Key Links
- Slide Deck
- Handout
- TSP Curriculum Hub
- MOU for Students and Faculty I forgot to share this example in our session today. This is a permissions form to use content.
- M.O.S.T. Summit Call for Proposals
- Session Chat (lots of good links here)
Our focus in Session 11 was all about the life of your OER after release—what happens when it is used in the classroom? How do you keep it up-to-date so it stays relevant? There are many possibilities for adaptation and growth that your OER allows, and building a community of practice around your book can help you to realize its potential This phase is an exciting one as you determine how your OER is being used, what impact it is having, and what ways to share this more widely.
We explored the basics of tracking the impact and efficacy of your OER with adoptions. As you know, OER are living documents that tend to change and evolve over time to better respond to the needs of you and others who are using it. As the resource takes on a slightly different shape, so will your role as creator.
Given the digital first nature of OER, it’s become easier to track when an OER is being used, but it’s harder to determine how it’s being used, which is why we suggest that you consider designing research instruments like student use surveys or interviews to better understand how your users are using your OER.
As you broaden the net, you might also want to encourage other adopters like instructors who teach with your OER to self-report via a simple adoption form. Be clear about why you are collecting the data that you are and what you intend to do with it. Information collection should be transparent and consensual. Make sure you link to this form from your book homepage and inlcude it in all other communications during the book’s release.
As you gain data, you might also get ideas for how to improve accuracy and how to keep your resource up-to-date. Anyone invested in the value of the resource has an incentive to contribute to maintaining and updating it, so be public about the work you’re doing on the book. it’s a best practice to make major revisions outside of academic sessions (summer) so you don’t disrupt student learning. Also create a public record of edits and updates in the book’s Version History.
The life after release is an exciting period to show the support that the community has towards the book and to see your hard work pay off. What starts out as just a project team in the scoping phase turns into what we think of as the “community of practice” around your book, including adopters, adapters, readers, and more, all around the world. It’s so exciting to see the real power of open collaboration and education!
Next week, we’ll be moving into our final session in Phase 1 of the TSP. We’ll be reflecting on the past 12 weeks and looking ahead to Phase 2. I hope to see everyone there so that we can spend some time as a group to look back at where we have come from and plan ahead!