Open Educational Resources: Quality and (Re)Usability

OER Quality Checklist

You’ve found an OER. Congrats! Now you should go through a quick evaluation process to determine whether it’s right for your purposes. Research the following in your evaluation process. Also keep track of what might need to be improved so you can enhance the OER for your own purposes.

• Quality
  □ Peer review available or used
  □ Reputation of author/institution is transparent
  □ Pedagogical methods are sound

• Appropriateness
  □ Content is accurate
  □ Sources are identified and cited
  □ Alignment with a learning outcome or course objective
  □ Appropriate reading/domain level for your students

• Technical
  □ High technical quality (clear visuals, high production value)
  □ Accessible to all audiences
  □ Clear licensing declaration (Creative Commons License present, in the Public Domain, etc.)
  □ License to remix or share again

Source: Sarah Crissinger, University of Illinois Library

What Do We Mean By "Quality"?

What does quality mean when we're talking about OER? Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Accuracy of a resource
• Reputation of author/institution
• Standard of technical production 
• Accessibility 
• Fitness for purpose

OER should be subject to Quality Assurance (QA) at the time of release and on a recurring cycle to ensure it remains a quality resource. QA may consist of some or all of the following elements:

• Self-assessment performed by individuals
• Internal institutional QA processes 
• Community-driven rubrics and rating systems
• Comments from users who have reviewed or implemented the OER

Sample Rubrics for Evaluating OER