived experiences, learning needs, and local contexts. Their adaptations go beyond surface-level edits. They represent deep, thoughtful work towards more just and inclusive teaching. Here are some of the key themes and takeaways from that conversation.
🔁 Remixing as an Act of Inclusion
For ROTEL faculty, remixing OER isn’t just about convenience — it’s about conscience. As Joan Giovannini shared:
“You know when you're teaching and you feel like the book doesn't fit... it just doesn't match the experience of your students…When I was using a commercial textbook, it felt like I had to constantly translate the material for my students — it wasn't written with them in mind.”
Adapting texts became a way to give students materials that reflect who they are, how they learn, and what they care about.
Joan’s work on adapting the Children, Families, Schools, and Communities textbook highlights how opening up the definition of “family” and diversifying perspectives on early childhood education helps to ensure that textbooks better reflect the varied realities of students’ lives. This shift allows students from diverse backgrounds to see themselves in their learning materials, which can have a profound impact on engagement and success.
Faculty used open licenses not just to tweak but to transform, centering equity, relevance, and accessibility.
"The equity lens was the meaningful framework I was looking for. It brought everything into focus."
🤝 Collaboration is the Secret Ingredient
Successful adaptation often isn’t a solo act. Faculty worked closely with instructional designers, librarians, and project managers to move from vision to publication. This teamwork allowed for a more comprehensive approach to the adaptation process, ensuring that the textbooks met both pedagogical goals and accessibility needs.
Mandy emphasized how crucial it was to have a team, saying
“I think one of the things that helped me keep going was that I wasn’t alone. I had support from colleagues, from ROTEL, from our librarians, from people who had done this before.”
She highlighted the sense of community and collective expertise that was built into the process, which played a significant role in sustaining momentum. The collaborative model helped reduce overwhelm by providing faculty with the scaffolding they needed to navigate the complexities of open educational resource (OER) creation.
Faculty weren’t left to figure everything out on their own; instead, they had guidance and support to help them think like publishers—understanding the technical aspects of OER adaptation—while staying grounded in their pedagogical objectives. This partnership allowed faculty to focus on crafting content that truly resonated with students, knowing they had a team behind them every step of the way.
📚 Pedagogy and Publishing Go Hand in Hand Here
The ROTEL process helped faculty think not just about content, but how it’s delivered and experienced.
Joan Giovannini described her adapted book as a tool to help faculty reach all students — not just some. It was informed by UDL principles, reviewed by students, and constantly refined through use. By making her students active collaborators, Joan was able to ensure that the content was not only relevant and engaging but also reflective of diverse perspectives.
Kisha described how the collaborative aspect of ROTEL helped her make her students feel like active participants in the creation of the material. This involvement wasn’t just about soliciting feedback but about recognizing students as co-creators.
This ongoing, student-centered approach allows for continuous improvement of textbooks, making it a living document that not only continues to evolve but also deepens students’ investment in their own learning.
The Power of Remixing for Better Learning Experiences
The panelists’ experiences demonstrate that remixing OER isn’t just about creating “better” textbooks. It’s about creating textbooks that reflect the diverse, ever-evolving needs of students, while also empowering instructors to bring their own voice and experience into the teaching materials. These adaptations allow for more flexible, student-centered learning environments where students are not passive recipients of knowledge, but active participants in shaping how they learn.
Whether it’s ensuring cultural relevance, making content more accessible, or creating a platform for student collaboration, the ROTEL project shows that when educators are empowered to adapt and remix OER, the potential for improving learning experiences becomes limitless.