Letter to the Reader:

This book was written by freshmen and sophomore students in one of Clemson University’s STS: 1010, Science, Technology and Society courses in the Fall 2020 semester. STS 1010 is a course that is designed to teach students information literacy and how science and technology affects their lives. The book is the product of an assignment where students were asked to work together to write a book on scientific and technological issues relating COVID-19, and in some cases to provide editing on specific chapters. Its title, cover and content of its chapters were created through collaboration between students, and the assignment is an exercise in creative teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students were asked to write a book on a subject that they are grappling with and has relevance to their everyday lives, and the exercise teaches them many skills that go beyond traditional undergraduate curriculum, such as writing for a wider audience, professional editing, copyright and publish a book that is freely available and accessible to everyone in both online and printable PDF format.

The assignment is designed to stimulate student motivation at a time when they are forced to take courses online or in smaller, socially distanced classrooms, restricting their social interaction and placing many limitations on their learning experience. It challenges them to use online technologies, which they have become heavily attached to as a result of COVID-19 to express themselves, and many students found this assignment to be a refreshing alternative to traditional class projects. We hope you will enjoy of this product of their hard work.

Yang Wu, PhD, MLIS

Open Resources Librarian, Clemson University