Selection of Development Technologies

One of the key tasks for each project author or team of authors is the selection of the tools that will be used for OER creation. There are a range of tools available that are both commercial and proprietary. For a more detailed discussion on some tools available, interested readers man consult any of the following resources:

1. Tools for Creating OER: Selecting Appropriate Technologies by Isaac Mulolani, under a CC-BY license.
2. The OER Starter Kit by Abby Elder, under a CC-BY license.
3. OER Authoring & Publishing Tools by University of Texas Libraries, under a CC-BY-NC license.
4. Modifying an Open Textbook: What You Need to Know by Cheryl Cuillier; Amy Hofer; Annie Johnson; Kathleen Labadorf; Peter Potter; Richard Saunders; and Anita Walz. Resource under a CC-BY license.

There are a few commonly used tools for creating OER available locally:

1. Pressbooks – The University of Regina has a local instance to which all faculty and staff can request free access.
2. Libretexts – this is a freely available service provided by Libretexts that provides editing and remixing capability among other options. Access to this platform is free to verified faculty/instructors.
3. TeX-based tools – for many people in the STEM areas, open-source TeX-based tools are more familiar and appropriate. This would include tools like Latex, TeXLive, TeXmacs, LyX, ConTeXt and PreTeXt.

Regardless of the authoring tool chosen, it is imperative that all projects are designed to be accessible for all students. The resources should also be inclusive by making sure that diverse images, examples and perspectives are addressed. The following two resources may be helpful:

1. Accessibility Toolkit – 2nd Edition by BCcampus, under a CC-BY license.
2. Improving Representation and Diversity in OER Materials [PDF] by OpenStax, under a CC-BY license.

Lists of Project Tasks

There are a number of tasks to consider as project development commences. The following is a list of such tasks.

1. Hiring student research assistants
2. If working on a textbook project (adaptation or new project), applying for an ISBN can be done early on in the development process. You can download the ISBN form [DOCX].
3. Making contact with individuals included in the project workplan, e.g., elders, instructional designers, etc
4. Providing regular updates on the project to the OEP Program Manager
5. Identifying potential peer reviewers for new textbook developments. This is required for all large grant projects.
6. For textbook projects, making time for copy editing of the content.
7. For textbook projects, there is a need to apply for CIP data from the Government of Canada closer to the end of the project. This requires submission of the following information to the OEP Program Manager:
   • ISBN of the resource
   • Title and subtitle of the resource
   • Author(s), editor(s), translator(s), etc.
   • Full name, date of birth, nationality of author(s), editor(s), translator(s)
   • Summary of the book
   • Attachments such as preface, introduction, table of contents, cover, copyright page if available

The last item, applying for CIP data, is usually submitted to the Government of Canada site by the OEP Program Manager. However, the information can also be submitted by the principle project author at the Government of Canada site.

Final Editing Requirements

For textbook authors, there are certain elements that would make a more accessible resource. Specific accessibility requirements are listed in the Accessibility Toolkit, Second Edition from BCcampus.  Also, the specific features pointed to here will make the resource more useful to its intended audience. These include the following elements:

• list of symbols
• list of acronyms
• glossary of terms
• appendices
• versioning history

All of these elements will help students locate and understand the content in the resource. Since projects use different development tools, authors will need to determine how their specific tool implements these elements. The versioning history provides a way to track changes in OER both for the creator and adopter.

Use of Digital Media for Engagement

In the last couple of decades, the number of digital technologies available for use in education has increased exponentially. The power and capability of computers has also increased significantly as has the types of devices that can be used in teaching and learning. Today, it is commonplace for learning to happen in a brick and mortar classroom, online, through a blend of face-to-face and online and more recently in a hybrid-flexible (hyflex) format. Higher education is increasingly designing learning environments to leverage desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smart phones. Students increasingly use an array of digital tools to complete coursework across all disciplines. Access to the Internet for research purposes has become a game changer for higher education. The massive amounts of information available in virtually all subject areas is at times overwhelming.

With the prevalence of all these technologies and the Internet of Things comes the Digital Divide. During the global pandemic, the digital divide became a major concern for those involved in all levels of education. With teaching moving online, internet connectivity became a major barrier for significant numbers of learners. In addition to this, an ongoing challenge is teaching students how to verify information  on the Internet. Another issue is training students to be competent in the use of the technologies used in learning.

Creation of open educational resources leverages a range of different technology tools. There is a growing number of commercial and open source tools that can be used to create open content. A summary of some of these tools can be found in the resource Tools for Creating OER: Selecting Digital Technologies. A key question is what do these tools allow the open author to create that differentiates OER from publisher materials? If open content follows the same process to produce the same content published under an open license, is there any advantage to the student beyond cost savings? Can OER be a lever to increase student success? Can OER address inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility in higher education?

Student Engagement

For OER to engage students it must leverage the use of combinations of media: text, images, videos, interactive elements. At the University of Regina, the Pressbooks platform is provided as a tool project authors can use for their projects. Pressbooks allows for the creation of content that combines the use of each of these media elements. Providing students with formative assessments with immediate feedback using H5P elements is supported by the platform. Other elements helpful to students as they go through a resource such as a glossary of terms, an index and list of symbols can all be created using Pressbooks.

Another option project authors have leveraged is to include students in the creation process – an open pegagogy approach. The University of Regina has two completed projects where students contributed chapters to an OER created as a deliverable for their course (see Decolonization and Justice: An Introductory Overview and Canada Speeches from the Throne). Students who participated in the Decolonization and Justice OER creation indicated their level of engagement increasing with the knowledge that their work would potentially be read by a global audience. They also indicated that they were able to demonstrate what they had learned and apply it in practice through the project. More information and examples can be found on the Open Pedagogy page within the Centre for Teaching and Learning site.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) have become critical in higher education. This is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. It is also in line with UN SDG #10: Reduce inequality within and among countries. Within any Canadian higher education institution, all students must feel included and that they belong. It becomes important to ensure that all content created through funded grants incorporate each of these elements. Our grants are funded by the Government of Saskatchewan who require all deliverables to be inclusive and accessible. In fact, the Government of Saskatchewan is currently working on the Accessible Saskatchewan Act that will make this the fifth Canadian province with legislation on accessibility.

For creation of OER, there are some rubrics available to help authors address the diversity issues in the classroom. Three of these are listed below.

1. Improving Representation and Diversity in OER Materials [PDF] by OpenStax, under a CC-BY license.
2. Online Equity Rubric [PDF] by Peralta Community College District, under a CC-BY-SA license.
3. Enhancing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) in Open Educational Resources (OER) edited by Nikki Andersen, under a CC-BY-NC-SA license.