The Magic of OERs

What constitutes a good OER?

A good OER should be clearly described. It should contain a brief description so that the user gets an idea of what it contains. This helps to decide whether to . go ahead with the OER or look out for something else. It must be clearly licensed preferably using Creative Commons. A good OER should be from a source that one can trust. It must be free of copyright content. For example, A course made by me may be an Open Resource but not must not contain pictures/ videos/ documents that are copyrighted. A good OER should be easy to modify. It must not contain ambiguous terms. It needs to be free standing that is it must not assume that the learner has extraordinary knowledge of other content. For example, A course in 'Constructivism' must not assume that the user knows great details about learner psychology. To facilitate easy understanding, have a glossary or include suitable links for those who want to delve deeper. 

Pedagogy of an OER

The person creating an OER needs to remember that the one using an OER is learning at his/her pace without active help from a  teacher. To encourage active learning, audio-visual materials, quizzes and such inputs should be integrated into the OER so that monotony is avoided and the user is actively involved. The user can be asked to perform some tasks that help to understand the content being explored. For example: a course in 'Classroom Management' could include activities that the user may try out in real time. These experiences can be studied in light of the content provided in the OER. 

Attributes of Open Pedagogy

Read the Attributes of Open Pedagogy