Although some repositories, like the BCCampus Open Textbook Collection, provide faculty reviews of the OER that they collect, you can’t assume that there will be a review available for the exact textbook you want to use.  Because of this, understanding how to evaluate OER yourself is really important. There are many organizations that have produced vetted rubrics for evaluating OER. Review the following list and select one that makes sense for your project:

• SAIT OER Evaluation Rubric
• Faculty Guide for Evaluating OER – A general checklist developed by BCcampus OpenEd Resources
• Open Textbook Network Review Rubric – A review chart used by University of Minnesota’s Open Textbook Network Library
• Achieve’s Rubric for Evaluating OER Objects – This rubric includes 8 core principles found in high quality OER
• iRubric: Evaluating OER Rubric – A general rubric that is well suited for individuals just starting their review process
• OER Accessibility Toolkit – A collection of accessible design best practices developed by BCcampus

All of these rubrics ask questions like, “Who created this resource?”, “Does the information presented in the resource align with my course learning objectives?”, “Does the resource meet minimum technology and accessibility standards?”, and “When was the last time the resource was updated?” Considering these issues can help you decide if a resource is right for your class, or if it needs to be updated or adapted.^[1]  Most of the criteria in these rubrics is universal to any learning material, while a few are specific to OER.  Let’s look at some of the more important criteria in detail.^[2]

Clarity, Comprehensibility, and Readability

The most ubiquitous standard in rubrics is: can the material you are considering be read and understood by your students? Although it might seem like a simple question, it is a necessary obstacle to confront when adopting a new resource for your course.

Content and Technical Accuracy

The accuracy of the content  is also a major component of its usability in the classroom. Be sure to check for technical errors such as broken links or typos. In most cases, content accuracy will not be an issue, but some older resources may require updates.

Adaptability and Modularity

Because of their open licenses, OER permit a wider range of (re)use than most traditional educational content; therefore, it is important to keep in mind how your chosen OER can be adapted. Modularity, or the ability for a work to easily be broken up into smaller pieces, is a preferred feature that improves reuse of content. If an OER has clear chapter and unit breaks, it can help other instructors more easily adopt or adapt resource for their own courses.

Appropriateness and Fit

Although there may be many OER available in your field, some resources may require minor edits or additions. Keep in mind that the open licenses of OER mean that they can be edited or even combined with other resources. This can be particularly useful if you would like to adopt a chapter from one OER for the first unit of your course but prefer alternate resources for other units.

Accessibility

No matter what resources you plan to adopt, accessibility should always be a part of your assessment process. Many publisher-provided homework platforms are not accessible to students and can cause unexpected issues. Similarly, some OER may not be optimized for students with visual or auditory impairments. See our Accessibility & Usability chapter for more details.

In Summary

This chapter provides you the tools you need, to know how to locate and then evaluate OER for quality and fit in your class.  If you have additional questions, your SAIT Library Liaison or the OER Librarian can help.

Attribution: “Open Educational Resources: How to Find & Evaluate Resources Online [Youtube]” by Abbey Elder is used under a CC BY 4.0 International License.

Footnotes