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.