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OERs for Language Instruction: Evaluating OERs

While this guide was originally created for a graduate student class, it can be used as a reference for finding quality Open Education materials for teaching foreign language.

Evaluation on the Open Web

CRAAP Test

The Meriam Library at Cal State Chico developed the CRAPP test for evaluating websites:

The short version -- Look at:

  • Currency
  • Relevance
  • Authority
  • Accuracy
  • Purpose

Download the full one page document for more information.

Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources

While this article has been published on a multiple sclerosis website, it was written by a librarian and succinctly describes evaluating websites for content. 

OER Rubrics

Achieve is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization working to reform education. They have developed a robust evaluation tool to use to thoroughly examine the efficacy of OERs.

These rubric is used on OER Commons to evaluate materials. They also make the code available for others to use. 

They provide a rubric to evaluate the facets of OER:

  • Rubric I. Degree of Alignment to Standards
  • Rubric II. Quality of Explanation of the Subject Matter
  • Rubric III. Utility of Materials Designed to Support Teaching
  • Rubric IV. Quality of Assessment Rubric
  • V. Quality of Technological Interactivity Rubric
  • VI. Quality of Instructional and Practice Exercises Rubric
  • VII. Opportunities for Deeper Learning Rubric
  • VIII. Assurance of Accessibility