I was curious about the title of this Open Ed 2021 recorded session: “Got OER? A SUCCESS Model for Implementing Open Educational Resources.” What is the SUCCESS model? Angie Dodson, Instructional Designer, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, presented and started with an energetic soundtrack and great visuals! The SUCCESS is an acrostic with S for Start with the 5Ws of OER: what are OER, in what ways are they used, why are they important, who benefits from them, and where are they located? The U is for the “use of OER repositories.” The first C is for “Choose relevant OER” based on course content and student needs. The second C is for “Customize the OER” to develop better content. The E is for “Educate others about OER.” The second is is for “Survey student impact,” and the last S is for “Seek assistance and share out.” Dodson recommended the BC Campus OER Toolkit and Creative Commons to learn about using OER properly. Dodson also asked “Who benefits from OER” to encourage discussions to determine where OER are incoporated. Where OER can be incorporated was one of the five Ws from the first S. Lots of letters, but it made sense! Dodson reviewed program/course curriculum, teaching style, and course dynamics to guide where OER are implemented.
For “Use,” Dodson recommended an expedition to search for OER. Dodson described a “scenario-based challenge” for participants to learn how to find OEr successfully while collecting resources. The OER Mythbusting Site was mentioned as a useful resource for evaluating OER. For choosing relevant OER, Dodson provided an approach for considering teaching style and prioritizing reasons for OER use. For example, lecture-based and demonstration-based teaching styles as well as reasons for OER use (accessibility, cost, engagement) should be considered. Dodson also recommended identifying OER that aligns with student enrollment and accessibility needs. To ensure OER relevancy, Dodson suggested customizing the OER to check for broken links, for example. Dodson spoke about educating others about OER and explaining OER to student participants. Training, networking, funding opportunities, and even budgets were mentioned as ways of educating others about OER. The next part of the model was “Survey student impact” and included details of pre/post surveys and tracking enrollment in courses using the OER. I appreciate how assessment is included. The final component of the model was to “Seek assistance and share out.” Networking to share OER journey experiences was emphasized by Dodson. The SUCCESS model was summarized by Dodson as:
- Determine a starting point.
- Gather all necessary resources.
- Choose the path that most supports the OER journey.
- Customize the path to meet your OER goals.
- Seek the ncessary assistance.
I enjoyed Dodson’s framework as it was easy to follow and made sense. Several of the questions and examples are useful to kindle curiosity!
