Catalog

This book aims to provide students taking the first course in introductory statistics with open learning materials to master basic statistical concepts and techniques and to give demonstrations on conducting fundamental statistical analysis using the free statistical software R Commander.

Each chapter generally includes a statement of learning outcomes, course notes, review exercises, self-assessment quiz, and homework assignment questions. The book is based on instructor course notes for STAT 151 (Introduction to Applied Statistics) at MacEwan University. In December 2015, the online version of STAT 151, including module notes, quizzes, homework assignment questions and marking rubrics, and a lab manual in R Commander was developed, leading to the creation of this textbook. Each homework assignment has two parts; students must complete Part A by hand and Part B with R Commander. Most data sets for the assignment, assignment questions, and quiz questions are adapted from popular introductory statistics textbooks such as Introductory Statistics by Neil Weiss and Intro STATS by Richard D. De Veaux, Paul F. Velleman, David E. Bock, and Paul D. Velleman. The online STAT 151 was completed and offered for the first time in Spring 2018. This open textbook is the revised and enriched version of that online course.

The only prerequisite of this book is high school mathematics; most students take STAT 151 in the first year of their post-secondary education. R Commander is taught instead of R/RStudio as the software for the lab component to avoid focusing on the programming component needed for R/R Studio. In a future edition, there are plans to include a lab manual with command lines in R/RStudio. This book introduces one-sided confidence intervals to help students understand the computer output of hypothesis testing in R Commander.

Professional Communication Skills for Health Studies is an indispensable resource for students pursuing careers in healthcare. By mastering the art of professional communication in health studies, students can improve patient outcomes, foster collaborative healthcare environments, and make a positive impact on the lives of those accessing our healthcare system.

This textbook covers various topics essential to professional communication, including communication theories, verbal and nonverbal communication, interpersonal skills, and intercultural communication. Additionally, it offers practical guidance on communicating with empathy, compassion, clarity, conciseness, and cultural sensitivity.

Key Features:

Therapeutic Communication: Understanding and responding to the communication needs of patients is essential in healthcare. This textbook emphasizes developing active listening skills, effective interviewing techniques, and empathy to establish rapport, build trust, and ensure patients feel heard and valued.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: In healthcare, effective collaboration among different healthcare professionals is crucial. This textbook explores the dynamics of interdisciplinary teams, communication strategies for effective teamwork, and conflict-resolution techniques. It equips readers with the skills to navigate complex healthcare environments and work together harmoniously to deliver quality care.

Interactive exercises:  To facilitate application and critical thinking, this textbook incorporates case studies, scenarios, videos and reflective exercises. These activities encourage readers to analyze and apply the concepts learned, enabling them to develop effective communication strategies in real-life healthcare situations.

Professional communication skills enable students to apply the technical skills learned in other courses. This resource will help develop those vital communication skills now and in the years ahead as you grow personally and professionally.

Learn Strategies to Succeed as an Undergraduate Student in the Social Sciences

Navigating an Undergraduate Degree in the Social Sciences: Tips and Strategies is based on a combination of the authors’ personal reflections and prior experiences teaching and mentoring thousands of students through their undergraduate degrees. The suggestions in this guide are the result of  research into best practices for assisting students alongside strategies used by high achieving former students that the authors have taught or assisted.

Features

• Strategies on how to organize lecture notes and study effectively
• Details on how exam questions are developed and how best to tackle them
• How to write an essay including how to narrow a topic and outline ideas
• How to conduct library research and reference works properly using APA (7th ed.) format
• An overview of how to write a research proposal including important ethical considerations in research
• The main format for writing a publishable research report
• Effective approaches to developing a curriculum vitae and applying to graduate school
• Sample student works, including an essay, research report, and poster

Cover design by Robyn Hall. Cover image by geralt under a Pixabay License.

Through the use of a variety of media, Introduction to Sustainability provides a broad overview of the complexity of sustainability through the lens of systems thinking. After a brief look at the modern history of sustainability, it introduces systems thinking and the process of systems mapping. It then moves through the domains of sustainability including environment, economics, social systems, and culture. The latter half of the text applies the learnings from the beginning to specific sustainability challenges and topics such as climate change, fashion, and circular economy.

Throughout the book there are links to other resources in order to diversify the voices and expertise provided within the context of the text. In addition, there are reflective prompts and activities that can be used within the context of each chapter.

This book is a practical guide to creating or adapting open textbooks using the PressBooks platform. It is continually evolving as new information, practices and processes are developed. The primary audience for this book are faculty at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta who are developing open textbooks using the university’s Pressbooks platform. However, there may be content within this book that is useful to others working on similar Open Educational Resource initiatives.

This guide is an adaptation of the Ryerson Open Textbook Authoring Guide created by Ryerson University and the BC Campus Open Education Self-Publishing Guide (CC BY 4.0). Changes and updates to this guide include:

• The addition of chapters on how to add video, audio, H5P, book info, and book covers to Pressbooks software.
• Information on locating open resources added to select chapters throughout.
• New and revised examples of how to attribute content.
• Additional guidance on approaches to having works peer-reviewed.
• Revisions throughout referencing processes and supports relevant to the MacEwan University Pressbooks hosting service and initiatives.

Cover design by Robyn Hall. Cover Image by DavidZydd under a Pixabay License.