Preparing effective OERs: granularity, re-use and re-purposing

Mark Goodwin, Suzanne Lavelle and Annette Cashmore

OER10: 22 March 2010

Introduction

Questions and answers

OER producer – YES!

• Open University: module author / editor → OpenLearn

• GENIE CETL, University of Leicester: Virtual Genetics Education Centre

OER consumer – NO?

• Open University: module author

• GENIE CETL, University of Leicester: convenor / lecturer – biomedical sciences

Reasons:

• Finding: searching → understanding

• Using: acquiring → ease of re-using / re-purposing [perceptions]

Introduction: OERs

History (focus/rationale):

• MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW): modules – lectures, tutorials, practicals

• OpenLearn: modules – distance education materials

• JISC/HEA OER Programme: technical, legal and procedural aspects

Purpose and audience:

• institutions – teachers: producers and users – students – ‘general public’

Granularity:

• learning programmes (modules)

• learning objects

• digital assets

Open Educational Resources

[A] BS2009 GenomesLearning programme: second-year undergraduate module (20 credits)

BSc Biological Sciences, BSc Medical Biochemistry, BSc Medical Genetics …

Components: lectures, tutorials, practicals

Specific purpose and specific users

• integrated set of linked components

• links to other modules (before and after)

OERs one element of course teaching (absence of ‘teacher’)

Problems with transfer to other contexts:

• teaching environments

• resources

Learning programme / effective teaching → poor OERs? (re-use)

Photo: Alison Mbekeani

[B] GENIE pipetting videoLearning object: produced by GENIE CETL for general teaching and outreach

Not tied to a specific module or programme

Component: video – available in streamed and downloadable formats

Specific purpose / no specific users

• single component

• no links to other components

Stand-alone element: content and teacher

Limited problems with transfer to other contexts:

• teaching environment

• resources

Learning object / limited teaching context → effective OER (re-use)

GondarRoyal EnclosurePhoto: Paul JacksonGondar

Photo: Giustino

OERs: learning programmes

‘Coherent programmes’

Finding

• easy to describe

• difficult to understand

• difficult to acquire

Specific application: context / users

• difficult to re-use in other contexts

• easy to re-purpose?

But … in identical teaching context

• easy to re-use

• clear teaching aims/purpose

OERs: learning objects

‘Discrete chunks’

Small (10 to 20 minutes of study time?)

• easy to describe

• easy to understand

• easy to acquire

Wide application: purpose / users

• easy to re-use in other contexts

• difficult to re-purpose

But … no teaching context

• difficult to re-use

• limited teaching aims/purpose© Jmol: Eric Martz and Angel Herráez

OERs: digital assets

‘Specific items’

Text, images and multimedia files

• easy to describe

• easy to understand

• easy to acquire

Wide application: purpose / users

• easy to re-use

• difficult to re-purpose

But … no teaching context

• difficult to re-use

• limited teaching aims/purpose

Conclusions

User process:

• find

• understand

• perceptions of ease of re-use/re-purposing

Two models

A: effective teaching (learning programmes) → work: re-use → poor OERs?

adoption model

B: effective OERs (learning objects/assets) → re-use: work → effective teaching

scavenging model

Evidence?