8 Integrating OER into your Course

The easiest way to integrate OER into your course is to simply link to the OER that you wish to use in your Learning Management Software (LMS).  Students will be able to then link to the OER, where they can view it online and/or download or print a copy for themselves.

There is, however, a process you may wish to follow when looking to integrate OER into your course(s).

5 Steps to Integrating an OER

1.  Search:  Look through various OER repositories to find material(s) for your class. If you are having difficulty finding the right OER for your needs, consider enlisting a library specialist to help with your research. (See Chapter 9 for a list of  OER libraries and repositories).
2. Assess: Consider using a rubric to  evaluate the reliability and validity of any OER that you discover before making the decision to integrate them into your course(s).
3. Check: Once you find an OER that you wish to use in a course, double-check that the license of the OER is compatible with your intended use. (See Chapter 2 for additional information). Don’t forget to provide attribution where required.
4. Edit:  Make any changes to the OER that you deem necessary for it to be tailored specifically to the needs of your course. Is there any extraneous material that can be removed from the existing OER? Can anything be added to provide local context to your students? Would your course be better suited to having two or more OER remixed together?
5. Integrate:  After locating an OER and assessing if it will fit into your teaching and learning plan, it is time to integrate it into your course. Be sure to provide students with direct links to the material in your LMS so that they can access these materials before, during, and after your class.
6. Evaluate: After using an OER in your class for the first time, take time to evaluate how well the OER met the needs of your course. Did your student appreciate and learn from the resource? Could the OER be adapted in anyway to make the experience better next time?