There is a misconception that OER are not subject to the same editorial and/or peer reviewed process as traditional publications.
In actuality, many open access journals are peer-reviewed and there is a growing body of OER that are refereed by instructors.
Interestingly, a 2015-2016 research study* found that over 70% of faculty surveyed said that open resources offer the same or better quality as traditional textbooks and many faculty preferred open resources because they can be adapted to their needs and are more likely to be updated.
*Babson Survey Research Group. (2016). Opening the Textbook: Open Education Resources in U.S.
Higher Education, 2015-2016. Retrieved from http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/oer.html
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Guides and Lists
Faculty Guide
Faculty Guide for Evaluating Open Education Resources, BCOER Librarians
This is a very brief checklist with some suggestions to think about before using an OER. -
List of Criteria
List of Criteria for Evaluating OER -Affordable Learning Georgia
You can also download the list as a modifiable .doc. -
Rubrics
[Summarized] Rubrics for Evaluating Open Education Resources Objects
This 2-page rubric is a synthesis version of the eight (8) separate rubrics for the evaluation of OERs created by ACHIEVE.org.
It is meant as a ready reference for quick evaluation of an OER. (Credit: Created and shared by Rodney Birch of George Fox University.)
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Achieve-aligned Rubrics
Rubrics aligned to and adapted from the Achieve rubrics
- Developed by Pasedena City College the Shatford Library.
- Alignment to Standards Rubric
- Quality of Explanation of the Subject Matter Rubric
- Utility of Materials Designed to Support Teaching
- Quality of Assessments Rubric
- Quality of Technological Interactivity
- Quality of Instructional and Practice Exercises
- Opportunities for Deeper Learning Rubric
- Assurance of Accessibility Standards
- Developed by Pasedena City College the Shatford Library.
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. Use this link to view a copy of this license.
This is adopted from Achieve’s Rubrics for Evaluating Open Education Resource (OER) Objects, which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Use this link to view a copy of this license or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.
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iRubric
Questions to ask about the OER you are thinking of using.
This is a very comprehensive rubric that you can customize by creating a free account on the RCampus Site.
This rubric is developed by Sarah Morehouse with help from Mark McBride, Kathleen Stone, and Beth Burns is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
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A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing and Using Interactive Learning Materials
John Shank’s book, Interactive Open Educational Resources: A Guide to Finding, Choosing, and Using What’s Out There to Transform College Teaching provides a comprehensive guide for anyone who is looking for a complete book on the topic.
In Chapter 8 The Selection Process: How to Choose and Evaluate ILMs is particularly helpful in thinking through the process of evaluating resources.