Evaluating OER
When evaluating OER, it’s useful to consider its relevance, accuracy, production quality, accessibility, interactivity, and licensing. The criteria below are adapted from “Faculty Guide for Evaluating Open Education Resources” by BCCampus OpenEd Resources (BCOER), which is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Relevance
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Does the information directly address one or more of the class objectives?
Accuracy
- Is the information accurate? Are there major content errors or omissions?
- Are there spelling errors or typos?
- Has the material been peer reviewed?
Production Quality
- Is the way the information is presented clear and understandable?
- Is the layout and interface easy to navigate?
- Do the design features enhance learning?
- For multimedia resources, are the audio/video quality high?
Accessibility
- Is the resource available in alternative formats (e.g. .doc or .odf)?
- For audio or video resources, is there a transcript or subtitles?
Interactivity
- Does the resource encourage active learning and class participation? If not, how will you generate participation or active learning?
- Are there opportunities for students to test their understanding of the material (e.g. a video with embedded questions)?
Licensing
- Does the license allow for educational reuse of the materials?
- Does the license allow modifications or adaptations of the materials? If so, can you modify the resource to better fit the class objectives or encourage active learning?