Trust and Maloy Earn Golden Book and Golden Pen Badges for Open Educational Resource Book

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“Building Democracy for All: Interactive Explorations of Government and Civic Life,” an open educational resource electronic book written by Torrey Trust, associate professor of learning technology, and Robert Maloy, senior lecturer, in the College of Education’s department of teacher education and curriculum studies, has reached a milestone of 100,000 views since it was published in March 2020, earning the publication a Golden Book Badge.

The book features 50 chapters covering the Massachusetts Civic and Government standards and also includes learning pathways for a variety of themed topics, such as Black Lives Matter; influential women in history; current events; and student digital choice boards for interactive learning; and a brand-new media literacy focus. Each chapter features student learning modules that focus on investigating the structures of federal, state and local government; uncovering hidden histories and untold stories about U.S. history; and engaging students in thinking and acting on important public policy issues.

The book is an outgrowth of a Public Service Endowment Grant awarded to Trust and Maloy for the 2019-20 academic year. The book's media literacy component is being developed this year with Allison Butler, department of communications, as part of the University of Massachusetts Interdisciplinary Faculty Research Award.

“Building Democracy for All” is available from EdTechBooks.org and EquityPress.org, open access publishers at Brigham Young University.

Both Trust and Maloy have also been awarded Golden Pen awards for writing 100,000 words of open educational content in the ebook.