OpenFL has embarked on a program of Open Textbook Publishing using three different platforms, Pressbooks, Libretexts, and Manifold. This program is open to faculty from all 40 public institutions in Florida, simply by submitting the Open FL Open Educational Resources Author Publishing Application. There is limited space for Pressbooks projects, but Libretexts and Manifold both have unlimited project spaces. OpenFL is particularly interested in fostering cross-institution collaboration.
FLVC is providing the platforms for publishing free of charge, as well as basic tech support for those platforms, including assistance with content uploading. However, FLVC does not provide editing services, accessibility checks, peer review, content license checks, or anything of that nature. Some of these services you may be able to find in your home institution's OER program, or by contacting your institution's library services. Otherwise, in the Faculty section below are resources for where to find those services for a cost. FLVC is also not providing at this time any grant or other types of funding for projects beyond the base cost of hosting the project.
For further information about each platform, see the boxes below with links and helpful resources for each. Below is also a comparison chart comparing the capabilities of each platform to help guide you in deciding which platform is best for your project.
Libreverse | Manifold | Pressbooks | |
---|---|---|---|
Source Code | Not open, but built on open source |
Open source | Open source based, with additional code |
H5P | H5p integrated | External hosting of H5p required |
H5p integrated |
Book Limit | Unlimited books | Unlimited books | Book limitation |
Cloning | No clones allowed, but does have remix |
Clones allowed. Not easy to copy |
Clones allowed. Easy to copy |
Authoring | Collaborative author building (only) |
Select authors permitted | Collaborative author building or select authors permitted |
Content Type | Interactive textbook or full course |
Textbook | Interactive textbook |
Catalog/Display | National, state, and institution libraries |
Single book | National, state, and institution libraries |
Management | Project management at institution level |
Title-by-title management | Project management at state level |
Quiz Bank | Shared question bank | External hosting required for quiz bank |
Shareable quiz bank by title |
File Uploading | Easy import from various file formats |
Some import options | Easy import from various file formats |
See above for how to include material from other books into your project.
Skip to 18:18-33:52 for a basic overview of how to use Manifold projects, such as how to do annotations, how to use reading groups, etc.
Open FL is particularly interested in projects from teams comprised of authors from different institutions around Florida (or even outside of Florida, but the host institution must be a Florida State College or State University system institution). If you have collaborators in mind, be sure to tell your institutional liaison and let FLVC know to add all your collaborators as users on your chosen platform.
However, if you have an idea you would like collaborators on but have no contacts at other institutions for it, let FLVC know! We can help pair authors with similar project ideas who are interested in collaborating.
Below are resources for hiring content services or for learning to do them yourself, for such things as editing, proofreading, license checking, accessibility checking, and other necessary jobs to make sure your OER project upholds proper standards.
Skip to 17:03 – 21:46 for Pressbooks Directory discussion; cloning a book in PB Directory 21:49 – 23:42
Skip to 6:07-18:13 for a discussion of ways to use Manifold