Curator

Curator

Scenario Overview Curation for Learning Creative Commons with Copyright A Savvy Search System Spotlight on Repositories · Assessing OER Module Checklist

Assessing OER: Spotlight on CRAAP

Not all Open Education Resources (OER) are created equal. Assessment is still key to your decision to adopt an OER, just as it is with publisher or Internet content.

There are several rubrics and checklists to assist your assessment of resources, OER or otherwise. BC Campus has a set of criteria to use when reviewing open textbooks. The Commonwealth of Learning has guidelines for OERs in Higher Education. Howard Rheingold’s Compendium of CRAP detection resources is a useful reference guide as you explore resources on the web. It lists a wide range of tools to assess the quality of online information.

One widely used way to assess online resources is the CRAAP test. First developed by librarians at California State University—Chico, institutions across the globe have adopted it as a framework for evaluating sources. CRAAP refers to Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose

Currency = the timeliness of the information

When was the OER published or posted?
Has the OER been revised or updated?
Does your topic require current information?
Are the links functional?

Relevance = the importance of the information for your needs

Does the OER relate to your needs?
Who is the intended audience?
Is the information in the OER at an appropriate level for your learners?

Authority = the source of the information

Who is the creator?
What are the creator’s credentials or organizational affiliations?
Are the creators/collaborators contributors qualified to write on the topic?

Accuracy = the reliability and truthfulness of the information

Is the information supported by evidence?
Has the OER been reviewed or refereed?
Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?
Are there spelling, grammar, or typographical errors?

Purpose = the reason the information exists

What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade?
Is the information fact, opinion, or propaganda?
Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?

Take a look at this two minute video about Evaluating Sources (Western University, 2012) which provides an overview of the CRAAP test.

Extend Activity

Regardless of your discipline, you are likely to be concerned with learners’ understanding of their limited privacy online. Evaluate the video: Hot on your trail: Privacy, your data, and who has access to it (Reveal, 2013):

Use this CRAAP Test Evaluation form to enter your evaluation of this video. Once you have submitted your evaluation, you can check to see what others think. Take notes on the responses and your thoughts on the video now having answered the questions and compared yourself with others.

Next, apply the CRAAP test to the resources that you chose for your contribution to the shared Curation as Creation | Creation as Curation Padlet used in the Curation Creation activity. If any of your resources “fail” the CRAAP test, try to find another one to replace it.

Once you have deemed your resources worthy, annotate each one using “Add Comment” in the collaborative padlet to include an explanation of how you would use this resource in your course. Review some of the other contributions in the collaborative padlet and add comments to those curated creations.

Then comment on the resources that you have chosen for your contribution, share them with your colleagues, and reflect more deeply on the ways that you will use them in your course or context and what you might curate. Include a summary reflection in your response to this activity.

As evidence of your work, upload a screenshot of your completed column from the collaborative padlet in your response to the Holy CRAAP! activity. Note: It may not be possible to fit your entire column in one screenshot; you can combine multiple screenshots into a single image or insert into a document.

As evidence of completion, please plan to enter the web address for your response in the Curator badge submission form.

The goal of this module is to extend your awareness and appreciation of content curation. We hope that you also recognize it as a viable and vital option for finding resources as you design, develop and revise courses. Armed with knowledge to source and assess open education resources, you now have the tools to take more control over customizing your courses while saving your learners money by using OER.