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OER (Open Education Resources)

Evaluation Process

Here are a few steps you might take in the evaluation process. If this process seems lengthy, think about the process you follow to review textbooks and other materials for your course. You can use a similar or modified evaluation process.

  1. Does this OER cover the content you'd like your students to learn in this course or module?
  2. How accessible is this content? Will it be accessible for your students, or is it too technical? Or is it robust and challenging enough for your students?
  3. How can you use the content? Verify the license that the resource is under. Can you remix or revise the OER as long as it isn't for commercial purposes? Who do you have to recognize if you use it? Will you be able to do so? For more help with this, please contact the library.
  4. Once you determine how you can use the OER, what would you like to do with it? Does only a portion of it apply to your class? Would you possibly want to combine this OER with another OER or resource? Does the library have access to articles that could act as supplemental readings? 
  5. As you collect more OER and other resources, save them in a central location. Take note of how you envision using them. Align these resources with the learning objectives and weekly lessons on your syllabus in order to identify gaps. 

OER Evaluation Criteria. Clarity, Comprehensibility, & Readability: Is the content, including any instructions, exercises, or supplemental material, clear and comprehensible to students? Is the content well-categorized in terms of logic, sequence, and flow? Is the content consistent with its language and key terms? Content Accuracy and Technical Accuracy:Is the content accurate based on both your expert knowledge and through external sources? Are there any factual, grammatical, or typographical errors? Is the interface easy to navigate? Are there broken links or obsolete formats? Adapabilility and Modularity:Is the resource in a file format which allows for adaptations, modifications, rearrangements, and updates? Is the resource easily divided into modules, or sections, which can then be used or rearranged out of their original order? Is the content licensed in a way which allows for adaptations and modifications? Appropriateness: Is the content presented at a reading level appropriate for higher education students? How is the content useful for instructors or students? Is the content itself appropriate for higher education? Accessibility: Is the content accessible to students through the compatibility of third-party reading applications? If you are using Web resources, does each image have alternative text that can be read? Do videos have accurate closed-captioning? Are students able to access the materials in a quick, non-restrictive manner? Supplementary Resources: Does the OER contain any supplementary materials, such as homework resources, study guides, tutorials, or assessments? Have you reviewed these supplementary resources in the same manner as the original OER?

Evaluation Rubrics, Checklist, & Tools

Attribution: University of Illinois, Evaluate OER  https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=246992&p=1645967

Open Educational Resource LibGuide by Jayna Leipart Guttilla and Illinois Valley Community College is licensed under CC BY 4.0