Guide to OER Adoption Step 2

Modifying OER

After completing an evaluation of the materials, you can determine whether any modification is needed. If you decide to modify a resource, you need to consider its format, the creative commons license type, and potential hosting for a new digital version. BCcampus Open Textbook Authoring Guide offers a helpful section on adapting open textbooks.

 

Establish the format

Suppose the material is available in an editable format. In that case, the most straightforward approach may be to use the same tool as the original author to add, delete, or modify the content. Consulting with your colleges' instructional designers is recommended, mainly if you have not done this kind of work before. They can make you aware of tools that will streamline this process.

Assume you are remixing multiple OER in different formats. In that case, you will have to decide which design you want for your final result and convert the remaining pieces to this format for remixing.

 

License considerations

When remixing OER with different licenses, it can be tricky to understand how to combine them. If the resource has ShareAlike (SA) and NonCommercial (NC) clauses, you should consult the  Creative Commons Wiki  for compatibility information and charts on which licenses are compatible. If you remix OERs that hold different types of licenses, you need to make clear in your final product which sections have license restrictions and the restrictions you want for your remix. This  Copyright and Open Licensing, by Dr. Royce Kimmons, provides a lot of information on using copyrighted and openly licensed work. Your librarian on campus may also be able to assist you. Florida Virtual Campus produced a video on different remix scenarios  that can help understand how openly resources can or cannot be combined.

 

Hosting your final creation

Now that you have a revised version of the OER, you need to consider where to post it so students can access a digital copy. If you are only planning to share on campus, then you might post it in Canvas. Suppose you would like to share more widely; in that case, there are OER repositories with platforms that provide authoring tools and hosting to enable public access to your OER and maximize your work's impact.