Editing an Open Access Text to Increase the Accessibility of General Undergraduate Education in Physical Science

The purpose of this project is to combine two preexisting open access textbooks, one physics and one chemistry, into a single abridged open access text for an introductory physics/chemistry course at Mary Baldwin University, as well as for use by the general public. This work was performed as part of a VIVA Course Redesign Grant to increase the accessibility of physical science to students and educators everywhere. Because many students at MBU are non-science majors, this text provides them the opportunity to gain a general understanding of these physical sciences. As the undergraduate researcher, I assisted in making this text approachable to those taking this introductory class by adding figures and links that provide additional information to the reader to better understand the material. I also edited the text for general understanding, providing insight via the perspective of an undergraduate student.