OER Repository Review: The Open Textbook Library

-

So, you want to find some OER?

In today’s post, I’ll be reviewing the Open Textbook Library (OTL) (http://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/).  If you are new to OER this repository is a great place to start.    It is currently one of the most well-known and well-developed OER collections available. The OTL is maintained by the Open Textbook Network (OTN) a collective organization of colleges and universities who’ve joined together to support and promote open textbooks.  The organization is led by David Ernst, PhD, Director of the Center for Open Education and the Executive Director of the Open Textbook Network (About Us, https://research.cehd.umn.edu/otn/about-us/). According to a 2015 article Ernst was driven to found the network by a desire to make college more affordable for students and to broaden the reach and usefulness of digital media.  He eventually came to the conclusion that expanding awareness, access and use of open textbooks was one way to do this (Summerfield, 2015, http://btn.com/2015/08/09/btn-livebig-minnesota-program-opens-textbooks-across-the-country/).  The OTN continues to grow as more institutions of higher education join and the OTL continues to expand as more titles are added to the repository of available open textbooks.  
The following review focuses on three aspects of the resource:  

  1. General Design and Appearance (GDA)- Is it inviting to the user? 
  2. Ease of Use (EoU)- how easy is it to search the interface? 
  3. Variety of Content (VoC)- Are a broad range of disciplines covered?
Each of the three areas above are assigned a numerical score of 1 to 5 with one being the lowest and five the highest. These areas of evaluation are not meant to be exhaustive but merely a starting point for thinking about and evaluating the most basic aspects of open textbook repositories for novice users.
Here are my findings on the OTL in for each of the three areas:

  1. GDA- The design is clean and engaging.  A subject browse link and a clearly marked search box offer users engaging, clearly visible and defined options for navigation.  The purpose of the collection is briefly and succinctly stated.  Scrolling down the page provides the user with left hand navigation links to subject areas, the middle column of page features the newest editions to the library.  The right hand column offers access to the most recent textbook reviews.  GDA score 4.5.  
  2. EoU- The database is easy to use.  Search results appear on the screen with images of the textbooks and short descriptions.  Choosing subject areas opens the list of texts categorized under available subjects with a thumbnail image and short description.  The “Read More” buttons next to each title clearly signal what the user should do next to find out more about the title and to access it.  EoU score 5. 
  3. VoC- The breadth of subject areas is very good.  The database includes selections from a range of academic disciplines. It includes titles for both United States and Canadian higher education. The resource stays focused on textbooks sources and does not veer into course modules, multi-media, or listings for ancillary materials.  The focus on textbooks is not limiting but rather provides a fixed search for users who do not wish to be overwhelmed with the totality of open resource.  The parameters of the database avoid bombarding the user with too many types of open resources, saving them from the hazards of information overload.  The subject areas are well organized, making the possibility of future expansion within subject categories seamless. VoC score 4.5.
The OTL is strong in all three of the areas evaluated.  Because the focus is on the textbook format it meets its goal.  I found no weaknesses.  Yes, some subject area offerings are still limited but as new resources are developed that meet the criteria for inclusion, listings can be easily added by the organization.  The criteria for inclusion in the database is also clearly stated on the homepage giving the user a clear idea of why listed titles are present.

 I recommend the OTL as a starting point for teaching faculty, librarians, and others who are new explorers in the realm of OER. I recommend it because of the breadth of subjects covered and the user friendly design. Ready to start exploring?  GO!  

Minnesota opens education with Open Textbook Network: LiveBIG 2016-17


Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 2, 2017 at 9:44 AM

    This is a useful library review. Others interested in Open Textbooks could use your review to inform their own projects.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Open Letter to U of A Students: Razorbacks for OER!

-
Image
Image Source:  Pixab y .   CCO Creative Commons Dear Razorbacks,  During the Fall 2016 term over 1600 students at the University of Arkansas were enrolled in Sociology 2013 a popular core curriculum elective.  The average textbook price was $141 for a new textbook, $106 for a used or rented textbook.  If open textbooks had been adopted for this high enrollment lower division core course significant cost savings would have been realized by students.  The chart below illustrates this.   Fall 2016 SOCI 2013.  Enrollment- 1678.  Data compiled from U of A class schedules and U of A bookstore.  There is a lot of talk on our campus and campuses around the country about the high cost of college attendance. Reducing the cost of textbooks is one way to lower the cost of attendance.  Open Educational Resources are textbooks and other course materials professors can adopt or create for use in their classrooms. These course materials can replace traditional textbooks in your
Read more

OER Creation 101: Quick Start Guide

-
Image
Image by Christy Sheffield, Flickr Today’s post offers some tips for starting your OER creation.The first piece of advice is don’t get overwhelmed by what may seem to be a monumental task.  Try not to think of your content in terms of the traditional textbook.  Think about your course, your learning objectives, and the content you want  the students to learn. This will help you focus on the most important elements of the course and create a resource that efficiently and effectively meets student needs.   Next, decide how you will create and publish the OER. What creation tool will you use?  Where will you publish your creation? Basic, widely available word processing programs are a great place to begin.  Theses include Microsoft Word and Google Docs.  Both are familiar and easy to use.  With the right forethought, either can be a useful creation tool.  Publishing platforms range from simply providing links to documents inside a Google Docs folder to uploading content onto pla
Read more