Graphic Novels, Summer 2025
Faculty/Staff: Clement Yeh
Platform: Pressbooks
Site link (if applicable): https://graphicnovelcourse2025.pressbooks.tru.ca/
Services provided: Site domain/setup, E-Book development, and platform support
Description: Now in its second year, this Graphic Novel OER project empowers communications students to explore storytelling, visual literacy, and narrative structure through the co-creation of open educational content. Grounded in open pedagogy, the project invites students to become active contributors to knowledge by collaboratively authoring, illustrating, and publishing their own graphic novels. Students are encouraged to craft personal narratives, adapt classic works, or create original fiction through the art of comics—often for the first time. They rose to the challenge with creativity and enthusiasm, developing new skills in a dynamic and expressive medium. Their work now lives on in this open, CC-licensed collection, serving as both an inspiration and a resource for future learners. By centering student voices, supporting inclusive storytelling, and fostering collaboration, the project exemplifies learner-driven education. Whether you’re a budding comic artist or an avid graphic novel reader, this book offers a glimpse into the diverse voices and artistic expressions of emerging creators—and stands as a testament to the power of relationship-building, open practices, and creative learning.
Impact Summary
- Developed by students in course: CMNS 2100
- When: Summer 2025
- Estimated number of students using resource: n/a
- Average price of resource:
- In Canada, the average price of a graphic novel generally falls between $20 and $100+, depending on the format (print or ebook) and the publisher. For our purposes, we are using a very modest estimate of $30 for a high-quality graphic novel. This student work will also serve as an excellent example for future students who are considering this type of work or medium.
- Estimated savings: $30. This work is free to access and download by anyone under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.
Read Clement Yeh’s Impact Story from the project’s first year, written by Aiko Uehara (2024).
Impact Story
By Divya Chandak
Background
Clement Yeh is a professional artist and educator who has been teaching Communications and Visual Arts at Thompson Rivers University for the past eight years. A lifelong reader of comics and graphic novels, Clement brings both personal passion and professional expertise into his teaching. It has been a privilege for him to create and lead the Special Topics course Graphic Novels and Sequential Art, which he has now taught for the second consecutive summer.
The course offers students a unique opportunity to explore storytelling through sequential art, combining visual expression with narrative structure while engaging with a medium that spans cultures, histories, and artistic traditions.
Inspiration and Idea
From the beginning, Clement knew that this course would lend itself naturally to open education. Graphic novels, much like literature, are designed to be widely shared and disseminated. “They are meant to be mass produced and reach a broad audience,” he explained.
With that in mind, Clement wanted students to have the option to both physically print their work and digitally publish it. Collaborating with TRU Open Press was the natural choice to make that vision a reality, providing a professional platform for showcasing student-created graphic novels in an open and accessible format.
Collaboration and Support
Working with TRU Open Press played a key role in shaping the final outcome of the project. The team supported formatting, file conversion, and the organization of numerous student projects into a single, cohesive publication.
“There are technical challenges inherent in working with projects from so many students,” Clement noted, especially when those students come from different artistic backgrounds and skill levels. The Open Press team helped navigate those complexities, ensuring that each piece was presented clearly and professionally while maintaining consistency across the collection.
Teaching and Collaboration with Students
Clement’s approach to collaboration reflects the diversity of student experience in the course. Some students entered the class already familiar with graphic novels and confident in the stories they wanted to tell. These learners were often self-driven and independent in their work.
Others, however, were completely new to the medium. For those students, Clement provided guidance and reassurance, helping them work through uncertainty and apprehension. “I was happy to help them produce their best work,” he said, emphasizing that artistic success is not limited to technical skill alone.
Challenges and Breakthroughs
As with any creative course, challenges were inevitable. Clement acknowledged that a small percentage of students struggle each semester with time management, attendance, and completing course requirements. “This class was no different,” he said, noting that despite flexibility, resources, and support, this remains an ongoing challenge that educators continue to navigate year after year.
Yet moments of breakthrough made the process deeply rewarding. Clement finds the greatest fulfillment in working with students who are unsure of their ideas or new to creative practice. When students realize they do not need to be “amazing artists” to succeed, and begin producing work without self-imposed restrictions, he sees them reach their full potential.
Impact on Learners and Educators
Clement believes creative learning is as much about self-discovery as skill development. As students explore new techniques and artistic voices, they also learn more about themselves. Drawing on Marcel Duchamp’s idea that the audience “completes” a work of art through interpretation, Clement sees this OER as a platform for connection.
The resource allows students to share their work openly, inviting audiences to engage with it while also offering future learners a source of inspiration rooted in their peers’ creativity and lived experiences.
Looking Ahead
Looking to the future, Clement sees open education as a powerful complement to in-person teaching. While he believes students will always value direct interaction with instructors who can inspire, share lived experience, and provide customized feedback, OERs expand access beyond the classroom.
Open resources remove physical barriers and make creative and academic materials available to a wider audience, supporting learning in more flexible and inclusive ways.
Advice for Future Creators
For educators considering creating an OER, Clement offers realistic and encouraging advice. “It’s not going to be perfect the first time,” he said, comparing the process to teaching a brand-new course.
He encourages educators to see OER creation as an evolving practice, one that improves as instructors better understand their course material and student needs. “The best thing an educator can do is create OERs when appropriate and commit to continuously improving them over time,” he shared.
Clement’s work demonstrates how open education can amplify student creativity, preserve diverse voices, and turn classroom learning into a shared cultural resource.
