12. Evaluating Open Resources
Chapter Subtopics
Evaluation Questions
With so many freely available resources online, choosing OER can be overwhelming. The following questions provide some suggestions for faculty when choosing resources for use in the classroom. Some questions to consider when evaluating open content to include:
- Does the content under consideration cover the subject area appropriately?
- Is the OER content accurate and free of major errors and spelling mistakes?
- Can the license of the content be used or altered for the course’s needs?
- Is the OER clearly written and appropriate for the students’ level of understanding?
- How accessible is this content? Will it be accessible for your students, or is it too technical? Or is it robust and challenging enough for your students?
While many open materials are peer-reviewed by faculty or subject matter experts, the rubrics compiled below offer a variety of criteria and guiding questions to support your curricular choices.
The following rubrics range from very detailed and specific to extremely general. Two criteria, accessibility and cultural relevance/appropriateness, are considered in every rubric; however, the rubrics’ criteria vary from there and include topics like cost, integration with existing LMS, and opportunities for deeper learning.
OER Evaluation Rubrics
| Name & Organization Rubric | Criteria Considerations | Assessment Style |
|---|---|---|
| OER Evaluation Rubric |
Alignment to Course Objectives
Utility for Instruction Quality of Assessment Quality of Technological Interactivity Quality of Instructional and Practice Exercises Opportunities for Deeper Learning Accessibility |
Detailed rubric with 3 levels of scoring
Uses guiding question |
| OER Rubric |
Accuracy
Relevance Production Quality Accessibility Interactivity Cultural Relevance |
Brief ordered Checklist
Uses guiding questions |
| OER Evaluation Criteria | Clarity, Comprehensibility, Readability
Content and Technical Accuracy Adaptability and Modularity Appropriateness Accessibility Supplementary Resources |
Brief Ordered Checklist
Uses guiding questions |
| Faculty Guide for Evaluating OER | Accuracy
Relevance Production Quality Accessibility Interactivity Licensing |
Brief ordered Checklist
Uses guiding questions |
| Checklist for Accessibility |
Organizing Content
Images Links Tables Multimedia Formulas Font size |
Detailed Checklist |
| DigiTex Checklist for Evaluating for Evaluating OER | Breadth of Perspectives
Alignment Production Quality ADA Compliance Student Access Student Engagement Cultural Relevance & Sensitivity Licensing |
Detailed ordered checklist.
Guiding statements Comments |
| Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Audit Framework
Academic Senate for California Community Colleges Open Educational Resources Initiative (ASCCC OERI) |
Illustrations & Photos
Example Names Gender inclusive language & pronouns Credit to diverse researchers in the field Applications, examples, problems relate to diverse audience Appropriate Terminology Balanced perspective on issues |
Detailed framework with examples
Restorative Requirements Elements for Consideration |
| DEI in OER Rubric and Guide |
Information Equity
Design Equity Accessibility Check Diverse Perspectives |
Detailed Spreadsheet
Links to other resources |
Licenses and Attributions
Some Questions to Ask While Evaluating and rubrics are adapted from “Evaluate OER” by Abbey Elder, Iowa State University Library under a Creative Commons License CC BY 4.0.
Evaluation resources are adapted from Accessibility Toolkit – 2nd Edition Copyright © 2015, 2018 by BCcampus is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
Evaluation resources are adapted from UC Davis Library Guides OER Evaluate by UC Davis Libraries is licensed under a Creative Commons License 3.0.
