Table 3. Potential Challenges of Digital Open Educational Resources Context Challenges Recommendations Consider functionality needs from the ground up as new content is Technical barriers of maintaining built or acquired, including an OER repository and distribution, submission process, facilitating its use metadata, accepted formats, search functions, use of Federal, Need for awareness of licensing permanent URLs (permalinks), and and District revision and edition issues policies and legal barriers (i.e., Level understanding Creative Commons licensing, acquiring Develop and maintain centralized permission to use copyrighted quality assurance processes with material, etc.) attention to legal expectations in the areas of education, civil rights, and copyright law Required instructional technology skills (as well as Increase access to (and basic technology skills such as participation in) : computer literacy) needed to ensure proper classroom use of Adopt quality assurance resources approaches for use within districts K–12 Educators Quality assurance related to Obtain materials aligned to OERs selected for use standards such as OER Commons, etc. Utilize Alignment with Common Core, Achieve.org’s rubrics to determine state, and/or local standards the extent of OER alignment with CCSS Issues concerning accessibility of OERs (especially for students Request information from K–12 with disabilities) producers related to OER accessibility: Do resources Learners Unequal access to conform to any established access mobile/home-based technology standards (Section 508, WCAG2)? and Internet connections
Table 3. Potential Challenges of Digital Open Educational Resources Context Challenges Recommendations Federal, and District Level Technical barriers of maintaining an OER repository and facilitating its use Need for awareness of licensing policies and legal barriers (i.e., understanding Creative Commons licensing, acquiring permission to use copyrighted material, etc.) Consider functionality needs from the ground up as new content is built or acquired, including distribution, submission process, metadata, accepted formats, search functions, use of permanent URLs (permalinks), and revision and edition issues Develop and maintain centralized quality assurance processes with attention to legal expectations in the areas of education, civil rights, and copyright law K–12 Educators Required instructional technology skills (as well as basic technology skills such as computer literacy) needed to ensure proper classroom use of resources Quality assurance related to OERs selected for use Alignment with Common Core, state, and/or local standards Increase access to (and participation in) : Adopt quality assurance approaches for use within districts Obtain materials aligned to standards such as OER Commons, etc. Utilize Achieve.org’s rubrics to determine the extent of OER alignment with CCSS K–12 Learners Issues concerning accessibility of OERs (especially for students with disabilities) Unequal access to mobile/home-based technology and Internet connections Request information from producers related to OER accessibility: Do resources conform to any established access standards (Section 508, WCAG2)?