Each OER project is different and rarely is an OER adoption a turn-key process. While OER textbooks exist for many high-enrollment courses, the pedagogical design (or teaching style) and student population will vary.^[1]

OER Production Framework

The following OER production framework, based on an instructional design framework, depicts the major steps that OER adoptions typically go through:

Priming phase

This step is all about gauging your knowledge and experience with OER. Consider whether or not you have explored OER in your subject area before. Prior to planning the creation of a new OER, ensure that you have looked into other subject-specific OER to see if there are any that may be adapted to fit your needs– this may save you a lot of time in the future. If this is your first experience with OER, look into any workshops, training, or on-campus specialists that can help you with basic OER training.

Pre-production phase

This phase involves the curation of existing resources that may be applicable to the OER adoption and planning out the general design of the project. No new content should be adapted in this step, but a skeleton outline and other time-and-task-based project management documents should be prepared.

Design phase

This step is the last planning phase before work on the actual OER content begins. For projects adapting OER as-is, this may be the final step apart from preparing instructional documents. During this phase, project outlines and skeleton documents are fleshed out, and existing OER are fit into places where they are believed to be applicable. Any visual/graphic design work and processes that require assistance from an instructional designer are included here.

Development phase

If you are creating new OER, this phase will likely be the most time-intensive, as it is in this phase that you will begin building new materials. If you are simply adapting existing OER, this phase may just involve the creation of instructional documents to accompany your adapted resource. As well as building new materials, this phase also involves the editing and revision of new and existing resources. Ensure you are also checking you have appropriately attributed all outside resources that have been used, and that you have made content as accessible as possible.

New content may be drafted in platforms such as Google Docs or Word, before being exported onto open platforms for dissemination, such as Pressbooks.

Publication phase

The final phase involves publishing and sharing the content that has been created. This includes creating export versions, archiving editable files for instructors who might wish to edit your work (.doc, .xml, etc), and depositing any ancillary materials such as syllabi or lesson plans in the institutional digital repository. The new adapted or original OER content is then disseminated to learners and shared with the open community.