Wherever I went in the US and Canada (learn more here), the Equity Rubric for OER Evaluation was ooed and aahhed about – and I am so inclined to join the enthusiasm surrounding the Rubric, that it has become the foundation upon which I have built this site (ah, the beauty of CC licensing!).
The Rubric was developed by the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity to help instructors check whether their curriculum materials are equitable by examining them against four Dimensions:
How to Use the Rubric and EmpoweredOER Site
Designed for versatility, the Rubric accommodates a variety of OER evaluation needs:
- Evaluate a resource you already have
- Assess overall equity
- Assess an individual aspect of equity, such as cultural responsiveness
- Fill an equity gap
- Understand the characteristics of an OER you would like to find or create to meet an equity need
Check out the full Rubric, with background research and instructions for use, then explore EmpoweredOER below to ground each Dimension of the Rubric in concrete examples which are (mostly) Australian and delve into further contextualised materials for deeper learning.
Keep these printable documents handy for reference as you work through your evaluation:
- Using EmpoweredOER to Evaluate a Resource (pdf)
Digitally editable version (pptx)
An example scenario of how to use this site - EmpoweredOER Evaluation Quick Check (pdf)
Digitally editable version (doc)
A quick reference version of the evaluation criteria to take notes as you evaluate
Learner-Centred
Learners are at the centre of OER design and their prior knowledge and experience are respected as valuable additions to the learning environment.
There are nine evaluation criteria within the Learner-Centred dimension. Explore each criterion for explanations and examples.
Access
Provides multimodal access to the content.
Identities
Makes clear connections to learners’ intersectional identities and lived experiences.
Funds of Knowledge
Leverages learners’ funds of knowledge.
Interests
Meaningfully and authentically connects to learner interests and provides ways for learners to direct their own learning.
Voices
Invites students to be co-creators of the learning experience and have decision making power OR students’ thoughts, attitudes, and actual work is incorporated into the resource in visible ways.
Value
Actively incorporates activities/assignments that have value beyond school.
Personalisation
Encompasses all or most aspects of personalised learning.
Meaning Construction
Facilitates and promotes learners’ ability to create meaning from content.
Agency
Empowers personal challenge, motivation, and agency that facilitates the learning process.
Critical
OER are critically reviewed, issues are challenged and stereotypes are subverted.
There are five evaluation criteria within the Critical dimension. Explore each criterion for explanations and examples.
Perspective
Challenges perspectives within instructional materials.
Equity & Inclusion
Implements measures to resolve issues of equity and inclusion and eliminates barriers to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Narratives
Uses asset-based narratives.
Empathy
Creates space for learners’ empathetic interactions and practices.
Divergence
Empowers divergent thinking and methods of making meaning of the content.
Culturally Sustaining
OER challenge historic methods of legitimising academia and recognise and celebrate each learner’s culture, inviting learners to engage with a topic through the richness of their own lens.
There are five evaluation criteria within the Culturally Sustaining dimension. Explore each criterion for explanations and examples.
Pluralism
Perpetuates and fosters linguistic, literature, and cultural pluralism for positive social transformation and revitalisation.
Intersectionality
Re-centres educational practices around the languages, literacies, and cultural traditions that students bring into classrooms.
Counter-Hegemony
Challenges the hegemonic “white gaze” through which academic performance has been historically legitimised.
Sustainment
Leverages opportunities for learners to celebrate their own cultures and cultural heritages, as well as the culture and cultural heritage of peers.
Connections
Critically centres around learners’ home and community experiences.
Universally Designed for Learning
There is no single way of learning. All learners and styles of learning are included and engaged by design.
There are three evaluation criteria within the Universally Designed for Learning dimension. Explore each criterion for explanations and examples.
Engagement
Activates internalisation options for self-regulation by promoting expectations and beliefs that optimise motivation, personal coping skills self-assessment and reflection.
Representation
Activates internalisation with options for comprehension through the supplying of background knowledge, highlighting of patterns, and relationships.
Action & Expression
Activates internalisation options for guiding appropriate goal-setting, strategy development, and monitoring progress.
Have something great to add? Let’s continue the collaboration.
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Empowered OER 