3 Finding and evaluating OERs

When seeking content for adaptation and re-use in open educational contexts there are several tools available to support discovery. Many of these tools are the result of experimental prototyping and short-term funded projects, however, and therefore carry with them a certain amount of risk. Not all are sustained beyond the life of the funding, but these initiatives have sought to use a variety of search technologies to support the discovery of generic and domain-specific OERs. As we move forward with search technologies based on increased application of semantic approaches [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] to discovery, things should hopefully improve for the end user.

Within this course you will find a list of the current search tools available to find OERs. Many of these tools have been funded as part of the broader UK JISC OER Programme and have been supported with additional funding from the Higher Education Academies in the UK.