This is Part 4 in the OER series. For previous parts and other posts on OER, click here.
When faculty are looking at what type of OER to use, a common concern is who is writing this and whether this resource is academically rigorous.
“Rigorous learning experiences help students understand knowledge and concepts that are complex, ambiguous, or contentious, and they help students acquire skills that can be applied in a variety of educational, career, and civic contexts throughout their lives” (Rigor, 2014).
This is quite a lot to place on any one aspect of a course. However, OER can contribute to a rigorous learning experience if “we view an academically rigorous curriculum as one that has high levels of student engagement and learning”. OER can provide this in terms of content (Nixon). But the question remains, how do we know that an OER resource is academically rigorous?
Many OERs have been written and peer-reviewed by experts in their fields, such as professors, researchers, and subject-matter experts. Foundations such as Hewlett, Bill & Melissa Gates, and the government have funded professional OER projects with full production teams and peer reviews to make sure the OER resources are just as good or better than mainstream publisher content.
When looking at an OER, explore the reviews and annotations that have been left by others to get in-depth knowledge of the resource you are looking at. Also look at who is using the OER and what classes they best serve.
Even if an OER is not as rigorous as you would like it to be, you still have the ability to edit it to your specific needs. Most OERs give faculty the ability to customize the material they wish to use in their course.
Check to see if there are any additional materials to go with the OERs, such as lesson plans or assignments. This can also give you insight as to how an OER is used and whether it can be rigorous enough for your class.
Just like textbooks, it is on the instructor or department to decide if the materials cover the content that will achieve the course goal. But with OER, you can go one step further to figure out what you want to do with the resource.
You should always ask yourself these questions when reviewing OER to decide if it is right for your course:
- If an OER does not cover all of the content, are there suggestions on what you can use to supplement the material?
- Is it worth the hassle of reviewing this material to make sure your students have free access to course content?
- Is the resource accessible to all students?
- And most important, will it significantly help students to reach the course goals and provide support along the way?
If you can answer yes to all of the questions, you may have an academically rigorous resource that will serve your students well.
References
Illinois Library. (n.d.) Open Education Resources (OER): Evaluate OER. Illinois University Library. Retrieved from https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=246992&p=1645967
Nixon, B. (n.b.). What every parent should know about academic rigor. Whitby. Retrieved from https://www.whitbyschool.org/passionforlearning/what-every-parent-should-know-about-academic-rigor#:~:text=Academic%20rigor%20to%20us%20is,of%20student%20engagement%20and%20learning.
Rigor. (29 Dec 2014). Rigor. The Glossary of education reform: For journalists, parents, and community members. Retrieved from https://www.edglossary.org/rigor/
Schaffhauser, D. (27 Aug 2014). 5 Myths about open educational resources. Campus Technology. Retrieved from https://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/08/27/5-myths-about-open-educational-resources.aspx