State law pushes OER initiative

Academic Senate discusses issues with online courses

A state law will go into effect in January 2018 that will give students the opportunity to choose classes based on open educational resources (OER), a free textbook initiative.

The Academic Senate discussed the cost and benefits of the new OER courses in Monday's meeting as well as concerns that would affect students and faculty.

Sections in the class schedule catalogs of all LACCD schools will now have a symbol that will let students know if the class requires the purchase of more expensive tools, or if it is a part of OER.

“Ideally, it’s what is best for the students. It works for the faculty as well,” Technology Librarian Clay Gediman said. “We are creating a process for understanding, in which faculty members are using OER within the departments. Right now, it is a little vague.” context, I’m very proud of the way they played. There are just some easy fixes to be made. It takes them a little bit to wake up in the second half, so as a team, that is something we need to work on.”

“It was very exciting with the coaching and the plays being called. We just looked like a well-oiled machine.”

The quartet played classical pieces by composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach, but also played modern music from television shows and movies like “The Muppets,” “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter.”

The quartet wanted to keep the audience engaged during its performance. To get everyone involved, they allowed the students to choose a song to be performed. The quartet would also perform a song and have the audience figure out what it was.

They also played a song that included a motif, a musical phrase or idea that was played several times, and they had the audience guess how many times each musician played the succession of notes.

Garineh Avakian-Akkus, assistant professor in voice and choral music, is teaching MUS 111, music appreciation, and is organizing the ASO concerts this semester.

“I love doing things like this. I do this kind of stuff outside of my Pierce position,” Avakian-Akkus said. “This is my first time taking over the ASO concerts.”

Avakian-Akkus hopes to have the concerts in different locations

As the game rolled into the third, quarterback Jonathon Saavedra escaped a sack, getting the ball to Damaris August for another 16-yard touchdown pass, taking the score to 42-14.

The Eagles answered back with three minutes left in the third quarter, scoring on a 4-yard pass, bringing the score to 42-21 before the fourth.

-Marquise Mickens running back

That was the last glimmer from the Eagles offense, turning the ball over the next three possessions with a fumble, interception and once on downs.

[see Football on pg. 9]

Instructors voiced their concerns about the signup rate for classes that require costly materials. They were concerned that certain classes might be cancelled if most students registered for those that do not require purchasing materials.

Another concern was if an instructor, for whatever reason, can’t teach a course anymore and another teacher takes on the course instead, will the instructor have to teach with the OER materials that the previous instructor was originally going to use, or could they require the materials that they would prefer to use.

[see OER courses on pg. 3] on campus, such as in the Great Hall, the Performing Arts Theatre and the MUS 3400 recital hall, to accommodate the community and students that may want to attend.

The next concert is a student recital on Oct. 5. The location is not yet confirmed.

“Communication is key, especially when playing in a group,” Elliott said. “If you aren’t in sync, even with music, the performance will be all over the place.”

[see Photo Essay on pg. 6] rlove.roundupnews@gmail.com