Select learning resources for your course
The Librarian Team can work with you to help you find the best learning resources for your course and avoid access issues that can affect your students. There are some key issues to consider when selecting learning resources.
Accessibility
Provide accessible resources
If asked, encourage your students to contact a Diversity, Disability, and Inclusion Adviser to discuss their situation and activate UQ and Library Support services.
Scanning service
You can request to have items scanned into an accessible electronic version.
Accessibility for eBooks
Accessibility information for using eBooks includes tips on using screen reader software, accessibility features available on eBook platforms and flexible formats.
Equal access for all
Access barriers may mean that not all your students will be able to use a resource when they need it e.g. during open book exams or when completing assignments.
Print book and traditionally published ebooks can have access barriers, including:
- Too expensive for students to buy.
- Only a limited number of physical copies are able to be held by the Library in line with our Collection Management Policy.
- Licensing conditions for ebooks may be restrictive e.g. concurrent use limits, only a certain percentage of an ebook can be downloaded or printed, downloaded copies are only available for a short time.
- The Library cannot always provide access to eTextbooks for courses due to restrictive conditions imposed by publishers.
Open educational resources (OER), including open textbooks, are licensed in ways that allow us to legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-share them. You can adapt an open textbook for your course.
Open Textbooks @ UQ is an open textbook creation platform you can use to author an open textbook for your course or work with students to co-create resources.
Diverse perspectives
Resources that present diverse perspectives and viewpoints can engage your students and allow them to experience an inclusive teaching environment. Select resources by authors with different identities, backgrounds and ethnicities.
- Use our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives guide to check your resources represent the diverse voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Use the How diverse are my reading lists guide from Huddersfield University, UK, to assess your reading list for diversity.
Different formats
Choose a range of resource types, including videos, data sets, websites and digital objects, to support different learning styles and to increase student engagement with the resources.
Our How to find guides explain techniques to find specific information formats, including:
Copyright
It is important to ensure that your learning resources comply with copyright. If you have uploaded a PDF into your course, rather than linking to it, you may be in breach of copyright.
- Creating a reading list through the Library’s Talis system ensures that it will be copyright compliant.
- We can provide copyright advice on copyright limits for resources you use in your courses.