Just like any other published resource, OER should be evaluated before use. Below are some criteria for evaluating OER textbooks. For further suggestions for evaluating information sources, see this source evaluation guide created by USCA librarians.
Listed below are general collections of OER materials, both textbooks and other open courseware. For specific help locating OER in your subject field, contact your liaison librarian.
USCA faculty also have access to the PASCAL Faculty Textbook Portal which can assist you in identifying both quality OER textbooks and other affordable learning books (Open Access eBooks and eBooks without Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions which USCA faculty can request for library purchase for use with their classes). Contact your liaison librarian for assistance.
The collections below include textbooks while also including a wide variety of other open instructional materials such as syllabi, reading lists, lecture notes, assignments, lab manuals, and exams or other assessment tools.
Comprehensiveness
The text covers all areas and ideas of the subject appropriately and provides an effective index and/or glossary.
Content Accuracy
Content is accurate, error-free and unbiased.
Relevance Longevity
Content is up-to-date, but not in a way that will quickly make the text obsolete within a short period of time. The text is written and/or arranged in such a way that necessary updates will be relatively easy and straightforward to implement.
Clarity
The text is written in lucid, accessible prose, and provides adequate context for any jargon/technical terminology used.
Consistency
The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework.
Modularity
The text is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections that can be assigned at different points within the course (i.e., enormous blocks of text without subheadings should be avoided). The text should not be overly self-referential, and should be easily reorganized and realigned with various subunits of a course without presenting much disruption to the reader.
Organization Structure Flow
The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion.
Interface
The text is free of significant interface issues, including navigation problems, distortion of images/charts, and any other display features that may distract or confuse the reader.
Grammatical Errors
The text contains no grammatical errors.
Cultural Relevance
The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. It should make use of examples that are inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.
This content was developed by BCcampus. It is a derivative of the Peer Review criteria used by Saylor.org, which is a derivative of the review rubric used by College Open Textbooks,which was adapted from the American Library Association Choice Selection Policy.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
The resources below specifically focus on textbooks. See Open Courseware and Textbooks to the left for platforms that include a wider variety of openly licensed instructional materials.
Check out these subguides to learn more about OER and how to be involved!
