AbstractThis report discusses the experience of creating and implementing a new open educational resource (OER) first-year Spanish textbook and curriculum at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. The project began with a long wish list of features. We hoped for a program that would be structured enough to support graduate teaching assistants with little teaching experience, but flexible enough for experienced instructors to make adjustments based on their own expertise, current events, or their unique group of students. We wanted the program to be inclusive and centered on diverse, authentic voices. We wanted to focus on topics that would be interesting and motivating to adult students living in and around Portland, Oregon. We wanted the program to be attentive to theories of second language acquisition and adult education, and we needed it to be free for students. Research, preparation, and writing of the textbook began in late 2018, and implementation began at Portland State University in the fall term of 2019. As we prepare for wider release, we would like to share our experiences with developing our OER textbook and program, the challenges and successes we have encountered, and our continuing goals for the project.
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