Supporting OER Adoption
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Abbey K. Elder
There are many reasons why OER might be difficult to locate, from content being locked in silos to a lack of consistency in the metadata used across repositories (See Chapter 4, Talking about OER). In this chapter, we outline a few places to start your search for OER and some tips for you to use during that process.The searching process may be handled by you, staff you supervise, or by faculty you have trained on the searching process. These tips can guide you through the search process, regardless of the individual executing the search.
Planning Your Search
Start your search by planning ahead based on what you already know about the instructor and course you are supporting. Take note of the following:
- Subjects covered: weekly topics covered in the course, and which topics are of particular interest to the instructor you are searching for or with
- Formats: the material types or formats that your instructor prefers to teach with, and any formats the instructor is interested in exploring in more depth
- Priorities: the most important criteria that the OER you find will need to meet, according to the instructor you are working with (e.g., the instructor might need a resource that is ready to adopt, available in a specific format, or that includes a particular focus)
- Minimum inclusion criteria: the minimum criteria a resource should meet to count as a successful find, based on your conversations with this course’s instructor
Much of this information may already be documented if you have had an OER consultation with your instructor, at which you should have received a copy of your instructor’s syllabus (See Chapter 12, Managing OER Consultations).
Search Tips
Use the Right Tool for Your Needs
If you aren’t sure where to start, use a metafinder that pulls in content from multiple repositories, such as SUNY’s Openly Available Sources Integrated Search (OASIS). If you are looking for open textbooks, try the Open Textbook Library or the Pressbooks Directory. If you are looking for videos, start with YouTube or Vimeo, which you can filter to search specifically for Creative Commons-licensed videos. A more comprehensive list of OER repositories and referatories can be found in Chapter 19, Hosting and Sharing OER.
Start Broad, then Branch out with Subject-Specific Terms
Use basic keywords rather than highly specific terms (e.g., “psychology” or “abnormal psychology” rather than “obsessive-compulsive disorders”). As you keep looking, use alternate search terms specific to the discipline you are looking for. You can identify terms by looking at the course syllabus or schedule provided by the instructor you are supporting. Weekly topic lists contain singular topics, which it may be easier to find individual readings for.
Save Useful Search Terms
Approach your search like you would approach research for an ongoing project. If a particular tool or search term provided you with good results, save those terms in your n