Finding and Adopting OER
Overview
Performance Objectives:
Understand what content curation is and how to utilize it
Identify the steps for successful adaptation or curation of OER
Recognize and determine the best places to search for OER
Adopt a resource by downloading it, printing it, or linking to it
OER refers to educational materials that include permission for anyone to use, modify and share. In its simplest form, the term OER describes any educational resources (including curriculum maps, course materials, textbooks, streaming videos, multimedia applications, podcasts, and any other materials that have been designed for use in teaching and learning) that are openly available for use by educators and students, without an accompanying need to pay royalties or license fees.
Title: Finding and Adopting OER
Author(s):
Date:
Training Time Frame:
Training Tools, Equipment:
Training Methods, Techniques: Lecture, group discussion, guided practice, independent practice
Performance Objectives:
- Understand what content curation is and how to utilize it
- Identify the steps for successful adaptation or curation of OER
- Recognize and determine the best places to search for OER
- Adopt a resource by downloading it, printing it, or linking to it
OER refers to educational materials that include permission for anyone to use, modify and share. In its simplest form, the term OER describes any educational resources (including curriculum maps, course materials, textbooks, streaming videos, multimedia applications, podcasts, and any other materials that have been designed for use in teaching and learning) that are openly available for use by educators and students, without an accompanying need to pay royalties or license fees.
Materials that are under full copyright, or which are not accompanied by a specific license allowing anyone to copy, adapt, and share them, are not Open Education Resources. You can use these materials only within fair use provisions or copyright exceptions.
According to Schaffert & Geser, 2008; OLCOS Roadmap, 2012, the core characteristics of OER are:
- Open Access: Content is provided free of charge for educational institutions, content services and users such as teachers, students, and lifelong learners
- Open Format: Content is produced in open format with functionalities that allow for easy re-use
- Open License: Creative Commons Licensing encourages educators to retain, reuse, revise, remix and redistribute content
- Open Software: Produced with open-source software
Attribution:
Information is derived from Understanding OER created by Mike Daly and Phylise Banner on behalf of Suny OER services and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Module 1-Curation
What is Content Curation?
Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme. The work involves sifting, sorting, and arranging information.
Think of curating in the context of a museum curator. A curator carefully selects pieces to include in an exhibit that go together in some way to form an entire exhibit. Curating OER means you are collecting separate pieces to create a cohesive whole. You may or may not modify these pieces.
We are all familiar with the amount of data we receive from a basic Google search; a multiplicity of videos, websites, blogs, research papers, news media, tweets, etc. with varying degrees of relevance for our purposes.
The challenge is figuring out how to efficiently organize all of the different sources of content into a coherent way that is easy to view. The ability to carefully select resources in relation to a given topic is a powerful skill. Resource curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting the best resources in a meaningful and organized way.
Where do we begin?
- Focus on goals-As you curate a specific topic, what is the outcome you are looking for?
- Distinguish between relevant and non-relevant sources of information-what resources add to your goal? What resources take away from it?
- Quality, not quantity- Make sure you read every piece of content you curate.
- Don’t forget to be visual!
- Develop and organization strategy
Discussion:
Ask participants some ways they curate something in everyday life, ask them to think of something outside work.
Possible answers could include:
- Menu planning
- Advice to someone
- Amazon wishlist
- Netflix watch list
- Spotify Playlists
- Buying something (ie a new vehicle)- look at reviews, best and worst ect.
- Module 2- Where to find OER
OER Repositories
Searching an OER repository can result in a faster and more productive search experience since the resources have been curated and organized into various categories including discipline, format, and open license.
Tutorial on Open Range Wyoming
- How to log on
- How to search
- How to join a group
- How to create: Submit, Resource Builder, Lesson Builder, Module Builder
Activity:
In a group open the OER Repositories Google Doc. Look over the different places you can search for OER, add any additional repositories you know about. Take 5 minutes and do a couple searches! You can also take this time to set up your OER Commons account.
Other OER Search Resources:
- OER Commons is a public digital library of open educational resources. Explore, create, and collaborate with educators around the world to improve the curriculum.
- The Open Textbook Library provides a growing catalog of free, peer-reviewed, and openly-licensed textbooks.
- Based at Rice University, OpenStax offers high-quality textbooks with adaptive learning technology, designed to improve learning outcomes through personalized educational paths.
- The MERLOT system provides access to curated online learning and support materials and content creation tools, led by an international community of educators, learners and researchers.
- The three State of California Higher Education Systems are working together to provide easy access to quality free and open e-Textbooks that everyone and anyone can use for teaching and learning.
- Open SUNY Textbooks is an open access textbook publishing initiative established by State University of New York libraries and supported by SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grants.
- The US Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program has created a free and open online library called SkillsCommons containing free and open learning materials and program support materials for job-driven workforce development.
- A collection of open textbooks aligned with the top 40 highest-enrolled subject areas in the province [British Columbia].
- Promotes textbook affordability for community college and university students, and facilitates widespread adoption of open, low-cost, high-quality materials.
- Search several OER repositories simultaneously.
- Found in your Canvas campus account, these courses are openly licensed.
Attribution:
Introduction to OER by Rachel Arteaga and Suzanne Wakim. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
- Module 3-Strategies for Searching OER Repositories and Collections
Knowing a few search strategies will make for more effective searching. Watch the following short video and then review the search tips below so you can use them as you search for resources for your class.
Video-2017
Tips for searching repositories:
- Keywords might not return the best results as resources are often put in without proper indexing
- Browse broadly-look at subject areas that are broader than yours but may still include information on your subject
- If it is an option, browse by subject, grade level, standard, or discipline
- Use the provided tools or filters to narrow down your search to more relevant results
Take a few minutes to try out these strategies using a few of the suggested repositories.
Attributions:
Information is derived from Understanding OER created by Mike Daly and Phylise Banner on behalf of Suny OER services and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Module 4- Searching Google for OER
Using Google Advanced Search is a great way to find resources by license type. Here are directions on how to use Google Advanced Search to find materials with open licenses.
- On the Google Advanced Search page, scroll to the bottom and look for the “usage rights” field.
- Change the “usage rights” field to “free to use share or modify” or “free to use, share or modify, even commercially” depending on what type of license you want.
- Use the other fields to plug in keywords and to narrow your results.
- Hit the “Advanced Search” button
- The results page should show only Creative Commons resources. Make sure to verify exact license type and terms of use.
You can watch the following video for a demonstration of a Google Advanced Search:
Here are a few more Google search tips:
- To find specific types of websites such as .gov or .edu type in the search box Site:.gov or Site:.edu.
- To eliminate specific websites or words you can use a minus symbol before the word. For example, if you want to search for something but do not want Wikipedia to show up in the results simply type in the search box -Wikipedia.
- Use quotations around a phrase to search for results containing that exact phrase. For example search for “climate change” will return less, but more relevant results than searching for the phrase without quotation marks.
- To find a specific format of resource (such as a Microsoft Word document so that you can modify the resource), type the file type - .doc or .pdf - into the search box.
Additional Tips:
Attributions:
Introduction to OER by Rachel Arteaga and Suzanne Wakim. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
- Module 5- Using Library Materials in your Class
Though most library materials do not have open licenses, there are many ways in which you can incorporate them into your class. Because library materials are free to students they can be used in a class that is designated as a zero textbook cost class.
Like all other copyrighted and restricted materials, you must be careful how you use library resources to make sure you do not violate the terms of use of the resource.
Best Practices for Using Library Materials:
- Consult a librarian. Ask them about the specific resources you might want to use in your class.
- Be aware that many online materials, such as e-books and journal articles, are not owned by the library. This means that resources may change from semester to semester as subscriptions change.
- Know that e-books may not be accessible by more than one student at a time depending on the license of the individual e-book. Some e-books may not transfer to a different type of device, i.e. e-books for iPads won’t work on Kindles.
- For use of the library materials in your course, such as an article from a database, properly link to the resource instead of making digital copies. If you do not know how to link to a library resource, consult a librarian on your campus.
Librarians can help you find OER
You may have the option to consult a librarian who can search for OER for you. Librarians can also recommend zero cost options such as e-books, databases, specialized collections, and more. Situations will vary based on your library and its resources. However, keep in mind that certified librarians have the following skills:
- Expert searchers
- May be able to suggest repositories and collections that you can search on your own
- Can teach skills and tools to conduct successful searches
- Help with the initial evaluation of resources
Attribution:
Introduction to OER by Rachel Arteaga and Suzanne Wakim. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
- Module 6- Adapting an OER
There are several reasons you may want to adapt a resource. Perhaps the existing OER does not have all the content you would like to include in your course. Or there may not be a cohesive OER for your course but there may be available materials you can pick and choose from to build the perfect resource for your class.
Below are further reasons that adaptation is a good option:
- Save time and work by mixing OERs with your own material to make something richer
- Make the material more accessible
- Insert culturally relevant references to make a concept easier to understand
- Translate it into another language
- Correct errors or inaccuracies
- Keep the OER up to date by adding the latest discoveries or theories
- Insert media or links to other resources
- Adapt it for a different audience or educational level
- Change the format of the OER
- Collaborate with other disciplines for cross-curricular resources
There are several factors to consider when adapting an OER. The more you want to change, expand, or edit an OER, the more time you will need. Below are some important considerations.
- How much content to do you wish to change? Do you want to remove a chapter, or rewrite something entirely?
- What technical format is the original in? A Word document is much easier to modify than a PDF document.
- What type of license is the content released under? Does it have a Creative Commons license that allows for modification or adaptation of the content?
- How comfortable are you with using technology and creating content?
- If you wish to edit or create graphics, images, charts, and/or multimedia content, you will need to use additional specialized tools to create these.
- Keep it simple. Think of the resource as something you can improve incrementally over time.
Backward Design
It is always a good idea to take a step back to look at what you want your students to learn. What are the goals and desired outcomes of the module of study? Put another way, think about course goals and outcomes before looking at and choosing course materials.
Here are five steps to consider when designing/building a resource:
- What do you want your students to learn? What are the goals or desired outcomes?
- What is the purpose of each lesson and how does it fit into the course as a whole?
- What assessments or tasks will students perform to demonstrate understanding?
- How will you teach? Plan learning activities and instruction
- Lastly, consider what materials and resources will support the resource goals
In other words, when designing backwards, looking for OER should be the last step you consider after you have outlined the course or resource.
Activity/Discussion
What are some lesson plans/modules/homework assignments etc you currently have that you could supplement with OER?
Remixing
“Remixing” is the act of changing a resource through adaptations, changing how content is ordered, or adding to the current resource. Just like remixing a song, you are changing the original intellectual content into something new. Teachers may choose to remix a resource to make it more inclusive, make it accessible to a new group of students, or modify it to complement different subject matter.
There are some considerations to take into account when remixing a resource. First, you will want to make sure that you take the original author’s intentions into account by viewing their Creative Commons license. Remember that if the original author requires modified work to be shared as well, you should make sure to post the new material.
Other considerations:
- Make your resource easily searchable by including key words that teachers may use to search for your OER.
- Ensure your structure and design are easily understandable. Think: bulleted lists are easier to facilitate in the classroom than paragraphs of content.
- Brainstorm any materials or resources that teachers may need to facilitate your OER so that teachers can be prepared.
- Think about what grade levels and subject areas your modified OER may be appropriate for.
- Connect your resource to the greater goal from your backward design. Link to any appropriate precursory or following lessons or materials.
Remixing in OER Commons Tutorial
- Show how to save the resource
- Show how to remix it
Attribution:
Introduction to OER by Rachel Arteaga and Suzanne Wakim. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Creating a Remix on OER Commons by Kate Katz. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
- Module 7- Major Takeaways
- With the many OER repositories and collections, it is good to know effective search strategies.
- Google Advanced Search is an alternative method of searching for OER that lets you limit results by license type.
- Librarians are excellent resources for answering questions about copyright and OER
- Looking for OER should be the last step you consider after you have outlined the course or resource
Information is derived from:
Introduction to OER by Rachel Arteaga and Suzanne Wakim. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Understanding OER created by Mike Daly and Phylise Banner on behalf of Suny OER services and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.