Session 2: Project Scoping
All, thanks for joining me Thursday! I have been thinking about Antoni’s and Barbara’s concerns about how to find the information they need. I know I personally struggle to manage new platforms and systems, and this is exactly one of the aspects of your project that we explored in our Project Scoping session. It’s important to think about how to organize your project in a way that works well for you and any collaborating partners. I’m including the most important links you need below:
Key Links
- Slide Deck
- Curriculum Hub
- Handout for Session 2
- Project Summary Template
- Rebus Community Forum
- OER Discovery, Evaluation, and Remixing Worksheet
This session started off with a brief overview of the different stages of the open publishing process. Knowing what goes into publishing can help you as a creator plan for the work involved. The model depicted in the slides is cyclical to demonstrate that you will progress through the publishing process in unique ways, sometimes circling back or working in multiple stages all at once, depending on your project’s scope. There is no one “right” way for all projects in our cohort, but understanding the different stages in the process, will help you plan ahead to better navigate those unique contexts.
Prior to our next session, please complete the activities listed on your Handout for Session 2 [link above], under the Homework Activities. This includes further working on your Project Summary [link above], posting your results to your homepage if you can, and starting to locate suitable OER in your discipline. Please note that the fields in the template correspond to the blocks on your Rebus project homepage, so make sure to update it once you have agreed on what to include! As a reminder in the template, you’ll consider:
- Title: informative for reader and adopter.
- About the project: Brief, highlight any unique elements or aspects about the resource
- Audience: Think beyond course/classroom about student accessibility needs, reading levels, backgrounds, contexts, etc.
- Significant Learning Outcomes: Phrasing Overarching OER Outcomes and more specific sub-goals can guide you in the location of suitable resources or inform you of gaps that you will need to fill.
- About the content: list of topics or concepts covered, plus a brief structural breakdown of the book or course materials
- License: Thinking about the permission you might (not) want to grant future adopters will help you define the license of your choice down the road.
- Team: list the full group of people involved in the project
- Support or funding: mention institutional support and/or funding if applicable
- Participation options: pathways to contact the team to get involved
- Measures of Success: short and long-term goals that don’t solely need to be quantitative
Another important part of the Project Scoping stage is the set up of systems and tools for your team to be organized and transparent, set up for live and asynchronous communication, and prepared to write/ edit/ format your OER seamlessly. If you haven’t done so yet, please finalize this setup in your teams.
Next week, we’ll continue to plan and finalize the vision for the project with our session on storytelling and communication. I look forward to connecting with you then again. Please reach out if you have questions!
