What is OER?Textbooks & Libraries to Creative Commons & Repositories

Using Open Educational Resources in an Open Access WorldOctober 21, 2014

Note from mom

“Tracy is normally much more creative. She learned how to share when her sister was borne. But, for the most part she liked to do her own thing. Definitely more of a original fort builder than a Barbie Townhouse kind of gal. Today I’ve given her the okay to be “less” original.” Tracy’s mom

What is Open Educational Resources?

• Combine with other OER

• Share with others

• Adapt, modify, improve

• Make a copy and use it

Reuse Revise

RemixRedistribute

Open Educational Resources are educational materials that provide users with the “4R permissions.”

“What are Open Educational Resources” http://www.lumenlearning.com/oer

Why should I care about it?

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/craig_martell/2906140506

Someone may have already created just what you are looking for!

Questions to Ask Yourself First

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eleaf/2536358399

Curation: Finding & Evaluating

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/denverjeffrey/2561885967

Search

Find

Evaluate

Repurpose

Search• Key words• What sort of resource• What’s going to be reliable

Search

Find

Evaluate

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaffne/7000395130

Find

• Don’t just share – add context• Provide relevance to your students• Make sure you evaluate it

Search

Find

Evaluate

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rg69olds/9433289760

EvaluateSearch

Find

Evaluate

Below Expectations Meets Expectations Exceed ExpectationsLearning Objectives The resources is not aligned or

marginally aligned with the learning objectives or needs of the students

The resource is aligned with the learning objectives or needs of the students

The resource is ideally matched to the learning objectives or needs of the students

Conditions of Use The copyright / fair use do not meet the requirements for my use of this resource

The copyright / fair use does meet my requirements for my use of this resource. More open would be preferable

The copyright / fair use is ideal for my requirements for my use of this resource

Accessible The resource is not accessible for my students with or without modifications.

The resource is accessible for my students, with modification with tools I have available

The resource is accessible as it and will not require any additional modification

Rated or Endorsed Rating or endorsements are missing or negative

Rating or endorsement are present and positive

Rating or endorsements are positive from reliable sources

Easy as 1, 2, 3. . .4?

Red Flags

What makes you the most nervous about OER?Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rvw/116017204

Permissions?

www.masternewmedia.org

Graphic Credit: http://itg.emerson.edu/word/tag/fair-use/

Where do I start?

Characteristics of an OER Repository

Exploration OER• Find some video, presentation or graphic that will enhance a

learning objective of yours. • Students will learn how salt effects the freezing point of water• Students will learn some of the classic causes and effects of

hypothermia• Students will be able to explain the difference between Active

and Passive Voice

• Use the How to Evaluate a Good Open Educational Resource rubric to select the best ones!

OER at NIU

• Images, Media, Presentations, Primary Sources, etc• Blackboard Mashups – YouTube, Flickr, Slideshare• Content Collection

Tips for Introducing Active Learning Activities Using OER

and Sharing Your Own Content

How are students already using OER?

Photo credit: ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2013, https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERS1302/ERS1302.pdf

2013 Educause Study of Undergraduate Students

Popu

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71% of students have used OERs in past year

For every 10 students…

Source: ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2013, https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERS1302/ERS1302.pdf

Student Quote

“Sometimes taking notes and listening to a lecture [by] the same person can be like bashing yourself over the head with a textbook if it doesn’t make sense. But it’s nice to listen to other styles of teaching like Khan Academy. It gives a valuable perspective.”

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/9610353582

Study Recommendations

“Students recommend that their instructors use freely available course content, we found that most identified, at least vaguely, ways that they imagined bringing free course content into their studies: as learning aids, as supplemental information sources, and as providers of different perspectives on topics.”

Source: ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2013, https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERS1302/ERS1302.pdf

Students Seeking Out OER

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hackny/8049783061

Khan Academy

khanacademy.org

Stats Available on Progress

MIT Open Courseware

ocw.mit.edu

MOOCs (example: EdX)

edx.org

Open Textbooks

collegeopentextbooks.org

Tips for Introducing Active Learning Activities in Your

Course

Keep Your Course Objectives in Mind

•What is it students should be able to do by the end of your course?•What performance gaps or patterns do

you recognize among your students?•What activities or resources will better

help them develop necessary skills, knowledge, or attitudes?

What’s Working?

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Identify activities and resources you currently use to create key learning moments

Keep Your Eyes Open

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Look for activities or resources that might further enhance the learning experience

Be Explicit

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Provide clear guidelines and expectations for students on assigned resources and activities

Show Relevance of Resources to Learning Outcomes

Help students realize why resources and activities assigned aren’t “busy work”

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Keep Accessibility in Mind

Whenever possible select resources and activities that all students can access

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Provide Options and Alternatives When Possible

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If multiple resources or activities are available, let students choose from among several options

Let Students Contribute

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Consider incorporating activities where student-generated content can be a resource for future classes

Sharing Your Content with a Wider Community

How Widely You Want to Share?

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Choose the level of access you’d like to grant other users and how envision your resources will be shared

Share within NIU

The Blackboard Content Collection can be used to share resources with other NIU faculty

Blackboard xpLor

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Now Available -the ability to share easily with faculty from other institutions who also use Blackboard

Post Your Resources Online

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Upload your resource to a publicly-available online site and apply the desired creative commons license

External Repositories

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Consider submitting a resource you’ve created with one of the many creative commons repositories

Q&A

What additional questions do you have or comments would you like to share?