The library will discontinue the hotspot lending program at the end of Spring 2026. While this program has supported many students since it began during the COVID pandemic, declining usage was the determining factor in ending this service.
The hotspot loan program was launched in Fall 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2020 to 2023, the program was supported by CARES funding.
In Spring 2025, the library added 25 hotspots with one-year funding through the college planning and prioritization process, bringing the total inventory to 31 devices. However, demand was low, so the library transferred 10 devices to the Waiʻanae Moku campus, where the need was greater. Subsequent low demand in Fall 2025 and the lack of sustainable funding led to our decision to discontinue the program.
While the hotspot program is coming to an end, the library remains committed to supporting student success in other ways. If you have any questions about the ending of this program, please contact Wayde Oshiro at waydeo@hawaii.edu
Open education resources (OERs) are free learning materials with Creative Commons (CC) licenses that creators, authors, and rights holders assign to their work. These licenses give users permissions to reuse, revise, remix, redistribute, and/or retain their work.
OERs come in all shapes and sizes (an image, a video, a textbook, a course, a degree program). When used to replace for-cost materials, they can save students significant amounts of money and increase their engagement and sense of belonging.
Did you know? Instructors adopting OER textbooks, library resources, and free online materials in place of commercial textbooks saved students at the UH Community Colleges over $4 million in just the 2024-2025 academic year. At Leeward alone, over 60% of classes are TXT0 (OER and no-cost materials) with total student savings of $1,825,800 last year!
If you are new to OER and want to learn more, or if you are still deciding if OER will work for you, please join us at an OER Exploration Workshop sponsored by UHCC OER on October 16, 2025, at 11:00 AM. Registration is required.
Discuss the reasons you may want to use OER in your courses, including designating your class(es) “Textbook Cost: $0” (TXT0).
Review the Creative Commons licenses that help us identify OER.
Search websites and repositories to find OER that work best for you and your students.
Use a rubric to evaluate an OER.
Search your college’s library website and catalog to find your subject librarian and course materials.*
UHCC participants attending an OER ExplorationWorkshop will be offered an opportunity to join our Spring 2026 OER adoption award cycle. Details will be shared at the workshop.
Presented by:
Leah Gazan, OER and Digital Initiatives Librarian, Kapiʻolani Community College
Junie Hayashi, OER and Public Services Librarian, Leeward Community College
*Although they are not considered OER, library resources will also be discussed as a way to lower the cost of course materials.
Learn more about this and other OER professional learning and incentive opportunities at the UHCC OER website.
For more info, please contact Junie Hayashi, Leeward OER Campus Lead, at junie@hawaii.edu, or Wayde Oshiro, UHCC OER Project Lead, at waydeo@hawaii.edu.
Open education resources (OERs) are free learning materials with Creative Commons (CC) licenses that creators, authors, and rights holders assign to their work. These licenses give users permissions to reuse, revise, remix, redistribute, and/or retain their work.
OERs come in all shapes and sizes (an image, a video, a textbook, a course, a degree program). When used to replace for-cost materials, they can save students significant amounts of money and increase their engagement and sense of belonging.
Did you know? Instructors adopting OER textbooks, library resources, and free online materials in place of commercial textbooks saved students at the UH Community Colleges over $4 million in just the 2024-2025 academic year. At Leeward alone, over 60% of classes are TXT0 (OER and no-cost materials) with total student savings of $1,825,800 last year!
If you are new to OER and want to learn more, or if you are still deciding if OER will work for you, please join us at an OER Exploration Workshop sponsored by UHCC OER on October 16, 2025, at 11:00 AM. Registration is required.
Discuss the reasons you may want to use OER in your courses, including designating your class(es) “Textbook Cost: $0” (TXT0).
Review the Creative Commons licenses that help us identify OER.
Search websites and repositories to find OER that work best for you and your students.
Use a rubric to evaluate an OER.
Search your college’s library website and catalog to find your subject librarian and course materials.*
UHCC participants attending an OER ExplorationWorkshop will be offered an opportunity to join our Spring 2026 OER adoption award cycle. Details will be shared at the workshop.
Presented by:
Leah Gazan, OER and Digital Initiatives Librarian, Kapiʻolani Community College
Junie Hayashi, OER and Public Services Librarian, Leeward Community College
*Although they are not considered OER, library resources will also be discussed as a way to lower the cost of course materials.
Learn more about this and other OER professional learning and incentive opportunities at the UHCC OER website.
For more info, please contact Junie Hayashi, Leeward OER Campus Lead, at junie@hawaii.edu, or Wayde Oshiro, UHCC OER Project Lead, at waydeo@hawaii.edu.
The Forge is a new web-based word processor and learning platform designed specifically for long-form student writing. Unlike AI detectors or plagiarism checkers, The Forge is not about “catching” students. Instead, it’s about understanding and supporting the writing process. Faculty can:
Use analytics to foster conversations with students about their work habits, challenges, and growth as writers.
Visualize student effort and engagement through graphs that track time on task, revision patterns, and writing process.
Gain deeper insights into how students compose, revise, and persist in their assignments.
The use of GenAI in student writing is increasing, but available AI detection tools are often unreliable, leading to concerns about false positives and missed detections. Tracking document version history is a popular strategy that requires close instructor oversight. Other strategies and tools will be shared, including The Forge a new web-based word processor and learning platform that can track student writing and analyze effort and revision using detailed analytics. The Forge supports collaboration between teachers and students in developing writing skills in the age of AI.
Presented by Wayde Oshiro, Int. Learning Commons & Library Coordinator and Meredith Lee, Assistant Professor, English
The Library Lab is a new learning series from the Leeward CC Library open to Leeward faculty, staff, and students. Topics will cover research skills, database search strategies, citations, AI and writing, and more. Future sessions include:
October 15: Leeward Database Deep Dive: Finding and Citing Scholarly Articles for Your Topic by Natalie Kahn, Instruction Librarian
October 29: Ke Kumuwaiwai: Online Hawaiian Research Databases by Hauʻolihiwahiwa Moniz, Hawaiʻi-Pacific Resources Librarian
The use of GenAI in student writing is increasing, but available AI detection tools are often unreliable, leading to concerns about false positives and missed detections. Tracking document version history is a popular strategy that requires close instructor oversight. Other strategies and tools will be shared, including The Forge a new web-based word processor and learning platform that can track student writing and analyze effort and revision using detailed analytics. The Forge supports collaboration between teachers and students in developing writing skills in the age of AI.
Presented by Wayde Oshiro, Int. Learning Commons & Library Coordinator and Meredith Lee, Assistant Professor, English
The Library Lab is a new learning series from the Leeward CC Library open to Leeward faculty, staff, and students. Topics will cover research skills, database search strategies, citations, AI and writing, and more. Future sessions include:
October 15: Leeward Database Deep Dive: Finding and Citing Scholarly Articles for Your Topic by Natalie Kahn, Instruction Librarian
October 29: Ke Kumuwaiwai: Online Hawaiian Research Databases by Hauʻolihiwahiwa Moniz, Hawaiʻi-Pacific Resources Librarian
Join this engaging workshop on exploring genealogy with confidence. Learn practical tips and tricks for researching family history, discover reliable resources, and gain strategies for organizing your findings so they’re easy to access and share. Whether you’re just beginning or looking to deepen your research, this session will help guide you on your moʻokūʻauhau journey. Open to Leeward faculty, staff, and students.
Presented by Hauʻolihiwahiwa Moniz, Hawaiʻi-Pacific Resources Librarian
The Library Lab is a new learning series from the Leeward CC Library open to Leeward faculty, staff, and students. Topics will cover research skills, database search strategies, citations, AI and writing, and more. Future sessions include:
September 24: Writing Integrity and AI: Strategies and Tools presented by Wayde Oshiro, Int. Learning Commons & Library Coordinator and Meredith Lee, Assistant Professor, English
October 15: Leeward Database Deep Dive: Finding and Citing Scholarly Articles for Your Topic by Natalie Kahn, Instruction Librarian
Explore genealogy and more with your librarians at the Library Lab!
Leeward continues to lead the UH System with TXT0 classes. In Spring 2025, nearly 63% of Leeward classes were marked TXT0, or Textbook Cost: $0, with 72% of instructors teaching at least one TXT0 class. At the UHCC System, TXT0 classes stand at 36%, and instructors teaching at least one TXT0 class are at 40%. Leeward's commitment to reducing student costs remains strong, and these numbers prove it.
UHCC OER announces the launch of the AY 2025-2026 Open Textbook Incentive Program. With support from the Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges and UHCC Chancellors, the program provides OER training and support for UHCC faculty, lecturers, and APTs who wish to modify or create open textbooks and other learning materials, and/or convert a course to TXT0.
AY 2025-2026 professional development opportunities include OER Exploration and Open Pedagogy workshops and OER 101, our asynchronous online course in Lamakū. Next spring, our new six-week Open Pedagogy Learning Circle will launch its inaugural cohort. Eligible participants of OER 101 and the Open Pedagogy Learning Circle can earn a $400 incentive.* See the UHCC OER Professional Learning page for details and to apply.
If you have completed OER 101 or will complete the course by December 1, 2025, OER Creation and Modification Awards (OERCA & OERMA) are available for creating new OER and modifying existing OER. See the UHCC OER Award Program page for details and to apply. The proposal deadline for OERCA and OERMA proposals is October 6, 2025.
Please contact us if you have questions about the UHCC OER Incentive Program:
Wayde Oshiro, UHCC OER Project Lead
Email: waydeo@hawaii.edu
Junie Hayashi, Leeward OER Campus Lead & Leeward OER Campus Committee Co-Chair
Email: junie@hawaii.edu
Ashley Biddle, UHCC OER Open Pedagogy Lead and Leeward OER Campus Committee Co-Chair
Join this engaging workshop on exploring genealogy with confidence. Learn practical tips and tricks for researching family history, discover reliable resources, and gain strategies for organizing your findings so they’re easy to access and share. Whether you’re just beginning or looking to deepen your research, this session will help guide you on your moʻokūʻauhau journey. Open to Leeward faculty, staff, and students.
Presented by Hauʻolihiwahiwa Moniz, Hawaiʻi-Pacific Resources Librarian
The Library Lab is a new learning series from the Leeward CC Library open to Leeward faculty, staff, and students. Topics will cover research skills, database search strategies, citations, AI and writing, and more. Future sessions include:
September 24: Writing Integrity and AI: Strategies and Tools presented by Wayde Oshiro, Int. Learning Commons & Library Coordinator and Meredith Lee, Assistant Professor, English
October 15: Leeward Database Deep Dive: Finding and Citing Scholarly Articles for Your Topic by Natalie Kahn, Instruction Librarian
Explore genealogy and more with your librarians at the Library Lab!
The Leeward CC Library is surveying faculty and staff about their AI experiences, perceptions, needs, and concerns. Your response will help us develop a strategic approach to integrating Generative AI and other AI tools in our services and support to faculty, staff, and students.
