The Lymphatic System of the Dog

The Lymphatic System of the Dog was an open textbook project where I was the lead instructional designer. I was working with Dr. Monique Mayer from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. Monique wanted to translate a German anatomy textbook originally written in 1918 by Dr. Hermann Baum. Monique had funds to hire graduate students to help with the translation and design of the open textbook. My work on this project was more leadership focused.

We would meet regularly and I would lead the team through the design and development phases of the project timeline. We would discuss ideas and Monique and her students would ask questions about using Pressbooks. We collaborated on how best to update a century’s old book while honouring the work of the author. The style of language used was debated as was the placement of hyperlinks.

As part of this project we hired a developer to design a new H5P tool. Monique wanted a way to zoom in on the beautiful illustrations that Dr. Baum had included in his original book. Oliver Tacke created the H5P Image Zoom tool for us to use in the open textbook. Oliver’s short video is included where he shares his project

With this project we presented at the USask Research Innovation and Scholarship in Education conference, the Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association, and at the CAUCE conference. We were guests on The Open Pedagogy Podcast: Gettin’ Air with Terry Green. In 2022, The Lymphatic System of the Dog also made the Favourite Pressbooks of 2022 list from Pressbooks.com.

I have to admit I know more about the lymphatic system of dogs than I need to. What makes this a seminal work is that it is still relevant today in the treatment of dogs with cancer. The direction of the flow of the lymphatic system is necessary to know when there are blockages(lumps).

My approach for designing this open textbook was to lead and support subject matter experts through the project timeline while teaching them to use the technology. I also do my best to listen to what the people I work with are envisioning for their project and I enjoy trying to find ways to add innovation. One of the best things Monique said to me was that she had learned so much about open text books and gained skills so she wanted to make another one.