Supporting Open Textbook Creation
18
Stefanie Buck
Whether adopting, adapting, or authoring OER, there is a spectrum of approaches you can take. One end of the spectrum is the “do-it-yourself” (DIY) approach. The other is the “program” approach, which offers full-support services to your authors and adopters. These are two ends of a spectrum where a variety of combinations and support services exist. As a project manager, you will need to decide which approach to take and develop the appropriate workflows to support it.
The most basic DIY approach generally means that the author is responsible for the majority of the content creation and the production of the OER. This could include some support from you and your team, or it could be as basic as offering a hosting platform, signing the check for the grant or stipend (where applicable), and/or writing out the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). An MOU or similar agreement is highly recommended regardless of where on the spectrum you fall. On the other end is the full-service approach, which could mean anything from providing guidance on using the publishing platform, providing support services such as image creation or searching for OER materials, to building the actual OER itself. The program approach is more of a service, where authors are responsible for the content, but the editing, building, and/or managing the OER are benefits your team offers. Both approaches require a significant time commitment from the author and the project manager, even at the DIY level (See Chapter 16, Project Management).
Choosing the Right Approach
The approach you choose will depend primarily on the resources that you have available to you, including funding and staffing. If your resources are limited to the funds for a grant but no additional funding for support services or you have no funding, then the DIY approach will serve you best. However, keep in mind that you will have less control over the final product, and your role will be primarily that of encouraging the faculty to keep the project moving and offering whatever level of support you have determined in your MOU. In the “program” approach, you will be providing more services and support to your author. You may be creating the content in the publishing platform or offering copyediting services to your authors. You may have a team, including a graphic designer or instructional designer, to assist in the creation of the final product. You will have more control over the final product since you and your team will probably be doing the actual build or creation of the OER. You will more easily be able to work accessibility and usability into the final product and have more control over quality, but it will take more time and effort on your part and that of your team.
Services
Before taking on your first OER project, you should consider what kind of approach you want to take and what services you will be offering to assist authors in coordinating or creating the