Modifications
Digital First
Open Educational Resources (OER) are inherently dynamic, allowing ongoing edits, revisions, and modifications. The OER Design Studio emphasizes a Digital First strategy, prioritizing the digital format of these resources. As a result, the digital versions are enriched with media and interactive elements unavailable in printed versions.
Tracking Modifications
To accommodate students who wish to have a printed version, the following process will be followed concerning modifications to avoid significant changes during the course delivery. This process applies only to OER created by the OER Design Studio, as we do not have any control over modifications or changes to OER created by others.
To make modifications, faculty authors are asked to complete the OER revisions spreadsheet while teaching the course. The revisions listed in the spreadsheet must provide details of the changes to be made and the location of the changes.
- Once you open the spreadsheet, go to File – and then save as or download a copy. This will be your version for your course.
The author must provide notice of anticipated changes one month before the semester’s end so the Studio can resource the work required to make the modifications. The Studio will review the list and classify it as a major or minor revision process.
The Studio will connect with the faculty author and provide an estimate of the time required to complete the work, as well as a timeline. If the revisions are significant, the academic manager must approve the timeline. Revisions will take place during the interim weeks to avoid any disruptions.
Version History
All changes made to the OER will be listed in the back matter of each book under the section: Version History. See an example of a version of history in the book Talking Business.
Changes to spelling, grammar, and minor design changes will not be added to the version history, and these changes can be made throughout the year.
Significant Changes: New Editions
Significant changes will constitute a new edition of a book. The original version will be cloned and published as a new edition. Then, the following can be done concerning the original version:
- Keep all versions live. A new cover with the edition number will be added, and a note on the front landing page will be included linking to previous versions.
- Decommission the old version (don’t delete, unpublish), save a PDF copy of it and attach it to the version history of the second edition as an archive.
Please see the following table, which outlines some examples of changes that would constitute a new edition or changes to the existing version.
Changes to the Original Version |
Changes Constitute New Edition |
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