OER tutorial: A self-paced guide for faculty

In the previous module you were introduced to different tools and repositories to find OER's. In this module, you will learn how to evaluate the resource you find to ensure it meets your teaching and learning needs.

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• Identify evaluation criteria for OER
• Utilize relevant rubrics or checklists for evaluating OER

Evaluating OERs

Just like any information you plan to share with students, you will evaluate potential OER for their suitability to the task, and their quality. Along with the evaluative criteria you normally use for course materials, there are some unique criteria to consider when looking at OER:

• Licensing: Does the material have the appropriate Creative Commons license that allows for duplication or adaptation? If not, does a Fair Use determination indicate copying is allowed? (See Module 3 for more information on how to address these questions.)
• Peer review: Does the material have reviews from other faculty available? Although not all OER will have these, it's very helpful when they do, and can save you a lot of time.
• Accessibility: Is the material accessible according to ADA standards? We recommend two different resources for this:
  • If the material is a PDF file, you can upload it to Talon and see what it's ALLY score is.
  • If the material is on a website, use this guide to check some basic features like readability and formatting: Digital Accessibility LibGuide, University of Oklahoma.
• Use the evaluation guide below for a general checklist of evaluation considerations for OER.

As you use OER and discover the many benefits for yourself, you may want to dig deeper. Here are some additional resources you may find interesting:

Fanshawe OER Design Studio: Module 6. https://sites.google.com/view/fanshawe-oerprep/m5-finding-oer?authuser=0

Unless otherwise noted, OER Tutorial by Kate Cameron is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 2023.