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In 2022, Alabama reorganized the 1901 Constitution to make it more navigable and remove the most blatantly racist sections of the document. But the bones of the document are still there. I intended to update the scholarship found in A Century of Controversy and explore the effects of the state constitution on the people and democracy of Alabama.
The University of North Alabama (UNA) encouraged the adoption of OER to reduce student textbook costs. The UNA librarians Derek Malone and Jen Pate encouraged me to pursue my book project as an OER. Jen Pate made the connection between my project and the Ketty Pilot Group. The other group members welcomed me, and I have learned so much from this project. Further, I am inspired by the group's commitment to the values of open education.
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In this Q and A, we ask N. Alexander Aguado, Ph.D., some questions about the writing and publication of his open textbook, Never Gonna Change? An Examination of the 1901 Alabama Constitution. Alex is Professor and Chair of Political Science in the Department of Politics, Justice, Law, & Philosophy at the University of North Alabama.
Alex is also an active participant in the Open Education Network’s Ketty Pilot. Ketty (formerly Ketida) is an open source publishing platform developed by the Coko Foundation. The OEN’s instance includes the Open Textbook Planner, a tool to help authors structure and format their textbook.
Alex was the first person in the pilot group to publish an open textbook. Congratulations!
You wrote and published Never Gonna Change? An Examination of the 1901 Alabama Constitution. What inspired you to create this work?
As a state and local government instructor in Alabama, I used A Century of Controversy: Constitutional Reform in Alabama by H. Bailey Thomson (2002) in my classes. The edited book tells a remarkable story about how, in 1901, Alabama lawmakers sought to “reform” the state constitution to codify white supremacy through law and not by force. They were able to ratify a state constitution that disenfranchised Black and poor Alabamians.
In 2022, Alabama reorganized the 1901 Constitution to make it more navigable and remove the most blatantly racist sections of the document. But the bones of the document are still there. I intended to update the scholarship found in A Century of Controversy and explore the effects of the state constitution on the people and democracy of Alabama.
How would you describe the focus and scope of your open textbook?
The book focuses on Alabama's history of undermining local democracy, withholding services from poor people and Black Alabamians, about how the tax system was intentionally built to protect industries and land owners, about the sorry state of Alabama prisons, and how policy change can happen. Still, it requires civic engagement and electoral participation. The sad part about it is that Alabamians seem to be beaten down by the current system, thanks to the Alabama Constitution, such that Alabama has low levels of participation in state and local elections (which occur in years when there is no presidential election).
Why did you want your book to be openly licensed? What have students said about your book so far?
I wanted the text and ideas accessible to anyone hoping to search for such a resource. As an open education resource, there are no paywalls to access the content.
Students have expressed dismay at Alabama’s history, how services were withheld from poor communities and communities of color.
You published this book as part of the Open Education Network’s Ketida (now Ketty) Pilot Group? What was it like?
The University of North Alabama (UNA) encouraged the adoption of OER to reduce student textbook costs. The UNA librarians Derek Malone and Jen Pate encouraged me to pursue my book project as an OER. Jen Pate made the connection between my project and the Ketty Pilot Group. The other group members welcomed me, and I have learned so much from this project. Further, I am inspired by the group's commitment to the values of open education.
Your work has also impacted tenure and promotion guidelines to include OER contributions.
I worked with department faculty to add OER contributions to be counted as part of the department’s tenure and promotion (T&P) guidelines. The guidelines encourage faculty to use the OER Contributions Matrix to determine how their OER work should be framed. Additionally, the T&P requires that work be peer-reviewed to count as part of the research component.
What were the challenges of writing and publishing your open textbook? Do you have tips for aspiring authors?
Establishing a group of colleagues for the peer review process was challenging. I am fortunate in that I am in a multidisciplinary department and was able to ask colleagues to contribute their expertise. I also asked people from other universities to serve as peer reviewers. So many were generous with their time and agreed to take part.
The work is an edited book; each chapter had at least two peer reviewers, plus my careful read as the editor. If I could do it again, I would reach out to a couple of reviewers who could read the book as a whole and get feedback on how the book can better form a cohesive message.
Who has benefited from your decision to write and publish an open textbook? What impact have you seen so far?
Students benefit because it is one less book they must buy for a college course. Constitutional reform groups, like the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform, can use the book as a resource and discuss the possibility of change with state legislators. "Good government” research organizations, like the Public Affairs Research Council, have cited the book in one of their research papers.
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