Accessibility and Open Assignments
Open pedagogy views students as active content creators. It is an approach to learning through content creation. Open assignments, or renewable assignments, reinforce this philosophy. Open assignments include tasks where students generate content that is made accessible online. Multimodal digital content offers students various choice models in assignments. Like OERs, the content can be retained, reused, revised, remixed, and redistributed for educational purposes. Nevertheless, there are also accessibility considerations for employing open assignments.
While open assignments can inspire some learners to create more meaningful content for their assignments, they may be worrisome for others. The public presentation or publication of student-created content should remain voluntary. Considerations and deliberations on publishing student work should be openly discussed within the class to ensure students feel comfortable and safe in their learning process. Conversations should also consider published work that will be publicly viewable and connected to their name and any framework to maintain or update that information.
The publication of an open assignment can be rewarding for learners. Seeing the work that they outlined, researched, and edited be available for others to read, cite, and engage with can bring a feeling of accomplishment and inspire future research, career goals, and educational pursuits. However, the inability to reach the stage of publication can also be disheartening. Some faculty members who incorporate open assignments in their courses expressed concern about having supportive conversations on the quality of assignments submitted by students for potential inclusion in an open resource. Ongoing support for learners by instructor(s), TA(s), and marker grader(s) is likely to address this concern, as is having a clear framework of expectations and a built-in process for learners to get feedback on their work.
Peer Reviewing and Renewable Assignments
An effective strategy to enhance open assignments emerges by implementing peer-review assignments within the course framework. Students are then presented with an opportunity to further enhance the quality of the content and revise their work multiple times based on the feedback they receive from peers. Peer reviews and revisions reinforce principles of ungrading practices that augment and optimize the learning experience. It can also prepare learners to the process commonly seen in academic publication and during graduate studies. Nevertheless, this peer review aspect, complete with reflection and editing, requires time dedicated to support and to give feedback to individual students. Open assignments can take on many digital forms, from written essays to podcasts, videos, or games. Incorporating the development of accessible content in any approach as an explicit learning outcome within open assignments is crucial. By doing so, students not only contribute to the pool of accessible resources, but also acquire essential skills in digital accessibility. The trickle-down effect of passing knowledge about accessibility to future professionals is invaluable in advocacy for accessibility.
One faculty member utilizing renewable assignments in their course contends that reusing students’ content for multiple years is framed as a sustainable approach to assessment design, meaning that students will reapply, engage with, build on, and reuse content created by previous students. The reusability of open assignments allows instructors to employ previous assignments as examples, which is often an ask with learners, and demonstrates the changes in theory and practice in a discipline over time. They are also resources to build on, make changes together as a group of learners, and continuously update with new information.
Choice Models in Open Assignment
Open assignments can offer students various choice models in the way they digitally produce and share information. When incorporated in an OER framework, this can contribute to, and enrich, the multimodal learning approach and Universal Design for Learning. Ensuring accessibility for each content format demands thorough research and effort. By integrating accessibility discussions into teaching methodologies, rubrics, and evaluations, students can learn to develop their content in their preferred format while ensuring accessibility standards are met for that format.
Accessible Rubric for OER Assignments
Open pedagogy approaches are diverse, and creating accessible rubrics is an important part of the process. A conversation and clear communication about the criteria on which assignment will be evaluated and selected to appear in an open resource is necessary.
A well-structured rubric for Open Assignments often includes multiple opportunities for students to refine and enhance their work before the final submission which will appear in an open resource. This process can incorporate various stages, such as:
- Collective discussion of foundational criteria: The editing process can start with a collective discussion about what some foundational criteria for publication should be for the topic. This can include discussions about depth of analysis, organization and structure, grammar and level of diction, and multimodal aspects (like images or hyperlinks) that could be part of what they produce.
- Peer evaluations: Students can receive constructive feedback from their peers, which encourages collaboration and an awareness of different perspectives on their topic.
- TA and Instructor feedback: Teaching Assistants and Instructors can provide detailed critiques and suggestions for improvement, helping students better understand the assignment requirements and expectations. It is important to be specific about the feedback and offer in-depth guidance to ensure that students are meeting expectations for the assignment.
- Self-reflection: Feedback should be a two-way process. Students should also be satisfied with their own work and receive the support they require from the teaching team. Encouraging students to consider the feedback they receive and asking them what kind of support and reflection they need from you is one way to ensure the process is meaningful for everyone. This practice helps students take ownership of their learning and allows for a deeper understanding of their progress and areas for improvement.
Ethical Considerations for Students’ Safety in Open Assignments
One of the key considerations with Open Assignments is the publication of student work under their own names. While engaging with certain topics can vary in levels of risk for students, it is crucial to consider the potential consequences of making student work publicly accessible.
Open content can expose students to privacy concerns, political and societal impact, or even repercussions in their personal or professional lives. As educators, we must be mindful of these risks and take steps to mitigate them. This includes:
- Offering anonymous publication or writing under pseudonym: Allow students the option to publish their work anonymously or under a pseudonym to protect their identity and privacy.
- Allowing for assignment submission outside of the OER: Make sure that you are providing the option for students to opt out if they are not comfortable with their assignment being published as part of an OER.
- Obtaining informed consent: Ensure students are fully aware of the implications of publishing their work openly. Provide them with detailed information about the potential reach and impact of their content and encourage them to think about the potential impact of their work and to approach these topics with care. This will vary depending on your discipline and the context of the content being produced.
- Signing an Agreement of Contribution form: It is crucial to obtain students’ permission before publishing students’ work. You can ask students to sign an agreement to contribute form. You can customize the form based on the specific content of the assignment and any additional considerations mentioned in this page. Keep the forms signed by students.
Conflict of Interest in Open Assignments
In the academic landscape, there can be instances where a student’s submission may conflict with the interests of the instructor or the institution. It is essential to engage in discussions about academic freedom to address these potential conflicts effectively. Here are some things to consider:
- Clear guidelines: Have clear guidelines at the outset of the course regarding what types of content are appropriate for assignments. Ensure students understand the pedagogical and academic boundaries and the reasons behind them, while still encouraging creative and critical exploration within those parameters.
- Clear scope: Set the scope for the assignment by specifying the boundaries in terms of content and format. Review and, if necessary, revise the scope based on student feedback and the evolving needs of the course.
- Instructor comfort and responsibility: There may be content developed under your supervision that you, as an instructor, may not be comfortable sharing. In such cases, it is important to have a conversation with the student to explain your concerns and work together to find a mutually acceptable solution.
Encourage Contextualization
Contextualizing open resources is crucial both for educators and students, because truth and knowledge can evolve over time. Date stamping and versioning is a great way to indicate when information was current and when it was published. This can be particularly important in dynamic fields where knowledge is constantly evolving.
It is also important to recognize that assignments are a part of students’ ongoing process of growth, learning, and the acquisition of knowledge and that they are, in essence, opportunities for students to explore concepts, theories, and ideas within their field of study. There may be opportunities to demonstrate that growth and change in knowledge and context within the OER if that is meaningful to the content being shared. Future conversation should be had about who is responsible to update the resource over time, if anyone, and what support there is to update this resource going forward. If the OER will be a living, sustainable resource that will be added to semester to semester, or year to year that should be outlined at the beginning so expectations are clear and that they can see this resource grow over time.
