A freshman composition textbook used by the English Department of Virginia Western Community College (VWCC) in Roanoke, Virginia. It aligns with ENG 111, the standard first-year composition course in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). The ten chapter headings are:

1. Chapter 1 - Critical Reading
2. Chapter 2 - Rhetorical Analysis
3. Chapter 3 - Argument
4. Chapter 4 - The Writing Process
5. Chapter 5 - Rhetorical Modes
6. Chapter 6 - Finding and Using Outside Sources
7. Chapter 7 - How and Why to Cite
8. Chapter 8 - Writing Basics: What Makes a Good Sentence?
9. Chapter 9 - Punctuation
10. Chapter 10 - Working With Words: Which Word is Right?

This book was created by the English faculty and librarians of VWCC using Creative Commons -licensed materials and original contributions.

This section is designed to build confidence about what Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) means for the future of education by closely studying the operations, limitations, and theoretical value of a Large Language Model (LLM) like ChatGPT. To this end, this section seeks to explain what language modeling is and how this process contributes to an LLM’s tendency to generate inaccurate information. Additionally, this section considers how the design of an LLM—specifically, the collective knowledge it is trained upon—can contribute to the perpetuation of biases. Lastly, this section encourages critical thinking about the value of an LLM from a theoretical standpoint regarding the writing process and collaborative learning. By the end of this section, you should be able to articulate how an LLM like ChatGPT operates, as well as the value and limitations of this design within the evolution of learning.

Author: Mary Landry
Contributors: Gwendolyn Inocencio, C. Anneke Snyder, Jonahs Kneitly
Designers: Irene AI, Shweta Kailani
Supervisors: Terri Pantuso, Sarah LeMire

This two-part unit provides instructors with materials to encourage student development of information literacy skills. The unit can be understood as supplemental materials for the OER textbook Informed Arguments: A Guide to Writing and Research with particular focus on the research aspect of writing and argumentation, or the materials could be useful on its own, for instructors who do not teach with the Informed Arguments textbook. It addresses, most specifically, how to find and evaluate source material. It covers things like types of sources, biases, peer-review processes, and other information literacy skills helpful for successful college writing. It includes 1) general instructor notes, 2) an online discussion activity, 3) a quiz about evaluation of sources, 4) a Research Journal (short essay) assignment, 5) a rubric for the short essay, and 6) a further information resource guide for faculty about information literacy and the college classroom.

Part 1: https://pressbooks.library.tamu.edu/engl1301/chapter/research-and-argumentation-teacher-facing-lesson/
Part 2: https://pressbooks.library.tamu.edu/engl1301/chapter/research-and-information-literacy-student-facing-assignment/

Author: Michael Gardin
Editor: Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Supervisor: Terri Pantuso

This two-part unit provides instructors with materials to encourage student development of information literacy skills. The unit can be understood as supplemental materials for the OER textbook Informed Arguments: A Guide to Writing and Research with particular focus on the research aspect of writing and argumentation, or the materials could be useful on its own, for instructors who do not teach with the Informed Arguments textbook. It addresses, most specifically, how to find and evaluate source material. It covers things like types of sources, biases, peer-review processes, and other information literacy skills helpful for successful college writing. It includes 1) general instructor notes, 2) an online discussion activity, 3) a quiz about evaluation of sources, 4) a Research Journal (short essay) assignment, 5) a rubric for the short essay, and 6) a further information resource guide for faculty about information literacy and the college classroom.

Part 1: https://pressbooks.library.tamu.edu/engl1301/chapter/research-and-argumentation-teacher-facing-lesson/
Part 2: https://pressbooks.library.tamu.edu/engl1301/chapter/research-and-information-literacy-student-facing-assignment/

Author: Michael Gardin
Editor: Mary Landry, C. Anneke Snyder
Supervisor: Terri Pantuso

In this section, you will gain insights about privacy and confidentiality concerns related to a form of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) known as Large Language Models (LLMs) and, specifically, OpenAI’s policies about ChatGPT.

The full extent of privacy and confidentiality risks in relation to ChatGPT, which relies on collective intelligence for information gathering and dissemination, has not been fully realized. Users should be mindful of OpenAI’s terms of use, particularly as those terms are subject to change. Though OpenAI claims to not share private user information, the language around such statements is vague and contradictory, and there is a strong possibility that personal information may be monitored by human proctors. Moreover, educators who are bound to the legal obligations outlined in FERPA should be particularly concerned about how student privacy could be potentially violated by using ChatGPT and other GenAI technologies.

After reading this section, you should be able to articulate and discuss OpenAI’s significant terms of use and privacy policy, consider the potential privacy and intellectual property violations contained within the collective intelligence paradigm, and communicate your own concerns about privacy and confidentiality in relation to GenAI technologies.

Author: C. Anneke Snyder
Contributors: Gwendolyn Inocencio, Mary Landry, Jonahs Kneitly
Designers: Irene AI, Sweta Kailani
Supervisors: Terri Pantuso, Sarah LeMire

This course assists students in developing oral communication skills. Students will be able to speak effectively and comfortably to audiences; explain the nature, value, and requirements of effective public speaking; speak effectively to groups in an academic environment; speak effectively to groups in a non-academic environment; apply principles of cultural diversity to public speaking; and, employ effective information literacy techniques in public speaking.Login: guest_oclPassword: ocl

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: develop and research a topic of global significance; recognize authors‰ŰŞ arguments and the political, social and economic motivations behind their work; demonstrate the ability to locate, interpret and cite the relevant and appropriate information resources on a topic; and, demonstrate an understanding of the information research process.Login: guest_oclPassword: ocl

This guide provides resources on the topic of Teaching Digital Information Literacy, as a supplement to the OERTX Digital Information Literacy Hub.

When we come across a graph, a chart, or an infographic, how do we know if it is telling the truth? Often, numbers and data convey an authority that is hard to dispute, especially when they are arranged visually in a compelling way. Yet, data, in the ways it is gathered and shared, can be misrepresented and portray a slanted reality rather than a more accurate depiction.

This workshop introduces the concept of data literacy, or the ability to comprehend and interpret data, as a method of cultivating a critical mindset towards representations of information. Participants will learn how to discern misleading data visualizations and collaborate with others in developing strategies for analyzing data that is more accurate and useful. All consumers of information, especially undergraduate students, are encouraged to attend.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

* Understand what data is and how it is used for rhetorical, commercial, and political purposes

* Identify errors and discrepancies in how data is produced and represented

* Engage with data visualizations in multiple contexts with a healthy degree of skepticism

* Communicate their interpretations of data with their peers

According to Project Information Literacy, defining and narrowing a topic is the most difficult step for beginning undergraduate researchers. This concept mapping lesson is designed to reinforce the idea that when students are writing academic papers or creating class projects they are engaging in a scholarly conversation.

(Description from author) This is an unabashedly practical guide for the student fact-checker. It supplements generic information literacy with the specific web-based techniques that can get you closer to the truth on the web more quickly.

We will show you how to use date filters to find the source of viral content, how to assess the reputation of a scientific journal in less than five seconds, and how to see if a tweet is really from the famous person you think it is or from an impostor.

We’ll show you how to find pages that have been deleted, figure out who paid for the web site you’re looking at, and whether the weather portrayed in that viral video actual matches the weather in that location on that day. We’ll show you how to check a Wikipedia page for recent vandalism, and how to search the text of almost any printed book to verify a quote. We’ll teach you to parse URLs and scan search result blurbs so that you are more likely to get to the right result on the first click. And we’ll show you how to avoid baking confirmation bias into your search terms.

The web gives us many strategies and tactics and tools, which, properly used, can get students closer to the truth of a statement or image within seconds. For some reason we have decided not to teach students these specific techniques. As many people have noted, the web is both the largest propaganda machine ever created and the most amazing fact-checking tool ever invented. But if we haven't taught our students those capabilities is it any surprise that propaganda is winning?

This is an unabashedly practical guide for the student fact-checker. It supplements generic information literacy with the specific web-based techniques that can get you closer to the truth on the web more quickly.

This resource offers student-focused tutorials that demonstrate how ChatGPT can augment the writing process for assignments commonly given in a rhetoric and composition course. These tutorials cover the evaluation essay, rhetorical analysis, Rogerian argument, annotated bibliography, and research essay—all while promoting the responsible and ethical use of AI in writing and research. With this comprehensive resource, instructors and students can not only build confidence in their understanding of generative AI within academia, but also build digital literacy that will serve them in the world beyond.

Author: Mary Landry

By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to utilize a specific formation of generative AI (GenAI)—the prominent Large Language Model (LLM) ChatGPT—as an aid within the annotated bibliography writing process to

explore, evaluate, and refine a research question
brainstorm and determine effective search components and keywords
decipher complex ideas within academic articles

Additionally, you will critically reflect on ChatGPT’s place within the citation practices of an annotated bibliography. Specifically, you will consider why and how ChatGPT should be cited according to both MLA and APA.

This resource offers student-focused tutorials that demonstrate how ChatGPT can augment the writing process for assignments commonly given in a rhetoric and composition course. These tutorials cover the evaluation essay, rhetorical analysis, Rogerian argument, annotated bibliography, and research essay—all while promoting the responsible and ethical use of AI in writing and research. With this comprehensive resource, instructors and students can not only build confidence in their understanding of generative AI within academia, but also build digital literacy that will serve them in the world beyond.

Author: Mary Landry

By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to utilize a specific formation of generative AI (GenAI)—the prominent Large Language Model (LLM) ChatGPT—as an aid within the evaluation essay writing process to

develop specific assessment criteria
maintain a professional, unbiased tone
articulate the sociohistorical context of a subject

Additionally, you will be able to identify specific limitations with using ChatGPT for an evaluation essay, including its limited ability to perform evaluations itself.

This resource offers student-focused tutorials that demonstrate how ChatGPT can augment the writing process for assignments commonly given in a rhetoric and composition course. These tutorials cover the evaluation essay, rhetorical analysis, Rogerian argument, annotated bibliography, and research essay—all while promoting the responsible and ethical use of AI in writing and research. With this comprehensive resource, instructors and students can not only build confidence in their understanding of generative AI within academia, but also build digital literacy that will serve them in the world beyond.

Author: Mary Landry

By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to utilize a specific formation of generative AI (GenAI)—the prominent Large Language Model (LLM) ChatGPT—as an aid within the research paper writing process to

survey the ongoing discourse of research on a given topic
draft with different reasoning strategies
integrate sources and quotes

Additionally, you will critically reflect on the possible pitfalls in regards to originality and time management when using ChatGPT as an aid for composing a research paper.

This resource offers student-focused tutorials that demonstrate how ChatGPT can augment the writing process for assignments commonly given in a rhetoric and composition course. These tutorials cover the evaluation essay, rhetorical analysis, Rogerian argument, annotated bibliography, and research essay—all while promoting the responsible and ethical use of AI in writing and research. With this comprehensive resource, instructors and students can not only build confidence in their understanding of generative AI within academia, but also build digital literacy that will serve them in the world beyond.

Author: Jonahs Kneitly

By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to utilize a specific formation of generative AI (GenAI)—the prominent Large Language Model (LLM) ChatGPT—as an aid within the rhetorical analysis writing process to

identify rhetorical situations and strategies
evaluate applied logic within a text
locate bias and logical fallacies within a text

Additionally, you will be able to develop critical evaluation skills to avoid the possible pitfalls from using GenAI for performing rhetorical analysis.

This resource offers student-focused tutorials that demonstrate how ChatGPT can augment the writing process for assignments commonly given in a rhetoric and composition course. These tutorials cover the evaluation essay, rhetorical analysis, Rogerian argument, annotated bibliography, and research essay—all while promoting the responsible and ethical use of AI in writing and research. With this comprehensive resource, instructors and students can not only build confidence in their understanding of generative AI within academia, but also build digital literacy that will serve them in the world beyond.

Author: Jonahs Kneitly

By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to utilize a specific formation of generative AI (GenAI)—the prominent Large Language Model (LLM) ChatGPT—as an aid within the Rogerian argument writing process to

determine and refine an appropriate topic argument
brainstorm effective counterarguments and concessions
locate faulty logic and explore workable solutions

Additionally, you will develop critical evaluation skills to avoid the possible pitfalls with using GenAI for argumentation.

This textbook companion is a resource to help students successfully navigate through their first year at Kansas State University. It serves as part of the K-State First mission to create an outstanding university experience for every first-year student by helping with the transition to college-level learning and college life. The textbook helps improve chances for student success by focusing on fostering campus community, offering resources for diverse activities, highlighting academic expectations, and empowering students with personal responsibility and social agency. Instructors are encouraged to use the textbook in their K-State First classes, and it is also offered as a direct resource for students. In any university setting there are often unwritten rules that students are expected to understand, and this guide addresses and answers those questions directly. Ultimately, this guide encourages students to be engaged learners and to enjoy all facets of education, both inside and outside the classroom.