The RVC OER Quality Guide is a tool to help you evaluate potential OERs for use in your course, based on compliance, content, and technical factors. Use the rubric below to assess whether an OER is appropriate for you.
COMPLIANCE
Digital Rights (DR) Compliance
- Licensing terms clearly allow reuse with modification.
- All content components are openly licensed or in the public domain; no “used with permission” or similar language is attached to any element.
ADA Compliance
- Resources meet required standards.
CONTENT
Currency & Relevance
- Resource is current, recent enough to serve the need, or seminal.
- Resource's rigor, depth, and approach are appropriate for the need and the audience.
- Content is targeted: it serves the purpose without extraneous content.
- Resource clearly aligns to learning objectives, goals, competencies, and associated assessments.
- Where applicable, resource reflects industry standards and accreditation requirements.
Credibility
- Source is reputable, scholarly, and/or professional, as appropriate.
- References and citations appear valid; images are original or properly attributed.
- Resource has been independently verified or refereed
- Writing is clear and organized; content seems professionally written and edited
- Resource appears objective, bias-free; it lacks apparent hidden agenda that conflicts with its evident purpose.
Inclusivity
- Resource honors diversity in genders, ages, languages, cultural expressions, learning styles, backgrounds, abilities, etc.
- Avoids insensitive representations in all visual and verbal representations of people.
Engagement
- Content invites the reader’s reflection and participation in the learning process; it is engaging and/or motivating.
- Some of the core content is presented in non-text ways.
- Its form is appropriate to the purpose.
Contextualization
- Resource is already contextualized; it is well suited to the college’s audiences and purposes.
- If not, resource can be adapted and contextualized with feasible time and effort.
- Avoids overuse of jargon.
- Institutional identification is minimal.
- Content is self-contained; no reliance on links to other content/materials.
TECHNICAL FACTORS
User Experience
- Interface is intuitive and user-friendly.
- Resource is available without requiring students to register or pay a fee.
- Resource is downloadable and can be used offline.
- Resource requires no special software, plug-ins, browser limitations, etc.
- Layout, interface, design features, and multimedia support and enhance learning.
