ABOUT OER
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who will guarantee the quality of OER?
This question is possibly reflective of a deeply entrenched notion of educational materials as being 'publications', the quality of which is controlled by educational publishers. This notion has been - and remains - valid but reflects a partial understanding of the scope and diversity of educational materials used in many teaching and learning contexts. It also reflects a false delegation of responsibility for quality to a third party. This mindset shifts into the OER space in the form of an unstated assumption that one or more dedicated agencies should take full responsibility for assuring that OER shared in repositories online are of a high quality. In addition to this being practically impossible, it masks the reality that the definition of quality is subjective and contextually dependent.
In the final analysis, responsibility for assuring the quality of OER used in teaching and learning environments will reside with the institution, programme/course coordinators, and individual educators responsible for delivery of education. As they have always done when prescribing textbooks, choosing a video to screen, or using someone else's lesson plan, these agents are the ones who retain final responsibility for choosing which materials - open and/or proprietary - to use. Thus, the 'quality of OER' will depend on which resources they choose to use, how they choose to adapt them to make them contextually relevant, and how they integrate them into teaching and learning activities of different kinds.
This task of assuring quality has been complicated by the explosion of available content (both open and proprietary). This is both a blessing, as it reduces the likelihood of needing to develop new content, and a curse, as it demands higher level skills in information searching, selection, adaptation, and evaluation. As institutions share more educational content online, they will want to ensure that this content reflects well on the institution and may thus invest in improving its quality before making it available in repositories. In the OER environment, quality assurance will thus be assisted by the development of such repositories, which will provide at least first levels of quality assurance.
But these investments on the part of institutions will simply serve, over time, to create more opportunities for finding good materials to use. The primary responsibility for finding the right materials to use, and for using them to support effective education, still resides with the institutions and educators offering the education.
Taken from A Basic Guide to Open Educational Resources (OER)
MORE INFORMATION ON OER
- What are Open Educational Resources (OER)?
- Are OER the same as open learning/open education?
- Are OER the same as e-learning?
- Who will guarantee the quality of OER?
- Shouldn't I worry about 'giving away' my intellectual property?
- How can education benefit by harnessing OER?
- What is the difference between OER and open access publishing?
- Are OER related to the concept of resource-based learning?
- Are OER really free?
- Where can I learn more about Creative Commons licenses and copyright?
- Where did the questions and answers in this FAQ section come from?
RECENT NOTES
November 12, 2024
Brock University’s Inclusive Education Research Lab and eCampusOntario have released On a Path to Open , a new report detailing key results from a study conducted with Ontario’s publically-supported colleges, universities, and Indigenous institutes about their capacity to support open educational practices (OEP). This report begins with an overview of open education and OEP, chronicles the development and deployment of the Institutional Self-Assessment Tool, presents results from an online survey of Ontario institutions, and closes with 10 practical recommendations. The full report is available here: https://www.ecampusontario.ca/on-a-path-to-open/ ...
September 3, 2024
The Canadian Initiative for Distance Education Research (CIDER) will be hosting a webinar on September 11, 2024, featuring Dr. Rory McGreal, UNESCO Chair in OER at Athabasca University, discussing the potentials of blockchain and artificial intelligence to empower micro-credentials. Empowering Micro-credentials using Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence Dr. Rory McGreal September 11, 2024, 11am MT http://www.cideresearch.ca/session/mcgreal-2024 The recognition and transfer of credits is becoming essential for students, as an increasing number of them are studying at different institutions, often at the same time online, in both traditional and unconventional settings. Micro-credentials can aid in this process by providing easily accessible and transparent evidence of skills or knowledge, certified by an authority, based on small units of learning. The development of Blockchain technology holds promise of becoming a useful enabler for supporting the storage and dissemination of micro-credentials on a global scale. Because of its immutability, Blockchain can be used to attest to students' accomplishments securely and privately under their control. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can facilitate the micro-credential assessment process as well as their maintenance and dissemination on the Blockchain. This session will describe the important features of these three technologies for higher educational contexts, and suggest how they can work together to improve learning for students, administration for institutions, and ensure security for both. Related chapter: Empowering Micro-credentials using Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence Registration is not required; all are welcome. To join the session, go to: http://www.cideresearch.ca/session/mcgreal-2024 ...
August 21, 2024
The Commonwealth of Learning has released a report on OER policy development, prepared by Professor Rory McGreal , consultant for facilitating the development of a draft OER policy for St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies, Trinidad & Tobago. The report is now available here . The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus (UWISTA), in a determined and focused fashion, has initiated a process to adopt a Policy statement on OER. This report contains an overview of the initiative, including the methodologies employed and the outcome achieved following the processes used in formulating a draft OER policy for consideration by the Campus authorities. As OER continues to gain prominence as a catalyst for democratizing education, this report can highlight UWISTA's commitment to the cause of OER and could also serve as a resource for the wider academic community and policymakers interested in implementing a similar policy supporting open access to educational content. The description of the process conducted, and the draft Policy that emerged from the consultations can offer insights into the strategies employed and lessons learned. Through this report, COL and readers can explore the UWISTA journey in OER policy development, with the hope that the experiences shared can contribute to a broader discourse on shaping OER policies in the wider Caribbean and beyond. OER Policy Development at St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies ...
August 12, 2024
The OER World Map has revised its user interface to improve user experience. The map has now been extended to take up the full browser window, with the search box and quick filter options revised. To browse the map, you can click on a specific country. The Map will then zoom in automatically to a state or region view. Now you can easily click on one of the entries (dots on the map) to view them. To see recent activities on the map, click on the menu tab Recent . To search the map for specific actors and activities, you can use the search box. The Search box is now more visible in front of the blue bar of the main menu in the upper corner. To find actors and activities on the Map, hover over the menu tab Find and the menu tab will open. Click on Lighthouses , Most Liked , or on one of the many options under the categories: Organization , Person , Service , Policy , Project , Tool or Event . For example, if you are looking for fellow teachers or researchers to exchange experience, then click on Teachers (under Person ). You will now see only entries on teachers. To filter for specific actors and activities, you can either use the Quick Filter icons on the left side in the lower corner, or the Advanced Filter function, which you can open by clicking on the arrow on the left upper corner. There you can filter for primary sector, subject or field of activity, for example. The OER World Map has been collecting and illustrating data on the growing number of actors and activities in the field of open education worldwide since 2014. Its aim is to support the development of the OER ecosystem by showing the most comprehensive and up-to-date picture of the OER movement possible. OER World Map ...
July 20, 2024
The OER Foundation (OERF) continues to develop and refine its web services through a tool set built around the "Fediverse" (the set of libre technologies tied together through the ActivityPub open standard). Through these services, the OERF continues to provide access to learning for tens of thousands of registered users and hundreds of thousands of anonymous learners. In this post , the OERF gives its update for July 2024 on its rich, complex, and cost-efficient set of technologies, their positions in the Fediverse, and how they contribute to the open learning services provided by the Foundation. Updating OER Foundation Web services for July 2024 ...
