All About oer and Renewable assignments
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Locate & Share Renewable Assignments
Table of Contents​
"Share" by Got Credit is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
This module details how to locate and share renewable assignments with a focus on the various online tools and repositories which facilitate both these processes.
Locating renewable assignments can be a difficult process. This module reveals the most likely tools and repositories where renewable assignments can be found, as well as providing guidance on how to search for them and how to evaluate the discovered artifacts.
Sharing produced assignment artifacts where other adopters are likely to discover them is essential to the continuation of renewable assignments. This module also outlines how and where to publish newly created assignments.
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The content of this module is also available in the following formats.
Available Formats​​
Locate & Share
Word
Locate & Share
PPT
Locate & Share
PDF
There are also various job aids to help you as you follow the 5-step process.
Recyclable Process
Flow Chart
Search Process
Job Aid
List of OER Resources
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Identify the different tools and repositories that could be used to publish student works
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Determine relevant tools and repositories for sharing the produced assignment artifacts
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Select appropriate tools and repositories for renewable assignments
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Locate existing renewable assignments which fit the course objectives
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Share newly created renewable assignments with the community
Outline of 5-step Process
A recyclable process
Renewable assignments are recyclable by definition and as more assignments are produced and shared the likelihood of discovering relevant material is increased.
FIG 1. Flowchart showing the process of locating and sharing a renewable assignment.
By clicking on the image you can access a printable version of this document.
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Before commencing it is important to define some key concepts that will be used throughout the module.
The first step is to identify the various online tools and repositories that can be used to publish student works.
NOTE: The infographics illustrate only a selection of the many online tools and repositories, a more expansive compiled list of OER resources can be found in the Available Formats section.
The first infographic illustrates a selection of the online OER repositories that represent centralized collections of open educational content. Sharing new renewable assignments to such repositories increases the likelihood of them being discovered and adopted by the community.
How to use the interactive infographic
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This interactive infographic is comprised of three screens. Navigation arrows are provided at the bottom right and left of the infographic to scroll back and forth through these screens.
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Clickable tooltips reveal the definitions of the different types of tools and repositories.
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Each company logo represents a clickable hotlink to its corresponding website.
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FIG 2. Interactive infographic showing OER repositories which contain renewable assignments within their libraries.
Step 2: Determine
The second step is to determine the relevant tools and repositories for your course objectives.
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When determining the tools and repositories to be used for your renewable assignment consider the following:
• What tools and repositories are available at Concordia University?
• What tools and repositories are relevant to your course discipline?
• What tools and repositories are relevant to your target audience?
For example: If you intend to share the renewable assignment with your class only, consider using Moodle since this resource is accessible to all of your students.
Another resource called ThingLink is available to Concordia faculty members. The site allows for the option of creating an
instructor-created student account for student annotation abilities
Step 3: Select
The third step is to select the tools and repositories you want to use.
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Identify the advantages and disadvantages of different the tools and repositories
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Evaluate how manageable the tools and repositories are for you and your students to use
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Determine the appropriateness of the tools and repositories for meeting the needs of the assignment and reaching the intended audience
For example: Students in an educational psychology course were asked to create a report on cognitive apprenticeship. To make her work public, Esmeralda Alvarez chose to share her work via YouTube. The tool she used to create her report on cognitive apprenticeship was PowToon.
Step 4: Locate
The fourth step is to locate existing renewable assignments that can be revised or remixed.
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A worksheet which walks you through this process, “OER Treasure Hunt Worksheet- Renewable Assignments,” is available for download on the ETEC 650 F21 “All about Renewable Assignments” website.
The video below shows the process of searching for renewable assignments on OER commons.
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Click here for more
Tips
If you do not
know where to start
your search, use a federated search tool.
Use more
specific terms when
you cannot find
anything that fits
your requirements.
Video repositories like YouTube and Vimeo can also be searched using this technique.
Save particular search terms that have proven fruitful using the note-taking medium of your choice
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Start with broad search terms and basic keywords to discover the full breadth of what is available.
New assignments are produced all the time so checking regularly is good practice, especially between semesters.
Tips adapted from "Tips for Finding OER" by Abbey Elder https://instr.iastate.libguides.com/oer/search
Step 5: Share
The last step is to share your work to make it accessible to your community.
When sharing your work, you should consider the following:
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Students’ digital literacy skills
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The time you are willing to devote to developing students’ digital literacy skills
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Understanding of the tool
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Understanding of OER within the course.
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With these factors in mind, you should select the one that fulfills the following criteria:
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Addresses the needs of the assignment
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Relevant and accessible to the target audience
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Manageable by the instructor and students within the course
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The below website includes an example of the redesigned renewable assignment (Appendix A) and shows the resulting shared artifacts (Appendix B).
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Attribution: Stacy Katz and Jennifer Van Allen
Click here for more Tips
This module guided you through the five-step recyclable process of locating and sharing renewable assignments, which are identify, determine, select, locate, and share. Along the way, you were given tips and tricks in the effective use of the online tools and repositories which facilitate this complex process.
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The “Identify” section introduced a selection of the various tools and repositories used to locate and share renewable assignments. It was explained that OER repositories represent the “best bets” for assignment discovery, being both the easiest places to search and offering the largest potential community with which to share completed works.
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The “Determine” section presented some important general questions to ask yourself when determining the relevance of particular tools and repositories.
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The “Select” section suggested some more pointed considerations regarding which tool or repository is the best fit for the particular needs and constraints of your assignment.
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The “Locate” section provided guidance on how to locate renewable assignments and how to evaluate the discovered artifacts. You were reminded that federated search tools make this process easier and given some search methods that can be applied to more complicated searches.
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The “Share” section outlined the benefits of using such tools and repositories to share produced assignment artifacts with potential future adopters, a step which is essential to the continuation of renewable assignments.
The following evaluation questions will help you test your knowledge about locating renewable assignments.
Please click on the "Fill in the form".
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Boyoung (start.me). (n.d.). FIND OER. Start.Me. Retrieved 21 November 2021, from https://start.me/p/QRDO7R/find-oer
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Ocean Garbage Patches. (n.d.). OER Commons. Retrieved 21 November 2021, from https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/61567
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RCLibraries. (2021, January 22). Renewable Assignment Design. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTIQDhb2nOg
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Here is a list of resources used to create and share the content included in this module. These resources were verified by all group members for reliability, effectiveness, pricing and shareability.
Each platform is hyperlinked to a tutorial in order to offer support to learners and encourage them to use such platforms for their own designs and assignments.
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The resources are as follows:
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Elder, A. (2019a). Finding Open Content. https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/oerstarterkit/chapter/finding-oer/
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Elder, A. (2019b). Repositories and Search Tools. https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/oerstarterkit/chapter/search-tools/
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Guidelines for Creating and Sharing Open Educational Resources: Introduction to OER for Language Teachers. (n.d.). Retrieved 21 November 2021, from https://utexas.instructure.com/courses/1097558/pages/guidelines-for-creating-and-sharing-open-educational-resources?module_item_id=7604285
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Katz, S., & Allen, J. V. (2020). Evolving Into the Open: A Framework for Collaborative Design of Renewable Assignments. https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/openpedagogyapproaches/chapter/evolving-into-the-open-a-framework-for-collaborative-design-of-renewable-assignments/
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Kirschner, J. (n.d.). Research Guides: Creating Open Educational Resources: Sharing your OER. Retrieved 21 November 2021, from https://guides.library.vcu.edu/create-oer/sharing
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Module 8: Sharing OER – Open Washington: Open Educational Resources Network. (n.d.). Retrieved 21 November 2021, from http://www.openwa.org/module-8/
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Santiago, A. (2021). Repositories and Search Tools. https://opentextbooks.uregina.ca/oercreationtoolkit/chapter/search-tools/
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