Why Adapt an OER?

There are several reasons you may want to adapt or curate a resource. Perhaps existing OER do not have all the content you would like to include in your course. Or there may not be any cohesive OER for your course but there may be available materials you can pick and choose from to build the perfect resource for your class.

Below are further reasons that adaptation is a good option:

Save time and work by mixing OERs with your own material to make something richer
Make the material more accessible
Insert culturally specific references to make a concept easier to understand
Translate it into another language
Correct errors or inaccuracies
Keep the OER up to date by adding the latest discoveries or theories
Insert media or links to other resources
Adapt it for a different audience or educational level
Change the format of the OER

Things to Consider Before Adapting or Modifying

There are several factors to consider when adapting an OER. The more you want to change, expand, or edit an OER, the more time you will need. Below are some important considerations.

How much content do you wish to change? Do you want to remove chapters, or rewrite entire chapters of content?
What technical format is the original in? A Word document is much easier to modify than a PDF document.
What type of license is the content released under? Does it have a Creative Commons license that allows for modification or adaptation of the content?
How comfortable are you with using technology and creating content?
Students prefer format flexibility with their textbooks. You may need to find additional conversion tools to convert your final textbook to a different format.
If you wish to edit or create graphics, images, charts, and/or multimedia content, you will need to use additional, specialized tools to create these.
Keep it simple. Think of the textbook as a living resource that you can improve incrementally over time.

Additional Resources for Adapting and Creating

Suggested Curation Workflow
Modifying an Open Textbook: What You Need to Know
Open Textbook Authoring and Editing
Authoring an Open Textbook
Writing an Online, Open Textbook: Is It Worth It?
BC Open Textbooks Pressbook Guide

Optional ASCCC OERI Webinar

Finding OER – and Can you Create a Hybrid? How do you find OER to incorporate into your courses and can you mix open resources with those that carry a traditional copyright? Join us for an overview of how – and where – to search for resources and a discussion of effective approaches to mixing resources that are licensed differently.

Attribution

Adapted from Why remix an Open Educational Resource?, by Liam Green-Hughes, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 UK: England & Wales License
Adapted from6 Steps to modifying an Open Textbook, BC Campus, OpenEd Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License