Open Education: For Authors & Adapters
A "getting started" guide overviewing open, editable, and lower-cost textbooks and open teaching & learning resources for faculty, students, and librarians.
Introduction
Open educational resource authoring, editing, and adapting is a quickly changing landscape. Here are a few guides and groups I've found that engage this topic.
Funding your Project (Selected Resources)
Not all projects require external funding, but most can benefit from extra help. Many institutions and states/provinces offer mini-grants, stipends, or grants for OER creation. This is a selection of funding sources:
Getting Started
- Project planning using the OER canvas tool (PDF)What do teachers and others have to consider when planning an OER project? How do you proceed? (Available in 18 languages at: https://education.okfn.org/handbooks/oer-canvas )
- OER Starter KitThis starter kit has been created to provide instructors with an introduction to the use and creation of open educational resources (OER). The text is broken into five sections: Getting Started, Copyright, Finding OER, Teaching with OER, and Creating OER. By Abby Elder CC BY 4.0.
- OER Starter Kit WorkbookThe OER Starter Kit Workbook is a remix of the OER Starter Kit to include worksheets to help instructors practice the skills they need to confidently find, use, or even create open educational resources (OER). We welcome instructors, librarians, instructional designers, administrators, and anyone else interested in OER to explore the OER Starter Kit Workbook. This project offers worksheets for teachers to reflect as they begin to explore and create their Open Educational Resources. In the Manifold edition, we invite you to reflect as you work through the chapters. You may do so in a number of ways. While logged in to Manifold, you can annotate privately or publicly. You may make a copy of the worksheets to use on your own or share the worksheets with a small group or even openly. The authors have provided Google Docs worksheets for hands-on editing.
Resources (for authoring and adapting/modifying)
- PressbooksMulti-format publishing platform. Now available campus-wide at Virginia Tech! See a Virginia Tech example here: https://pressbooks.lib.vt.edu/fundamentalsofbusiness3e
- EditoriaOpen source, format-flexible web-based editing and production workflow tool.
- LibreTextsOnline platform for the construction, customization, and dissemination of open educational resources (OER). Advanced features include: embedded multimedia, dynamic figures, Juypter, Hypothes.is, Print on Demand, LIT integration/deep LMS integration, OER remixer, and open textbook importing. More info: https://libretexts.org/advanced.html LibreTexts video channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP7H_PcHpiINWs8qpg0JaNg
- OER Commons "Open Author"Create resources with both instructor and student facing views. Host them in OERCommons.
- Jupyter BookJupyter Book is an open source project for building beautiful, publication-quality books and documents from computational material.
Helpful Resources - Creating Textbooks
- Rebus Guide to Publishing Open Textbooks (so far)The Rebus Guide to Publishing Open Textbooks (So Far) is a living repository of collective knowledge, written to equip all those who want to publish open textbooks with the resources they need. Representing two years of collaboration, innumerable conversations and exchanges, and a wide range of collective knowledge and experience, the Guide is a book-in-progress and will evolve and grow over time.
- Self-Publishing GuideSee also the blog about this guide: https://urls.bccampus.ca/6co The BCcampus Open Education Self-Publishing Guide is a reference for individuals or groups wanting to write and self-publish an open textbook. This guide provides details on the preparation, planning, writing, publication, and maintenance of an open textbook. (The guide updates/replaces the BC Open Textbook Authoring Guide https://opentextbc.ca/opentextbook.)
- Guide to Developing Open TextbooksProduced (August 2016) by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and released as CC BY SA. 66 page guide presenting technical advice for textbook development in a variety of platforms and formats.
- Authoring Open Textbooks: A Guide for People Who Want to Make Open TextbooksThis guide is for faculty authors, librarians, project managers and others who are involved in the production of open textbooks in higher education and K-12. Content includes a checklist for getting started, publishing program case studies, textbook organization and elements, writing resources and an overview of useful tools. By Melissa Falldin and Karen Lauritsen
- BCCampus Open Textbook Accessibility ToolkitThe goal of the Accessibility Toolkit is to provide the resources needed so that each content creator, instructional designer, educational technologist, librarian, administrator, teaching assistant, etc. has the opportunity to create a truly open and accessible textbook. An open textbook that is free and accessible for all students.
Resources (for authoring and adapting/modifying) in Pressbooks
- Pressbooks User GuideGuide to creating textbooks in the Pressbooks platform.
- Youtube "Introduction to Pressbooks"And more Youtube tutorials for Pressbooks: https://www.youtube.com/user/pressbooks
AND more Pressbooks tutorial videos (from BCCampus) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL50LJVchZ8-JQ-GC4pYmFraI_NIKdziVh
Resources (for authoring and adapting/modifying) in LibreTexts
- LibreText OER RemixerThe OER Remixer is a self-service tool to rapidly assemble a customized Remix from existing sources on LibreTexts' comprehensive and ever growing libraries.
- Tutorial for LibreTexts' OER RemixerThis tutorial will include both an explanation of the User Interface as well as a walk through of how to do basic tasks. To see it in action check out this video: https://youtu.be/5nYXuLBamco
Moderated learning opportunities
- Pub101Pub101 is a six-week publishing orientation from the Open Education Network. The orientation started in 2019 and learning modules are freely available online at this site. Please contact the OEN for more information: https://research.cehd.umn.edu/otn/membership-benefits/contact-us
- Rebus Textbook Success Program[$] The Textbook Success Program is for OER leads, librarians, and creators with institutional support. Experienced OER professionals guide participants along the path to successful open textbook creation. Course sessions are scheduled based on the cohort’s needs. The timeline will be discussed in your consultation. It’s all on the Rebus Community platform. Avoid mistakes and unnecessary revisions by following step-by-step guidance. Be part of a supportive learning community. Get the answers you need for your project.
Recorded Webinars or Presentations about OER Creation or Publishing
- Figuring it out together: Building foundational knowledge for OER publishingThe Library Publishing Coalition's Professional Development Committee coordinates a regular webinar series to provide opportunities to share knowledge, discuss on-the-ground experiences, and build on community expertise. (See all recorded LPF webinars here: https://librarypublishing.org/category/resources/webinars )
- Collaborative Platforms for Open Content Development (CCCOER Webinar)Hear from several stakeholders who have adopted collaborative platforms to streamline the process from course outline to delivery of fully OER courses and open textbooks.
- Seven Platforms You Should Know About: Share, Find, Author, or Adapt Creative Commons-Licensed ResourcesIncludes video, matrix of selected platforms, and links mentioned in the video. This session features live demos by expert users or creators of a selection of no-cost (some freemium) platforms and/or collaborative communities, including: VTechWorks, Merlot, Open Textbook Library, OER Commons, VT’s Odyssey learning object repository, Overleaf, Pressbooks, and Rebus Community for Open Textbook Creation.
Groups
- REBUS CommunityA community for creating and modifying open textbooks. Read more about it: https://rebus.foundation/projects
- Open Education Network (formerly Open Textbook Network)The OEN is a vibrant and supportive community that advances the use of open educational resources and practices. Members benefit from and contribute to the global open education ecosystem.
- Library Publishing CoalitionThe LPC is an independent, community-led membership association. The purpose of the LPC is to support an evolving, distributed range of library publishing practices and to further the interests of libraries involved in publishing activities on their campuses. The LPC defines library publishing as the set of activities led by college and university libraries to support the creation, dissemination, and curation of scholarly, creative, and/or educational works.
Generally, library publishing requires a production process, presents original work not previously made available, and applies a level of certification to the content published, whether through peer review or extension of the institutional brand.
Based on core library values, and building on the traditional skills of librarians, it is distinguished from other publishing fields by a preference for Open Access dissemination as well as a willingness to embrace informal and experimental forms of scholarly communication and to challenge the status quo. - Open Education GroupThe Open Education Group is an interdisciplinary research group that (1) conducts original, rigorous, empirical research on the impact of OER adoption on a range of educational outcomes and (2) designs and shares methodological and conceptual frameworks for studying the impact of OER adoption. We also teach courses in topics relating to open education. Our goal is to make the world a better place by increasing the affordability and effectiveness of education.
- OER Research FellowshipThe William and Flora Hewlett Foundation sponsors OER Research Fellowships to do research on the impact of open educational resources on the Cost of education, student success Outcomes, patterns of Usage of OER, and Perceptions of OER. This is the OpenEd Group’s COUP research framework. The OER Research Fellowship grants are administered and supported by the Open Education Group.
Utilizing Open Textbook Creation as a Pedagogical Tool
- Guide to Making Open Textbooks with StudentsA handbook for faculty interested in practicing open pedagogy by involving students in the making of open textbooks, ancillary materials, or other Open Educational Resources. This is a first edition, compiled by Rebus Community. Feedback and ideas to expand the text are welcomed.
- One faculty member's "Open Pedagogy" storySee also: http://robinderosa.net/uncategorized/my-open-textbook-pedagogy-and-practice
- Example from Dr. Jennifer KiddStudent-authored textbooks in TLED 301 (Foundations and Assessment of Education)
- Commentary: Let a Thousand Wikibooks Bloom [possible paywall]Is Higher Education Ready to Switch to Digital Course Materials? By Patrick O'Shea, Peter Baker, Jennifer Kidd. Nov 28, 2008. Chronicle of Higher Education. Sorry if you are hitting a paywall and cannot see the full text. Please contact your library or interlibrary loan for access.
Where to share your original works
VTechWorks is the Virginia Tech institutional repository, managed by the University Libraries. Its purpose is to highlight, preserve, and provide unrestricted access to the work of faculty, staff, and students, as well as the intellectual output of the university in its land-grant mission to serve the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world community through the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge. New user registration Questions? Contact Philip Young.
Open Textbook Library is a project of the Open Textbook Network and the Center for Open Education at the University of Minnesota. If you've created (or found) an openly licensed, complete, and downloadable textbook whose license allows adaptation or derivatives, please consider submitting it to be listed in the Open Textbook Library. Contribute material
MERLOT is a curated collection of free and open online teaching, learning, and faculty development services contributed and used by an international education community. MERLOT is a program of the California State University System partnering with education institutions, professional societies, and industry. New user registration Contribute material
OER Commons is a free dynamic digital content hub offering a suite of OER supports. Funded by ISKME. Contribute material and See "how to" videos and exemplars.
Wikimedia Commons and Internet Archive are two other hosting/sharing platforms.
There are many other disciplinary and institutional repositories and "referatories" which aim to collect, curate, and enable ease in finding openly licensed resources. Ask your disciplinary societies if such a repository exists for your subject area.
You will also want to make certain that you mark your work so that everyone knows up front about the intelletual property status of your work. Include author and license information, and make sure that the license on your work is machine readable (easy; technical). This will enable search engines with "usage rights" filters to find things you create. (For example: Google Advanced Search offers filtering by "usage rights".)