Introduction
Understanding Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational Practices (OEP)
Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely accessible, openly licensed materials designed to support teaching, learning, and assessment. These resources are created with open licenses—such as those provided by Creative Commons—allowing educators and learners to legally use, adapt, and share content.
Examples of OER include:
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Text-Based Resources:
– Open textbooks
– Lecture notes
– Case studies
– Study guides -
Media and Multimedia:
– Educational videos
– Images and diagrams
– Podcasts
– Infographics -
Interactive and Digital Tools:
– Quizzes and assessments
– Slide presentations
– Educational games
– Online modules
These resources provide the foundation for more open and collaborative approaches to teaching and learning.
Open Educational Practices (OEP) refer to the pedagogical strategies that make use of OER to enhance the quality of education. OEP emphasizes participatory, inclusive, and collaborative approaches to teaching, aiming to transform how education is designed and delivered.
Examples of OEP activities include:
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Curriculum and Instruction:
– Creating open textbooks in collaboration with students
– Encouraging students to find and adapt OER materials
– Co-developing case studies with student input
– Students creating their own study guides -
Assessment and Engagement:
– Student-produced video tutorials
– Peer-reviewed student-generated quizzes and assignments
– Podcasts created by students with collaborative feedback
– Infographics designed by students to explain key topics -
Community and Collaboration:
– Joint lesson planning with educators across institutions
– Group slide presentations created by students in cross-institutional teams
– Student-designed educational games to reinforce learning
– Online modules developed by students using diverse instructional strategies
In essence, while OER provides the resources, OEP provides the framework for using those resources in innovative, collaborative, and learner-centered ways. Together, they empower both educators and students to become co-creators of knowledge in an open and inclusive educational ecosystem.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your New Open Educational Resource (OER)
A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your New Open Educational Resource (OER)
Creating an OER involves thoughtful planning, development, and ongoing engagement. This guide outlines 10 essential steps to help you design, share, and refine a high-quality open educational resource.
Step 1: Define the Purpose of Your OER
Identify the topic, establish clear learning objectives, and determine your target audience. Consider what learners should know or be able to do after engaging with your resource.
Step 2: Explore Existing OER for Inspiration
Research open educational platforms to see what resources already exist. Analyzing current materials can spark ideas and help you identify gaps your resource might fill.
Step 3: Plan the Content and Structure
Outline the organization, format, and types of content you want to include (e.g., text, videos, quizzes). Refer to examples of OER formats such as open textbooks, educational games, or multimedia presentations.
Step 4: Create Your OER Content
Develop original or adapted materials to suit your teaching goals. Use widely supported digital formats such as PDF, MP4, JPEG, GIF, XML, or HTML to ensure compatibility and accessibility.
Step 5: Ensure Accessibility
Design your content with inclusivity in mind. Use clear formatting, add captions to videos, include alternative text for images, and ensure that language is inclusive and understandable to all learners.
Step 6: Apply an Open License
Assign a Creative Commons license (e.g., CC BY) to your resource. This allows others to legally use, adapt, and share your work while giving you appropriate credit.
Step 7: Review and Edit Your OER
Before publishing, thoroughly check your content for accuracy, clarity, grammar, and functionality. Seek feedback from peers or colleagues to improve quality and usability.
Step 8: Publish Your OER Online
Submit your completed resource to the appropriate platform or moderator for upload. Follow any submission guidelines provided by the host platform (see publishing guide if needed).
Step 9: Promote and Share Your OER
Use social media, educator networks, institutional platforms, and professional communities to share your resource and encourage its use and adaptation by others.
Step 10: Update and Innovate Over Time
Continue improving your OER by incorporating user feedback, updating content with new developments, and experimenting with new formats or approaches to enhance learning.
By following these steps, you contribute to a growing global community of educators dedicated to open, accessible, and collaborative learning.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your New Open Educational Practice (OEP)
Open Educational Practices (OEP) focus on learner-centered, participatory approaches that engage students as co-creators of knowledge. This guide provides ten essential steps for designing and implementing your own OEP.
Step 1: Identify the Learning Goal
Define what you want students to learn and consider how openness can enhance their learning experience. Clear objectives will help shape the overall structure of your OEP.
Step 2: Choose Your Open Pedagogical Approach
Select an approach that actively involves learners as contributors to knowledge creation. Examples include co-creation of content, open assignments, peer review, and student-led projects.
Step 3: Select Collaborative Tools and Platforms
Choose open or collaborative tools that support interaction and participation (e.g., Google Docs, Padlet, WordPress, wikis). These tools will facilitate the open and social aspects of learning.
Step 4: Design the Learning Activity or Project
Create a student-centered task that aligns with your learning goals and encourages creativity and engagement. Examples include creating infographics, podcasts, open textbooks, or educational games (see OEP examples above).
Step 5: Introduce Open Licensing
Teach students about Creative Commons licensing and guide them in choosing an appropriate license for their work. This ensures that their outputs can be legally shared and reused.
Step 6: Facilitate Collaboration and Co-Creation
Encourage peer-to-peer interaction, team-based projects, and the sharing of ideas. Foster a sense of community and openness throughout the learning process.
Step 7: Support and Scaffold Student Learning
Provide guidance at every stage—research, content creation, feedback, and revision. Help students reflect on their learning journey and navigate challenges.
Step 8: Publish or Share Student Work Publicly
Encourage learners to make their final outputs available through open platforms such as institutional repositories, class websites, YouTube, or OER portals. This gives authentic purpose and audience to their work.
Step 9: Reflect on the Experience
Create opportunities for both students and educators to reflect on the process of working openly. Discuss what was learned, what challenges arose, and how openness affected the learning experience.
Step 10: Revise and Innovate
Collect feedback, evaluate the effectiveness of the practice, and identify areas for improvement. Use what you learn to enhance future OEP implementations and keep your approach evolving.