Best Practices in Designing Courses with Open Educational Resources

This book provides an accessible and excellent synthesis of best practices in instructional design with Open Educational Resources (OERs). It is essential reading for anyone wanting to harness the real potential of OERs for learning, teaching and assessment. A strong case is made for infusing OERs throughout the curriculum as part of a wider commitment to supporting an open educational culture. Thus, the book will be of strong interest to practitioners, educational leaders and policy-makers alike as the openness movement continues to challenge and help us reimagine traditional educational models.

Mark Brown, Ph.D., Director, National Institute for Digital Learning, Dublin City University, Ireland

In Best Practices in Designing Courses with Open Educational Resources (OER), Zhadko and Ko offer one of the most concise and approachable resources to OER that I have encountered. By sharing a range of perspectives from instructors across disciplines, and by offering practical solutions to common OER challenges, Zhadko and Ko have created a book that all instructors can benefit from.

Katie Linder, Ph.D., Research Director, Oregon State University, Ecampus, USA

The creation, management, and adoption of Open Educational Resources has been a cottage industry for many years and is now a maturing enterprise in higher education. This book provides a comprehensive educational roadmap to the many issues that administrators, educators, and students need to consider when planning and implementing OER strategies within their institution. Don’t fall into the "not invented here syndrome", but learn from the thoughtful organization and perspectives on OER presented in this book so you and your colleagues can improve, scale, and sustain your future with OER. Whether you’re just getting started with OER or have been at it for years, use this resource to reflect on your plans and actions to free learning for all.

Gerry Hanley, Ph.D., Executive Director of MERLOT(www.merlot.org) and SkillsCommons (www.skillscommons.org)

"Teaching faculty and those colleagues (e.g., instructional designers) who work collaboratively with faculty daily will appreciate the refreshing emphasis by Zhadko and Ko on practical OER implementation strategies for faculty who want to support better student learning through less expensive instructional materials but who are not themselves "OER purists." While eschewing unrealistic idealism as an unhelpful obstacle, the authors nevertheless align with the aspirational goals of OER and open education. Centering on the critical role of course design in OER success and offering much faculty-friendly advice, including a very helpful OER course planning document, Zhadko and Ko admirably address the broader context of institutional OER initiatives (e.g., faculty development, support resources, achieving scale, etc.). Going beyond content considerations, these authors also offer perspective on student experiences with OER and stay focused on how willing faculty can make the teaching and learning experience richer through the careful integration of well-designed OER. Perhaps most refreshing, though, is the parting admonition from Zhadko and Ko not to "oversell" OER if one is truly seeking to be successful."

Kelvin Thompson, Ed.D., Executive Director of the Center for Distributed Learning at University of Central Florida, USA, and co-host of TOPcast: The Teaching Online Podcast

"This is the book I wish I would have had to read when I first got started with OER. The authors provide a comprehensive look at the different types of OER, how to get started, and the ways in which various parts of the university can support this work. Throughout the text are examples of OER approaches from people in diverse disciplines and roles. It’s like getting to have a conversation with experts who have navigated the challenges and know how to leverage the opportunities. There are also abundant resources and tools included, which make it that much more possible to put the ideas from the book into action."

Bonni Stachowiak, Ed.D., Dean of Teaching and Learning at Vanguard University, USA, and host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast

"This book provides an accessible and excellent synthesis of best practices in instructional design with Open Educational Resources (OERs). It is essential reading for anyone wanting to harness the real potential of OERs for learning, teaching and assessment. A strong case is made for infusing OERs throughout the curriculum as part of a wider commitment to supporting an open educational culture. Thus, the book will be of strong interest to practitioners, educational leaders and policy-makers alike as the openness movement continues to challenge and help us reimagine traditional educational models."

—Mark Brown, Ph.D., Director, National Institute for Digital Learning, Dublin City University, Ireland

"In Best Practices in Designing Courses with Open Educational Resources (OER), Zhadko and Ko offer one of the most concise and approachable resources to OER that I have encountered. By sharing a range of perspectives from instructors across disciplines, and by offering practical solutions to common OER challenges, Zhadko and Ko have created a book that all instructors can benefit from."

—Katie Linder, Ph.D., Research Director, Oregon State University, Ecampus, USA

"The creation, management, and adoption of Open Educational Resources has been a cottage industry for many years and is now a maturing enterprise in higher education. This book provides a comprehensive educational roadmap to the many issues that administrators, educators, and students need to consider when planning and implementing OER strategies within their institution. Don’t fall into the "not invented here syndrome", but learn from the thoughtful organization and perspectives on OER presented in this book so you and your colleagues can improve, scale, and sustain your future with OER. Whether you’re just getting started with OER or have been at it for years, use this resource to reflect on your plans and actions to free learning for all."

—Gerry Hanley, Ph.D., Executive Director of MERLOT(www.merlot.org) and SkillsCommons (www.skillscommons.org)

"Teaching faculty and those colleagues (e.g., instructional designers) who work collaboratively with faculty daily will appreciate the refreshing emphasis by Zhadko and Ko on practical OER implementation strategies for faculty who want to support better student learning through less expensive instructional materials but who are not themselves "OER purists." While eschewing unrealistic idealism as an unhelpful obstacle, the authors nevertheless align with the aspirational goals of OER and open education. Centering on the critical role of course design in OER success and offering much faculty-friendly advice, including a very helpful OER course planning document, Zhadko and Ko admirably address the broader context of institutional OER initiatives (e.g., faculty development, support resources, achieving scale, etc.). Going beyond content considerations, these authors also offer perspective on student experiences with OER and stay focused on how willing faculty can make the teaching and learning experience richer through the careful integration of well-designed OER. Perhaps most refreshing, though, is the parting admonition from Zhadko and Ko not to "oversell" OER if one is truly seeking to be successful."

—Kelvin Thompson, Ed.D., Executive Director of the Center for Distributed Learning at University of Central Florida, USA, and co-host of TOPcast: The Teaching Online Podcast

"This is the book I wish I would have had to read when I first got started with OER. The authors provide a comprehensive look at the different types of OER, how to get started, and the ways in which various parts of the university can support this work. Throughout the text are examples of OER approaches from people in diverse disciplines and roles. It’s like getting to have a conversation with experts who have navigated the challenges and know how to leverage the opportunities. There are also abundant resources and tools included, which make it that much more possible to put the ideas from the book into action."

—Bonni Stachowiak, Ed.D., Dean of Teaching and Learning at Vanguard University, USA, and host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast