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Openstax Import for Pressbooks

A WordPress plugin that extends Pressbooks to let you import openly licensed books from OpenStax.

Description

Adds an option to the PressBooks import tool named Zip (OpenStax zip file). This new option asks for a link of the OpenStax Zip file. (You can get the link from the downloads section of the OpenStax book you'd like to import.)

Primary Use Case

This plugin was built primarily to support the creation, remixing, and distribution of open textbooks.

Development Sprint

The inspiration for this plugin came from wanting to improve our own process for bringing in OpenStax Textbooks. In the fall of 2016 a Development Sprint was held in Houston at Rice University. One of the goals of the sprint was to be able to find a programmatic solution to the problem of converting equations during the import process. The XSL files by Vasil Yaroshevich are the key component used to convert equations to something that can be rendered in Pressbooks. While I was only able to attend the sprint for a couple days remotely, would like to acknowledge the work that other people did at that sprint.

FAQ

What is an Open Textbook?

Open Textbooks are open educational resources (OER); they are instructional resources created and shared in ways so that more people have access to them. OER are defined as “teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others” (Hewlett Foundation).

Installation

IMPORTANT!

You must first install Pressbooks. This plugin won't work without it. The Pressbooks github repository is updated frequently. Stay up to date.

ALSO IMPORTANT!

The value of this plugin is it's ability to transform MathML to LaTeX. Rendering that LaTeX in the browser requires a separate piece of functionality. The best results for rendering LaTeX equations in the browser is with WP QuickLaTeX. For best results, use that plugin. The built-in LaTeX rendering functionality in Pressbooks still works, but does not have as robust support for multi-line equations.

Using Git

1. cd /wp-content/plugins
2. git clone https://github.com/BCcampus/pressbooks-openstax-import.git
3. Activate the plugin at the network level, through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
4. Navigate to tools -> Import and select Zip (OpenStax zip file) from the dropdown menu

OR, upload manually

1. Unzip and Upload the latest release of pressbooks-openstax-import to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
2. Activate the plugin at the network level, through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
3. Navigate to tools -> Import and select Zip (OpenStax zip file) from the dropdown menu

Developers

1. cd /wp-content/plugins
2. git clone https://github.com/BCcampus/pressbooks-openstax-import.git
3. Run composer install --dev in this plugins directory to install dependencies
4. Optional: install WP QuickLaTeX and activate at the book level to enable support for multi-line math formulas and svg image export.
5. Navigate to tools -> Import and select Zip (OpenStax zip file) from the dropdown menu

Screenshots