OpenStax, a nonprofit initiative of Rice University, announces the expansion of OpenStax Assignable, a product allowing instructors to create custom assignments from high-quality, peer-reviewed OpenStax resources directly within their institution’s learning management system (LMS). The expansion of Assignable is aligned with the OpenStax commitment to expand access to high-quality educational materials and experiences to all.
Assignable was initially released within a select group of life science disciplines in the fall of 2023. Based on successful integrations at over 250 institutions and positive feedback on the tool’s capabilities, integrations, and ease of use, OpenStax will expand Assignable into additional subject areas to serve more students and instructors. While instructors in any discipline can use Assignable, content-specific assignments, assessment questions and interactive resources are available to help drive increased interactivity and engagement in specific titles.
Beginning in fall 2024, in addition to the existing life science courses, the following titles courses will be launched in Assignable during the 2024-25 school year: Anatomy and Physiology 2e, Biology 2e, Psychology 2e, Sociology 3e and U.S. History for the fall semester and Economics 3e, Entrepreneurship, American Government, Microbiology, College Success, Political Science and several others during the academic year.
This product from OpenStax integrates with some of higher education’s most widely used LMSs, including Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle and D2L/Brightspace. Instructors can engage students with interactive, culturally responsive and career-relevant materials. By simplifying the dissemination of assignments and streamlining the grading process, instructors are free to focus on student needs and progress.
With Assignable, instructors can assign various activities, including interactive diagrams, researcher profiles, discussion prompts, videos and articles directly from the OpenStax resource library. Instructors can also assign pre- and post-reading multiple-choice assessments to gauge student understanding of content. Instructors can also select portions of OpenStax readings to assign within the LMS.
Additional features are currently in development, including custom questions and performance insights to help instructors and students identify areas of improvement, a mobile view providing access to assignments through cell phones and tablets, a wider range of culturally responsive content and additional subject areas with pre- and post-reading assessments.
“As advocates for accurate and accessible instructional materials, OpenStax was excited to learn that educators found Assignable a useful and important tool during our product testing phase,” said Anthony Palmiotto, director of higher education at OpenStax. “The feedback we received from early participants was integral in helping our team fine-tune Assignable, so it can serve as a key tool in the instructional toolbox.”
Click here to learn more about Assignable or begin using this tool.