Contemporary theory and research in the field of education is overwhelmingly trending toward the learner-centered approach. If you don't believe us, just do some simple searches on the web or an academic database and you'll find a large number of research studies and case examples in this vein. While not likely classifying as "news" to very many of us, it is yet worth emphasizing here that we should have these core strategies for improving student success in mind when we create any teaching material, OER or not. While this course is not primarily about instructional best practices, we should take a look at how some basic student-engagement and content-delivery methods can be built into whatever resource you're working on--from the ground up.

Building Educational Best Practices into Your OER

Include Explicit, Measurable Outcomes at the Beginning of the Material

We tend to do a better job at absorbing and retaining material if we are told clearly at the beginning just what, exactly, it is that we are supposed to learn. If you are putting together a presentation for a teaching/learning unit, be sure to include at the beginning a slide that lists the things that the student should be able to do by the end of the lesson. Make sure that these are things that can actually be verified, as well. For example, it's tricky to tell whether or not someone "understands" what makes a good introductory paragraph, but it's easy to tell if they can "list, in order, the elements of an effective introductory paragraph."

Incorporate Formative Assessments into the Material

Learners are also more engaged in their learning when they can see for themselves how they've progressed. Instructors also need to know as soon as possible that something isn't "clicking." If you design your material so that it includes some method of determining this progress, both the student and the instructor will benefit. An example of some formative assessments in a presentation about evidence might be: free writing at the beginning (to gauge starting point), matching exercises (after discussing types of evidence), and then passage analysis. With each step in the process, both the student and the instructor know if things are working. If they are not, then the instructor can adjust the strategies as needed.

Utilize a Variety of Methods for Engaging with Learners

Keeping students interested is a key for any instructor, and it can be difficult. One thing to keep in mind is that different people learn best in different ways, and so a variety of modes should be employed. Keep your material focused on one concept/lesson, but include free writing, lecture, guided discussion, small group work, media (audio or video), problem-solving, etc. The more variety you build into your material, the more likely you are to engage all of your students.

Provide Rubrics/Scorecards for Assignments

This definitely overlaps with the idea of material being "self-contained," but if you are developing an assignment, then make sure to include some outline of how, exactly, the submission will be graded. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that instructors vary in terms of the assignments they give, but they vary even more in how these assignments are graded. Be sure to make the rubric easily separable from the assignment to facilitate the resource's adoption.

Provide Successful Models for Students to Review

Again, this is something that many educators believe a material should have in order to be considered "complete." If you are creating an assignment that asks students to create something (compose an essay, take a photograph, draw a picture, etc.), then it only follows logically that you should include an example of what you're looking for. Remember that in order to keep it legit, you must be careful about how you include content in your work.

That's a good segue into the last (and certainly not least) of things to keep in mind when planning/developing your open resource: keeping it legal.