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OER Matters: OER, Curriculum and Articulation

Keeping OER Open

Introduction

To continue to expand the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in the California Community Colleges, it is essential to identify mechanisms for integrating OER into existing practices and policies. Faculty should be encouraged to consider OER as readily as they consider commercial texts. With this in mind, and as a means of responding to the resolution below, this document has been developed to address potential curriculum-oriented concerns with respect to the use of OER and to provide local colleges with approaches to consider as they incorporate OER into local processes.

Documenting Open Educational Resources Options in Course Outline of Record
(Spring 2019, Resolution 09.03)

Whereas, In the California Community Colleges, the course outline of record is the official document that establishes, among other things, the content, objectives, and instructional materials for a given course and is the basis for articulation;

Whereas, Both the California State University Chancellor’s Office and University of California Office of the President are on record establishing that the use of open educational resources (OER) that are comparable to commercial texts with respect to currency and stability does not jeopardize articulation; and

Whereas, Faculty who wish to use OER may be hesitant to do so if such options are not explicitly indicated on the course outline of record, and faculty who wish to specify OER on course outlines of record may be unclear as to how to do so;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges develop guidelines for how to indicate the option of using open educational resources (OER) on course outlines of record; and

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges encourage local academic senates to develop mechanisms to encourage faculty to consider open educational resources (OER) when developing or revising courses and to document the use of OER on the course outline of record.

 

Open and Honest

Ensure the COR is Honest – and Open

Honest

At many colleges, faculty are encouraged to include a representative commercial or “bound” text on the COR. Given that commercial texts were once the only option, it is understandable that there would be an interest in maintaining the presence of this traditional standard. In the event, however, that the stated text on the COR is the required text and it is OER, the COR should reflect this. Furthermore, where OER might be used for a course, this should also be stated. As a matter of principle, the COR should accurately document the resources that are or might be used for a course. It is important to keep in mind that the COR is not only the basis for articulation, but it is a form of communication to all who teach a given course. Consequently, documenting the option of using OER is essential for promoting its consideration and adoption.

And Open

One advantage of the use of a commercial text is the ready access to information about that text. If the only option on a COR is an OER that is not publically available, that open resource is effectively hidden. As it is critical that anyone reviewing your COR has the ability to review a representative text, ensure that one is provided. As a matter of good practice, any OER employed should be as readily available to students as a commercial text. As you strive for the normalization of OER, consider all elements of access to that OER – not merely integrating it into your curriculum. 

Making OER Open and Available

Today, many OER providers make OER texts readily available in various digital formats. In addition, access to a printed copy of your OER may be just a click away. If, however, you have combined various open resources within a Canvas course, finding a way to make that OER available for review – and accessible by your students before and after your course – may be a challenge. A new functionality of one platform, LibreTexts (LibreTexts.org), now offers a solution. You can export your OER from Canvas and have it imported into LibreTexts. In order to explore LibreTexts and its presentation of OER, go to LibreTexts and access the “library” for your discipline. In addition to offering a mechanism for moving content out of Canvas, you can also request that LibreTexts “harvest” an existing OER into its platform to facilitate customization. Contact the OERI for more information.

CSU/UC Articulation Statement about OER

Articulation Statement about OER

Seek Outside Assistance

Seek Outside Assistance

Sometimes the only way to effect local change is to bring in assistance from the outside. The ASCCC OER Initiative (asccc-oeri.org) is here to help you with your local OER advocacy efforts. If we can be of assistance, please let us know. (oeri@asccc.org)

ASCCC OERI Statement about OER

OER and Articulation

A long-standing concern about OER has been its potential impact on articulation. Prior to considering how to document OER in a Course Outline of Record (COR), it is important to ensure that articulation will not be impacted by its use. Fortunately, both the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) systems have provided the California Community Colleges with clear and definitive statements on this matter. And OER-related guidance has been integrated into the Guiding Notes for General Education Course Review (October 2019), a joint publication of the CSU and UC.

In a 2009 Rostrum article, titled “But Will It Fly? OER and Articulation” (https://www.asccc.org/content/will-it-fly-oer-and-articulation), the perspectives of the California State University Office of the Chancellor and the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) with respect to OER and articulation were summarized. The excerpts that follow provide an overview of what is – and is not – acceptable:

What’s a Textbook?

For articulation purposes, the term “textbook” does not refer only to boat-anchor compendiums of knowledge, often collectively written, and supplied by textbook publishers with a host of ancillary materials and at ever-increasing prices.

For articulation purposes, the term “textbook” refers to the primary required reading materials students must master in order to complete a course. It does not matter whether such a text is obtained from the college bookstore or via the Internet.

Other courses supplement a primary text with additional required texts; a U. S. History course might require that students purchase both a narrative textbook and supplement it with some combinations of historical monographs, novels, or primary source anthologies. For purposes of articulation, each of these varieties of books may be considered a “textbook,” though The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is clearly in a different category from the several standard narrative U.S. history texts required by many community college faculty members. Any combination of these texts may also be made available to students via OER, and the use of any combination of these kinds of materials should provide no threat to articulation.

FAQ's

Santa Ana College’s Open Educational Resources Frequently Asked Questions (Extended Version) introduces readers to OER – and addresses a range of questions that relate to curriculum and articulation. 

  • Can I list an OER textbook on my Course Outline of Record (COR)?
    • Yes,​ i​t should be listed on the COR in a way that a reviewer could access the content (e.g., ISBN or URL).
  • How should we list an open resource on a Course Outline (COR)?
    • The same as you would a commercial textbook. Using an ISBN is recommended. Include a URL where a reviewer could see the content, especially if the OER text is the only textbook listed on the COR.
  • Is it okay to list the textbook on the COR simply as “OER” or as a collection of links to lecture notes or other web pages?
    • No. A textbook must be listed on the COR. 
  • How do we get an ISBN for an open resource? 
  • Some open resources have ISBNs assigned to them; however, ISBNs are not required for use of open resources. An OER textbook can be made available in printed form and an ISBN issued by request through Montezuma Publishing. 

What Won't Fly

What Won’t Fly?

There are electronic teaching materials that would not be adequate to meet the requirements of articulation and transfer. Faculty course notes made available on a website do not constitute a text, though they might provide an excellent supplement to a text, whether published in hard copy or via OER. Collections of URLs and webpages are probably also inadequate as substitutes for the rigor and focus provided from a source that requires sustained attention. On the other hand, the integrated use of a variety of scholarly journal articles that are available online may provide a superior level of education for students who are made to realize the way our body of knowledge is advanced by contributions from the academic community at large.

Representative Texts

 Representative Texts 

Specify text and references or list texts and references that the department has evaluated and determined to be representative of the kinds of college level materials appropriate for the course. (New addition) Note: Contact the library or campus OER Liaison for assistance finding Zero Textbook Cost resources or Open Educational Resources (OER) that may be available for your discipline. 

For purposes of defining “college level,” the Curriculum Committee will accept:

  • Texts, readers, materials, etc. that have been adopted at other accredited two- or four-year colleges for use in parallel transferable courses,
  • Instructors may provide different evidence, such as reading level analysis, publisher’s certification, skill level or other evidence to be submitted to the Curriculum Committee for approval;
  • Use of vocabulary at a level equivalent to that found in college-level reading materials;
  • Text is an established classic in a given field;
  • Text is a standard college text (determination of the status “standard college text” may be achieved by appearance on a standard college publisher’s list.);
  • Text is a primary source.

The Department shows that use of a text is appropriate by reference to the widespread practice of four- year colleges or a properly conducted job analysis of the relevant occupation. In the latter case, course texts would need to be at a level of competence and complexity to merit being considered as “postsecondary” by the occupational advisory committee. When the materials do not fit into any of these categories, the Department may provide justification of the appropriateness of the college materials. 

Attribution

This page has been adapted from Articulation, Curriculum, and Open Educational Resources by the OERI under CC 4.0 International license