OER Quality
OER are not necessarily created using the same editorial process used for conventional educational textbooks produced by publishers. However, many OER undergo peer review processes before or after their publication. For example, OpenStax, an open textbook initiative from Rice University, closely mirrors the processes used by commercial publishers. Through its Textbook Success Program and other resources, Rebus Community supports OER projects from start to finish, including peer review. Subject-matter experts, who are often faculty or instructors potentially using the materials in their own courses, can also evaluate previously published OER. eCampus Ontario’s Open Library, BCcampus’s Open Collection, and the Open Textbook Library all rely on qualified experts to evaluate the OER in their collections.
OER creators rarely have a graphic design team or a budget at their disposal so their resources may not have the same visual appeal as commercial textbooks. Because people still tend to judge books by their covers, OER can be disregarded. However, an OER’s cover and overall appearance have nothing to do with the accuracy and quality of its content. In 2013, David Wiley called into question publishers’ way of judging resource quality and proposed that, regardless of the commercial or free nature of the resource, the only important question to ask is: Does the material help students meet the course’s learning objectives? [1]