SU Library: OER by Discipline: Communications: Find OER in My Discipline

Maryland Open Source Textbook Initiative

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) Initiative is a huge source of support for open educational resources, open access, and open pedagogy in Maryland. Find OER through the M.O.S.T. Commons or Stevenson's M.O.S.T. Commons Hub.

Quick Search

Three states -- Maryland, California, and Georgia -- maintain large statewide OER databases. Try these quick searches that are already set for your discipline:

Textbooks and Books

These sites offer multiple books:

LibreTexts Contains multiple books in the field of communication studies.
Journalism, Media Studies & Communications Textbooks from Open Textbook Library Contains multiple books on different areas of communication studies.

Here are some individual books on the topic of communications:

Business Communication for Success Business Communication for Success (BCS) provides a comprehensive, integrated approach to the study and application of written and oral business communication to serve both student and professor.
Online Technical Writing Technical Writing focuses on workplace writing and the importance of knowing your audience.
Technical Writing This open textbook offers students of technical writing an introduction to the processes and products involved in professional, workplace, and technical writing. The text is broken up into sections reflecting key components of researching, developing, and producing a technical report.
Communication in the Real World - An Introduction to Communication Studies Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies overviews the time-tested conceptual foundations of the field, while incorporating the latest research and cutting-edge applications of these basics. Each chapter will include timely, concrete, and real-life examples of communication concepts in action.
Introduction to Communication
Interpersonal Communication Interpersonal Communication: A Mindful Approach to Relationships helps readers examine their own one-on-one communicative interactions using a mindfulness lens. The writing team of Jason S. Wrench, Narissra M. Punyanunt-Carter, and Katherine Thweatt incorporates the latest communication theory and research to help students navigate everyday interpersonal interactions.
Interpersonal Communication: Context and Connection Interpersonal Communication: Context and Connection provides an engaging overview of interpersonal communication grounded in theory, research, and practical application, with an eye to the lived experience of college students. The first three chapters provide the foundation of interpersonal communication with an examination of the theoretical and conceptual background of communication, self, and perception. The next section of the book examines unique features of messaging, with an exploration of listening, verbal, and nonverbal communication. Chapters 7, 8, and 9 explore dynamic factors that shape interpersonal relationships, including emotions, climate, and conflict. The final chapters of the book delve into communication in context through building and maintaining relationships, the dark side of communication, and workplace relationships.
An Introduction to Group Communication, V2.0 This e-book is designed to accompany the General Education course, COM 460 Interpersonal Communication and Group Dynamics.
Small Group Communication: Forming & Sustaining Teams Small Group Communication: Forming & Sustaining Teams is an interdisciplinary textbook focused on communication in groups and teams. This textbook aims to provide students with theories, concepts, and skills they can put into practice to form and sustain successful groups across a variety of contexts.
Exploring Intercultural Communication Intercultural communication is the study and practice of communication across cultural contexts. It applies equally to domestic cultural differences such as ethnicity and gender and to international differences such as those associated with nationality or world region. Intercultural communication is an approach to relations among members of these groups that focuses on the recognition and respect of cultural differences, seeks the goal of mutual adaptation leading to biculturalism rather than simple assimilation, and supports the development of intercultural sensitivity on the part of individuals and organizations to enable empathic understanding and competent coordination of action across cultural differences.
Exploring Public Speaking, 4th Edition Exploring Public Speaking is a usable, zero-cost textbook for basic public speaking courses or courses that include basic public speaking skills as one of their primary learning outcomes. Standout features include coverage of PowerPoint, audience analysis and responsiveness, ethics in public speaking, persuasion, special occasion speeches, and structure of speeches.
Introduction to Speech Communication Introduction to Speech Communication is used to support teaching, learning and research for SPCH 2713 at Oklahoma State University (OSU). In addition to inclusion of original work authored by the editors to meet the needs of their course at OSU, the editors adapted portions of Exploring Public Speaking: 4th Edition, Stand Up, Speak Out, and Fundamentals of Public Speaking.
Speak Out, Call In: Public Speaking as Advocacy Speak Out, Call In: Public Speaking as Advocacy is a contemporary, interdisciplinary public speaking textbook that fuses rhetoric, critical/cultural studies, and performance to offer an up-to-date resource for students. With a focus on advocacy, this textbook invites students to consider public speaking as a political, purposeful form of information-sharing.
Arguing Using Critical Thinking Critical thinking is a series learned skills. In each chapter of this book you will find a variety of skills that will help you improve your thinking and argumentative ability. As you improve, you will grow into a more confident person being more in charge of your world and the decisions you make.
How Arguments Work - A Guide to Writing and Analyzing Texts in College How Arguments Work takes students through the techniques they will need to respond to readings and make sophisticated arguments in any college class. This is a practical guide to argumentation with strategies and templates for the kinds of assignments students will commonly encounter. It covers rhetorical concepts in everyday language and explores how arguments can build trust and move readers.
Public Speaking: Practice and Ethics Public speaking in the twenty-first century is an art and a science that has developed over millennia. In a world that is bombarded by information, the skill set of public speaking is more important today than ever. This book is separated into 18 chapters and builds to Your First Speech.
A Primer on Communication Studies For our purposes in this book, we will define communication as the process of generating meaning by sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal symbols and signs that are influenced by multiple contexts. Includes sections on verbal communication, nonverbal communication, interpersonal communication, and more.

Single Activities, Assignments, and Lessons

Exploring Public Speaking Accessible PowerPoint Slides Slides created to go with the OER text Exploring Public Speaking by Barton and Tucker.

Full Courses

Principles of Public Speaking In Principles of Public Speaking, students learn how to prepare and deliver effective oral presentations, with an emphasis on informative and persuasive public speaking.
Principles of Human Communication This course will introduce you to communication principles, common communication practices, and a selection of theories to better understand the communication transactions that you experience in your daily life. The principles and practices that you study in this course will provide the foundation for further study in communications. This course begins with an overview of communication as a process, along with basic principles and theories. Subsequent units in the course examine specific applications of human communication in your personal and professional life. These include interpersonal communication, small group communication, decision-making, and organizational communication. By the end of this course, you will be able to identify the process of human communication in a number of settings that affect your daily activities. Additionally, you will be able to use the principles and theories to improve communication transactions in your life and understand how communication adds to the success of professional and personal relationships.