OER Resources for Nursing

Quality Checklist for Selecting Nursing OERs

• Authority & Accuracy: 

• Source Credibility: Is the OER created by known experts/educators, a reputable institution (like a university's nursing program), or a peer-reviewed OER publisher (like OpenStax)? 

• Clinical Relevance: Is the content aligned with current Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) and professional standards (e.g., ANA, AACN Essentials, QSEN competencies)? Check the last update date. 

• Usability & Accessibility (Key Priority): 

• Technical Usability: Is the resource easy to navigate, printable, and mobile-friendly? Is it available in multiple, editable formats (e.g., PDF, EPUB, Pressbooks, HTML)? 

• Accessibility: Does the resource meet accessibility standards (e.g., Section 508, WCAG)? This includes alt-text for images, logical heading structure, and color contrast—essential for all learners. 

• Ease of Use: Can the material be easily integrated into the existing LMS (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard)? 

• Adaptability & Licensing: 

• Open License: Does it have a Creative Commons (CC) license that explicitly permits retaining, reusing, revising, remixing, and redistributing (the 5Rs)? CC BY and CC BY-SA are generally the most flexible for adaptation. 

• Modularity: Can sections, chapters, or individual elements be easily extracted, reorganized, or remixed to match the course's unique learning objectives and sequence? 

The Peer Review Process

How it looks different for OERs

• Focus on the 5Rs: OER peer review places a heavy emphasis on accuracy, but also on modularity, clarity of license, and technical format to ensure the material can be effectively revised and remixed by others. 

• Crowdsourced/Post-Publication Review: Many OER repositories (like OER Commons and Open Textbook Library) allow for public, post-publication reviews by faculty who have actually used the material in their courses. This provides crucial "tested in the field" feedback on pedagogical effectiveness and student comprehension, which is often missing in traditional pre-publication review. 

• Inclusion of Educational Design: Reviewers often assess the material based on pedagogical criteria, such as the inclusion of learning objectives, assessment tools (quizzes, case studies), and alignment with specific nursing competencies (like QSEN or Clinical Judgement Measurement Model). 

Guidance for Faculty

1. Look for Review Statements: High-quality OER will often have a clear statement indicating the peer-review process, the qualifications of the reviewers (e.g., subject matter experts in nursing), and the dates of the review. 

2. Utilize Community Feedback: Read the public reviews and comments. Check if the authors have a history of updating the resource based on feedback, demonstrating a commitment to continued quality. 

3. Become a Reviewer: Faculty can directly contribute to OER quality by volunteering to review a text via organizations like the Open Textbook Network or by sharing their own revisions and adaptations back to the OER community (the "Share Alike" principle of many CC licenses). This collective expertise ensures the OER continually evolves to meet the dynamic needs of nursing practice.