3.2 In-Class

Starting with a Google search to locate OER can be an overwhelming process. The librarians facilitating this workshop are experts at finding resources and they will be on hand to assist you as you start searching for OER. They cannot promise that you will leave this workshop with all the OER that you need for your course, but they will help you to locate the OER that is currently available for your subject.

Activity 1: Sorting Resources

In teams, you will be sorting a set of resources into public domain, copyright, or Creative Commons categories. This activity will test your understanding of the resource types you will encounter in your search. You will be competing to see which group places the most resources in the correct categories.

Activity 2: Using Criteria to Evaluate OER

In a team you will review two established criteria for OER evaluation:

1. The Open Textbooks Review Criteria was developed at BCcampus, a major OER initiative in British Columbia, Canada.

2. The Interactive Learning Materials Criteria was developed to evaluate materials with higher levels of student engagement than traditional textbooks.

Go to the OER Review Criteria Template to view both criteria.

Discuss the criteria and consider the following questions:

• Are the criteria relevant to your subject area or needs?

• Does it cover all aspects of evaluating teaching materials in your area?

• Would you add or modify the criteria in any way?

Each group will briefly summarize their discussion and present any proposals for modifying the criteria to the class.

The BCcampus also developed a faculty guide for evaluating OER in a checklist format for ease of use.

• Faculty Guide for Evaluating Open Education Resources Checklist

Activity 3: Open Textbook Library Review

The Open Textbooks Library is a catalog of free, peer-reviewed, openly-licensed textbooks supported by the Open Textbooks Network, a growing network of higher-education institutions across the U.S. supporting the adoption of open textbooks. The UHCC system is a consortia member of OTN. The Open Textbook Library uses the Open Textbooks Review Criteria for its textbook reviews.

Go to the Open Textbooks Library and browse their catalog. Look for a peer-reviewed title, preferably in your subject area, and read one or two of the reviews. Then briefly browse the table of contents and one chapter of an open textbook.

Consider the following questions:

• How helpful was the review you read?

• How important is it to have a peer review available to you?

• Did your opinion of the textbook differ from the review?