Descriptive Guidelines for OER Content
Overview
Descriptive guidelines to use when uploading content into the Massachusetts Community College OER Hub. Please take careful note of each field, and if you would like greater clarification or have any questions, please contact the Hub Coordinator Rachel Oleaga at Roleaga@necc.mass.edu
Understanding the Guidelines
This resource was created to assist with uploading new materials to the Massachusetts Community College OER Commons. Populating each field with the appropriate metadata is important to ensure access to your resource! If you have any questions or need additional assistance, save your resource and contact OER Hub Coordinator, Rachel Oleaga at Roleaga@necc.mass.edu
A downloadable PDF version of this document is also available below.
Overview - Describe the Resource
A short description of the resource. Include any keywords one might use to locate your resource, for example, relevant subject areas, lesson topics and proper nouns.
Conditions of Use
In the dropdown bar, you have a choice between the following licenses:
Attribution
Attribution No Derivative Works
Attribution Share Alike
Attribution Non Commercial
Attribution Non - Commercial Share Alike
Attribution Non - Commercial No Derivative
Public Domain
Required Fields
There are four required fields needed to describe your resource and complete the upload to the Hub. Each field is populated via a drop down menu. See below for details
Subjects
You must select at least one subject from the dropdown bar. Add all subjects which apply. For example: should your resource fall under Arts and Humanities > Art History > World Cultures, select all three.
Education Levels
Materials should fall within the higher education options provided. More than one level may be selected.
Material Types
To understand where your resource falls within the selections, see the attached document created by OER Commons.
Languages
Additional Descriptions (Optional)
There are several additional description fields available to describe your resource. Although they are not required the more information provided about your resource, the more discoverable.
Media Formats
Select the appropriate format, for example, Graphics/photos or Video. If you are typing your resource directly into Open Author, select “text/HTML.” If you are uploading a document, select “downloadable docs.”
Adding content directly into the Main Content area is preferred over attaching documents. The Open Author tool allows you to upload from OneDrive or Google Drive directly into the content areas, and edit the text as needed from there. If you must attach a document, do not link to a Google Doc, as this can create accessibility issues.
Keywords
Add any keyword that accurately describes your resource. This is important for helping users discover your resource. In addition, all resources should be tagged with the appropriate collection tag phrase. This should be typed in the "Keyword" section along with your other keywords. Find the collection tag phrase with best corresponds to your resource's subject below.
Collection Tag Phrases by Subject
Applied Science: Mass CC Applied Sci
Arts and Humanities: Mass CC Art
Business: Mass CC Business
Career and Technical Education: Mass CC CTE
Criminal Justice and Law: Mass CC Law
Computer and Information Science: Mass CC CIS
Education: Mass CC Edu
Engineering: Mass CC Engineering
English and Writing: Mass CC ELA
History: Mass CC History
Libraries and Information Literacy: Mass CC Libraries
Life Science: Mass CC Life Sci
Mathematics: Mass CC Math
OER, Copyright and Licensing: Mass CC OER
Physical Science: Mass CC Physical Sci
Psychology: Mass CC Psych
Nursing and Allied Health: Mass CC Nursing
Social Sciences: Mass CC Social Sci