Post on 28-Oct-2014
description
Introduction to Open Educational Resources (OERs)
Gabi Witthaus (Beyond Distance Research Alliance, University of Leicester)
With
Dr Dave Humphreys (Open University)
European Foundation for Quality in e-Learning UNIQUe Award
Learning Technologist ofthe Year 2009: Team Award
Beyond Distance RESEARCH ALLIANCE
2
Where I am coming from…
Beyond Distance Research Alliance
www.le.ac.uk/beyonddistance
3
Where do you get your teaching/learning materials from?
TEACHERSA. I write them myselfB. My students buy a
text bookC. I find materials on
the Internet for my students
D. Other
STUDENTSA. My teacher writes
themB. I buy a text bookC. I find materials
myself on the Internet
D. Other
4
Answer on a scale of 0-3
A. How well do your existing materials cover the syllabus?
B. How suitable are your materials for you/ your students?
C. Do your materials encourage you/ your students to think critically?
D. Do your materials help you/ your students to develop good study skills?
0= Not at all1= A little2= Enough3= Very well
5
What are Open Educational Resources (OERs)?
Digitised materials offered freely and
openly for educators, students and
self-learners to use and reuse for
teaching, learning and research.’
(OECD)
7
Where can I get OERs?• University of Leicester (UK): www.le.ac.uk/oer • Open University (UK): http://openlearn.open.ac.uk • MIT (USA): http://ocw.mit.edu • JorumOpen (UK universities): http://open.jorum.ac.uk• MERLOT (mainly USA institutions): www.merlot.org • OER Commons (global): www.oercommons.org • iTunes U (global multimedia repository):
www.apple.com/education/itunes-u• University of Cape Town (for Geology OER sites) http://
libguides.lib.uct.ac.za/content.php?pid=64392&sid=546452
… and many others…
13
iTunes U for multimedia OERs from global sources
www.apple.com/education/itunes-u
14
Where did the money come from for these repositories?
• Some institutions pay for OERs themselves – good marketing
• Large foundations (e.g. Hewlett Foundation)• Government-funded: many UK OER projects
funded by JISC and Higher Education Academy
15www.le.ac.uk/otter www.le.ac.uk/ostrich
16
Questions?
Photo by Corrie on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33370236@N06/3845669785/
17
How can I be sure about the quality of OERs?
Think about:• Institutional reputation and expertise in a
given discipline or subject• Author’s profile and expertise in a given
subject area • Also see if there are any ratings available on
the OER site• Check date of publication – not too long ago
Reuse/ Repurposing
OER Search: Some tips1. Try different OER repositories & aggregators.2. Identify your search terms. 3. Note that some smaller repositories do not
have search box – you can only browse.4. Try out ‘advanced search’ where offered. You
may be able to search using “…”5. Modify your search terms if necessary.6. Scan the list of results from your search
before opening items. 20
Browsing potentially useful OERs: Some tips
1. Check OER format – is it text (MS Word, RTF, PDF), audio (MP3, WAV), video (MP4) or flash animation? Make sure it’s what you want.
2. See if you have the option to ‘view OER’ before downloading. This can save time.
3. To see the whole OER, see if there is a ‘print version’.
4. Check the OER licence. What are you allowed to do with this OER?
21
22
OER Search Workshop
Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/94483995@N00/3759591702/
OER Review: Some tips1. How well does the resource align with the
content, skills and outcomes of your course?2. What changes do you need to make to the
OER (e.g. Translation? Simplifying? Removing sections? Adding your own sections?)
3. Do you have the time and the resources to make those changes?
4. How can you collaborate with colleagues on OERs?
23
24
Answer on a scale of 0-3
A. Did you find any OERs that you can use in your teaching/ learning?
B. Will you spend further time searching for OERs?C. Would you like to make OERs yourself?D. Do you think students could benefit from OERs
without the help of their teachers?E. Will you change anything in your teaching/
learning as a result of this workshop?
0= No.1= Maybe.2= Yes.3= Yes, definitely!
25
What kinds of problems do you think OERs might create for you?
Photo by Sebastiano Pitruzzello on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25196025@N00/494169708
26
What kinds of problems do you think OERs might solve for you?
Photo by loungerie on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/97041449@N00/3415698043/
27
Evaluation
1. Today I learned…2. Today I liked…3. Today’s session could have been
improved by…4. Other comments:
28
29
Contact
Gabi Witthaus
Beyond Distance Research Alliance
www.le.ac.uk/beyonddistance
E-mail: Gabi.Witthaus@le.ac.uk
Tel: +44-116-252-5745
30
Follow the Sun: Online Learning Futures Festival
13–15 April 2011Three countries, three time zones: this non-stop, global, online conference will begin in Leicester (UK) on Wed 13 April, continue in Seattle (USA), and conclude in Toowoomba (Australia) 48 hours later.
www.tinyurl.com/followthesun