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Module 3: Finding & Evaluating OER

These slides, authored by Sarah Coysh & Stephanie Quail, are available under a CC BY 4.0 international license

Untitled image by annca on Pixabay / Available under a Pixabay licence

Delivered by Stephanie Quail, York University Libraries

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Where to Find OER?

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Getting Started with Finding OER

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You may need to find multiple OER to replace a commercial resource:

  • Break your search down into weekly topics / project sub-topics & develop keywords
  • Consider using OER like videos, learning activities, or a chapter of an open textbook
  • Track what you find using the Finding & Evaluating OER Tracking spreadsheet

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OER Search Strategies

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Search Strategy #1:

Start with the Libraries’ OER Guide

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The YorkU Libraries’ OER Guide provides a curated set of links to:

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Search Strategy #2:

OER By Discipline / Adoption Guides

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  • Example: The University of Ottawa Library’s OER by Discipline Guide maps to program areas at the university
  • Example: BCCampus, a nonprofit organization that supports OER usage in the province of British Columbia, Canada, has created an OER Adoption Finder

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Search Strategy #3:

Subject-Specific OER Repositories

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Examples of OER subject-specific repositories.

Source: List adapted from Elder, 2019

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Search Strategy #4:

eCampusOntario’s H5P Studio

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  • Access modular OER content created by Ontario post-secondary educators via the eCampusOntario H5P Studio
  • Remember! Always check the licence of the H5P object you’d like to use.

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OER Search Strategy #5:

French-Language Collections

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The Francophone OER movement is gaining momentum. Some great places to start include:

  • eCampusOntario: Sort using the French language filter.
  • fabriqueREL: OER produced by higher education instructors in Quebec.
  • EDUQ.info: The open archive of the Quebec college network.
  • CERES: Multidisciplinary OER from the Quebec college network, as well as European & U.S. institutions.
  • PAViLLON: A collection of French-language digital resources, including OER, for post-secondary instructors.
  • Consortium Collegial: A national Canadian consortium that supports the development of OER in French.

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Search Strategy #6:

Google Search Filtered by Usage Rights

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  • Google’s Advanced Search feature lets you filter results by usage rights.
  • This filter limits your results to works with certain licenses listed on the webpage (usually Creative Commons licences)
  • Search Tip → Start with “free to use or share” to retrieve the broadest set of results.

Source: (Elder, 2019)

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An Example of an OER Search Strategy

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Barbara teaches abnormal psychology. She wants to find openly-licensed videos, readings, & case studies. Here is a broad search strategy she follows:

  1. Searches the Open Textbook Library for “Psychology.” Reviews Table of Contents for to find chapters/sections for her course.
  2. Searches OASIS, a federated OER search tool for “abnormal psychology.”
  3. Searches YouTube for videos on specific topics related to Abnormal Psychology. She uses the post-search Creative Commons filter.
  4. Lastly, conducts an Advanced Search in Google for “Abnormal Psychology”.

By the end, Barbara compiles the following OER list for Abnormal Psychology

Source: Derivative work of Elder, A. (2019). The OER starter kit. Iowa State University Digital Press. https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/oerstarterkit/chapter/introduction/ Available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Interntional licence

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Evaluate OER

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Evaluation Criteria

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There are a variety of rubrics for assessing OER; however, some of the key criteria include:

  • Accuracy of content
  • Relevance of OER to your project's learning outcomes
  • Production quality of OER (i.e. navigable layout, clear & understandable writing / design)
  • Compliance with accessibility standards
  • Interactive content that creates active learning opportunities for students
  • Use of open licenses

Source: Derivative of "Faculty Guide for Evaluating Open Education Resources" by BC OER Librarians, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license

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Evaluation Process: Questions to Ask Yourself

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  1. Does this OER cover the content you'd like your students to learn in this course / module?
  2. How accessible is the content? Will it be accessible for your students, or is it too technical? Is it robust & challenging enough for students?
  3. How can you use the content? Verify the licence that the resource is under. Does it give you the freedom you need to revise and remix? Who do you have to attribute?
  4. What would you like to do with the OER? Does only a portion of it apply to your course/module? Would you want to combine this OER with another OER or resource?

Source: Derivative of “Open Educational Resources (OER): Evaluate OER” by Illinois University Library, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 2..0 Generic license

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Conclusion

Today we’ve covered:

  1. Explore types of OER repositories
  2. Develop search strategies
  3. Evaluate OER

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Next Steps:

  • Complete Building Block Activity Three
  • Complete our evaluation form

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Slide Theme, Images, & Screen Shot

Credits

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References

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BC OER Librarians. (n.d.). Faculty guide for evaluating open education resources (PDF). Retrieved July 10, 2020, from https://open.bccampus.ca/files/2014/07/Faculty-Guide-29-mar-15.pdf

Elder, A. (2019). The OER starter kit. Iowa State University Digital Press. https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/oerstarterkit/chapter/introduction/

Illinois University Library. (n.d.). Open educational resources (OER): Evaluate OER. Retrieved July 10, 2020, from https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=246992&p=1645967