Development Process
Each OER project is different and it is rare that any OER adoption a turn-key process. While OER textbooks exist for many high-enrollment courses, the pedagogical design (or teaching style) and student population will vary.[1]
OER Production Framework
The following OER production framework, based on an instructional design framework, depicts the major steps that OER adoptions typically go through:
You can see the full Project Production Workflow on Google Drawings.
Incubator Phase
This step (described previously) is a quick readiness check to gauge a SME’s knowledge and previous experience with OER. They are encouraged to take the OER Prep course to help them learn about OER, open licenses and where to find OER.
Pre-production phase
This phase is an extension of the incubator phase, where the SME along with their library partner are working to complete the OER course map. This process entails performing an environmental scan for existing resources. If the SME locates a resource that meets the majority of their needs they are encouraged to adopt the resource as a pilot for at least one semester so that they can detail the gaps and changes they would make to any future adaptation of the resource. In many instances, ready-made OERs are not available for SMEs to adopt and then they proceed on with creating a project development plan for a new resource.
Planning is a vital part of creating a successful OER. Making a general timeline and design for the workflow of the project is important to ensure that you stay on track and have a realistic idea of how long OER creation and adoption may take. At this phase, ensure that you are simply planning. No new content should be created.
Creation or Adaptation ?
The term adaptation is commonly used to describe the process of making changes to an existing work, though we can also replace “adapt” with revise, modify, alter, customize, or other synonym that describes the act of making a change. If you are not adapting an existing work you are then creating something new. It is important to review the licensing on materials before deciding to adapt. Using information and media from an open textbook or other open educational resource are NOT considered plagiarism.
Adapting open resources can be a good place to start, and there are many reasons why you would revise existing work:
An adaptation can turn ugly, taking twice the time and three times the energy than you thought. To prevent from falling into this trap, consider starting small. For your first crack at an adaptation, decide to make a few minor changes such as:
- Removing the chapters you don’t need OR
- Adding an example or two from your current curriculum OR
- Including some exercises you’ve found useful in the classroom.
Start Small
Video: The Secret to my Productivity by vlogbrothers Transcript available on YouTube
SME’s are encouraged to attend training on copyright and accessibility at this phase. Also, they are introduced to the Studio team and information is provided about the types of supports offered.
Design phase
This step follows very closely after the pre-production phase. It focusses on adapting existing OER, and highlighting the gaps where content is needed. SME’s will outline their overall project needs for ancillary resources, visuals and graphics. Also, an overall style guide will be developed to guide the overall design of the resource.
Development phase
This phase will likely be the most time-intensive, as the new resource is being developed. In the Studio, we take an agile development approach where the content is being produced in it’s final form in increments as the SME finishes their drafts usually weekly. SME’s creating textbooks are given options on where they build their content. If they feel comfortable they can jump right into Pressbooks, or they can write the content in Google Docs or Word which is then uploaded or copied into Pressbooks. This phase also involves the editing and revision of resources. Quality assurance reviews are also done to make sure the resource meets accessibility, and copyright requirements.
After the content is ready to go reviewers are sought to provide feedback on the resource. Please see the reviewer guides in the resource section below.
Lastly, the author (SME) will request approval from their manager on behalf of Fanshawe College to openly license their creation. See the forms and guides in the resource section below.
Resources
Publishing phase
The final phase involves publishing and sharing the content that has been created. This includes creating exported versions, archiving editable files for those who might wish to edit your work (.doc, .xml, etc), and making any ancillary materials such as syllabi or lesson plans available. The new adapted or original OER content is then disseminated and shared with the open community.
Lessons Learned
- Cross-Training is very valuable in a design studio. Having individuals be able to jump into a project and complete tasks can help to ensure the project gets done on time.
- Agile development approach is also another valuable tool. In the past we took the content from the subject matter experts once it was complete and started to build in Pressbooks or the Open LMS, but is hard to address issues after the content is done. We now take an agile approach where we develop content in chunks alongside the SME. This means that any issues are addressed right away and not carried through the entire process.
- Training on copyright compliance and accessibility is crucial. All members should understand the process from the beginning.
- Project Management Tools are essential as well especially when juggling multiple projects. We now use Asana as our project management tool and the collaboration, and communication is much improved.
References
BCcampus Open Education Adaptation Guide by BCcampus is used under a CC BY 4.0 International license.
University of Alberta OER Starter Kit by Jemma Forgie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License,
- Planning & Completing your OER Project was adapted from Scoping an OER Project by Billy Meinke, licensed CC BY 4.0. ↵
