Open Educational Resources (OER)

OER come in many different formats and on different platforms. Here is basic information on using three of the most popular platforms.

1) OER Commons

• How-to videos about searching, evaluating, and creating resources: https://www.oercommons.org/groups/oer-commons/160/685/

2) Pressbooks

• FAQs, how-to-videos, a user guide and more: https://pressbooks.com/support/
• More how-to videos from Pressbook's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Pressbooks/videos

3) LibreTexts

• Quick Guide to getting started with LibreTexts: https://chem.libretexts.org/Courses/Remixer_University/A_Quick_Guide_to_LibreTexts_for_New_Instructors
• More in-depth guide for greater editing and authoring: https://chem.libretexts.org/Courses/Remixer_University/LibreTexts_Construction_Guide
• Tutorials and other videos for getting started with LibreTexts: https://www.youtube.com/c/LibreTexts/playlists

______________________________________________

Evaluating OER

You found something you like, great! How do you know if it's any good?

Start with the checklist below.  For more info, see the BC Campos Open Adaptation Guide.

________________________________________

OER in Evaluations, Promotion, and Tenure

While OER work is not specifically addressed in the CBA, there are ways of highlighting your OER in evaluation, promotion, and tenure documentation.  This guide will give you pointers:

Publish Your Existing Open Educational Content

As an educator, you may already be creating and using educational resources that can be shared openly. From a glance through our guide, you may have noticed that OER goes beyond textbooks and includes many types of curriculum materials, including lesson plans, writing prompts, tutorials, worksheets, and tests.

Here are a few points of consideration when sharing OER. 

1. Classification.
   1. How can your OER be classified? This can usually be determined by asking, "What is the suggested use of this resource?"
   2. Consider factors such as subject area, grade level, level of difficulty, etc.
   3. Classification enables sharing and can help you create metadata for your resource, which is required by some platforms.
2. Licensing.
   1. If you created the work, decide which kind of licensing works for you. Using the licensing tool from Creative Commons can be a great help here. 
   2. If your resource is a combination of other resources, use the Creative Commons License Compatibility Wizard to determine how licensing will work. 
   3. Finally, if you are using work that requires attribution, Creative Commons also suggests best practices for attribution.
3. Diversity and Inclusion.
   1. Is your OER accessible?  View OER accessible guides such as the QUBES OER Accessibility Framework. 
   2. Does your OER showcase a variety of viewpoints and cultures?  View OER equity guides such as the BranchEd Equity Rubric for OER Evaluation. 
4. Where to share? There are a number of repositories accepting OER. They usually have submission criteria concerning licensing, format type, and resource quality. 

Create, Remix and Publish Content

Truly open content can be remixed and shared. This offers an opportunity for publication. To pass along the benefits of open publication, publishing your original work with the appropriate licensing and easily adaptable formats is encouraged, though not always necessary. Many tools are available, including tools that are free to use, to facilitate the creation of OER. Openly available tools are listed below. 

Additional Resources for Publication

Open means that OERs can be freely adapted or changed with proper attribution.