OER creation guide

These contents offer methodological, technical, and style indicators for EDIA Project creators and collaborators in relationship with the creation of Open Educational Resources (OER) for the National Center for Curriculum Development in Non-Proprietary Systems (Cedec).

More Information about the EDIA Project

This guide is a new version of the Cedec Guide for the Creation of Open Educational Resources. It has been drafted based upon the style guide for material development that is used by the Regional Government of Andalusia - Department of Education - General Directorate for Vocational Training and Lifelong Learning - Lifelong Learning Service.

EDIA Project. Guide for the Creation of Interactive Educational Materials. CeDeC

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What are OER?

    Materials for teaching, training, or research in any form –digital or otherwise– that are in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits their free access, use, modification, and redistribution by others – either with no restrictions or with limited restrictions

2012 Paris Declaration (UNESCO)

 Access to the Infographic in different languages

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EDIA Project

The EDIA Project (Educational, Digital, Interactive, and Open) by Cedec provides a database of educational content for Primary, Early Secondary, Late Secondary, and Vocational Training. These are open educational resources that allow for the development of the entire curriculum comprised of different subjects.

More Information about the EDIA Project

What are the EDIA Project's contents like?

Each open educational resource (OER) presents a learning experience with which the students are able to work towards objectives from the official curriculum – objectives which are included in one or several modules, areas, and subjects within the curriculum.

The EDIA Project includes, within its contents, all resources and materials necessary in order to undertake the proposed learning experiences. 

The methodological approaches include innovative techniques such as Project Based Learning (PBL), Flipped Classroom, Gamification, etc.

The resources are created with the eXeLearning authoring tool. Any teacher can access the OER to use them directly, without modifications, or they can be downloaded and modified to suit the needs of each group/class – or even the needs of each individual student.

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7 Keys

The infographic below shows the key aspects of the EDIA Project's open educational resources.

Access to the Infographic in different languages

Comprehensive Projects for Academic Years and Areas/Subjects

EDIA's resources are organized into projects that allow the teacher and the students to fully develop the different areas or subject matters throughout the academic year.

All of the OER that belong to the same individual project have a similar structure, format, and approach.

Basic Reference Materials for Students and Teachers

The projects are each conceived as the main teaching element. It is not necessary to add other materials (although the teacher may wish to do so) for the project to fully develop the different competencies, objectives, and criteria that it was designed to cover.

Realistic Timing

The foreseen time allotments for the set of projects that belong to one subject area fits the number of curriculum hours for that subject area during the school year.

Reference to the Curriculum

All projects are linked to the development of competencies, skills, and specific objectives from the curriculum. The projects are not a complement to the work inside the classroom; instead, they are the tool and primary means for classroom work.

Modular Structure

All materials generated for the projects have a modular structure that allows for their different parts to be used separately – with the planned work still making sense despite the material segregation undertaken. Likewise, it is possible to add new materials to the project or partially modify some of the existing ones.

Authors' Rights

The inclusion of external contents into the resources is undertaken in accordance with authors' rights. In any event, creators must always opt for materials that allow teachers to reuse and adapt them.

ICT and Other Resources

All projects include activities and/or tasks related to the use of ICT in the classroom. These types of activities are combined with tasks and assignments of another type (written exercises, spoken activities, work to be undertaken on sheets of paper or poster board, etc.).

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Methodological approach

The EDIA Project's OER use active, contextualized methodologies so that students can construct their own knowledge.

Project Based Learning (PBL)

Project Based Learning (PBL) is the main methodological approach included in the EDIA Project; thus, in each resource, students carry out an extensive research process in order to answer a complex question, solve a problem, or overcome a challenge.

To find out more:

"7 Essential Elements of PBL"

 "7 PBL Teaching Practices"

"Ideas to Establish a PBL Approach at my School"

"PBL: From Pioneer Teachers to Innovative Schools"

"PBL: Students who Learn to Decide"

MOOC PBL Intef (On Twitter)

Flipped Classroom

The "flipped classroom" methodology aims to move the instructional or conceptual content outside of the classroom context in order to enrich and take advantage of classroom time with activities or tasks that develop higher-order thinking skills. This is achieved through the use of enhanced videos, infographics, etc. that the students work on prior to class, individually, allowing for their application to take place in class in a meaningful way. Webliography and Profiles for Reference on Social Media.

theflippedclassroom.es

Grupo FlippedEABE en Google +

Manuel Jesús Fernández (Direblog)

Juan Francisco Hernández

Domingo Chica Pardo (Flipped y mucho más)

Manel Trenchs i Mola

Profiles on Twitter

Manuel Jesús Fernández

Raúl Santiago

Antonio Calvillo

Manuela Fernández

Juan Francisco Hernández

Alfredo Prieto

Inaki FC

Manel Trenchs i Mola

Rosa Liarte

(Text and references provided by Domingo Chica Pardo - @dchicapardo )

Cooperative Learning

"Cooperative learning is to undertake, for the purposes of teaching, work in teams of students of a small size so as to ensure the equal participation of all students and to maximize the level of interaction between them. The aim is for all team members to learn the educational content and for them to learn to work in a group and, likewise, to learn other values such as solidarity, respect for differences, teamwork, etc." (Pere Pujolàs)

15 Activities to Unite the Classroom

9 Key Ideas. Cooperative Learning

Cooperative Learning (Pillar Etxebarría)

15 Digital Activities to Start Off the School Year and Work Cooperatively

Activities and Techniques for Planning and Reflection in the Classroom

The Evaluation of Cooperative Learning

The "Cinética" Collective

Gamification

Gamification in education is a strategy that, when applied to the classroom, promotes motivation towards learning. 

The following general definition can act as a basis for us to understand gamification in education: “the application of gaming elements to non-recreational contexts.” This is a flexible definition, as it can be entirely adapted for each individual context, and it basically consists of taking advantage of gaming elements that favor the students' autonomy, effort, and development of talent. Giving real meaning to the curricular content and facilitating creative and critical exchanges between students fosters a learning environment that is ideal for developing skills and core competencies in order for learning to take place in today's classroom.

There is no single way to spark curiosity and, therefore, there is no single way to gamify. The students are an essential part of the experience, and meeting their needs through a safe learning environment that provides timely feedback has proven to be key for this type of learning to become memorable. Thus, this type of learning not only improves long-term retention –something which is useful and practical for real-world contexts– but it also greatly increases attention spans through the use of new elements that arouse students' interest in a particular subject matter.

We can speak of two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Rewards are taken into account in terms of the need to cover, emotionally, “those connections” that trigger learning. The more superficial or external aspect (points, badges, etc.) feeds the process that was already undertaken through proper dialog – a dialog which will mark the process's development.

In conclusion, this is the awakening of a certain motivation to learn, wrapped up in doses of autonomy, reflection, effort, and excitement.

Links of Interest

Gamifica tu aula

Marinva

A la luz de una bombilla

HR Gamer

Profiles on Twitter

Gamifica tu aula:

Telegram

Twitter

Edmodo

Salvador Carrión

Aitor Barbosa

Ignacio Maté

José Carlos Arranz

Montse Martín

Jaione Pozuelo

Javier Espinosa

Pepe Pedraz

Ana Ordás

Pepe Arjona

Noemí Blanch

Marinva

Isidro Rodríguez

(Text and references provided by Clara Cordero - @AgoraAbierta)

Mobile learning

According to UNESCO, mobile learning, also called “m-learning,” offers modern support methods to the learning process by using mobile tools such as laptops and tablets, MP3 players, smart phones, and mobile phones. (Source: UNESCO) Resources:

Free Course on Mobile Learning - AprendeIntef (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport)

Guide for the Establishment of Mobile Learning in the Classroom - Technical University of Madrid

Guide on Mobile Learning - Telefónica Foundation

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Structure of OER

The basic structure of an open educational resource in the EDIA Project is as follows:

The Basic Structure of an OER

Cover

Title of the resource.

Brief explanation of the project or challenge / final product.

Summary of what the students are to learn.

Learning itinerary (the tasks that students are going to undertake until arriving at the final product).

First Steps

Initial situation / question. An activity for reflection and motivation based on a resource (video, image, text, audio, etc.). The aim of this activity is to awaken students' interest and elicit prior knowledge, feelings, and experiences.

Project description and first tasks. Presentation of a challenge or final product, as well as of the benchmarks for evaluation (curriculum objectives, final scoring rubric, and grading criteria). Explanation of practical aspects (resources, classroom organization, timing), as well as the creation of the portfolio.

Learning diary. Creation of the diary and drafting of the first entry.

Development Tasks

These tasks provide students with activities related to the end product or final challenge. They allow students to acquire knowledge and to create and collect resources that will be used throughout (and at the end of) the project. Typical projects have between three and six tasks. Each task must work towards the foreseen objectives and curricular content. Each task should take up one page and have the following structure and content (one iDevice per person):

Introduction. A motivational activity / reflection activity.

Task. This will include a description of the activity, instructions, and resources for the activity's development and evaluation (documents, rubrics, criteria, etc.).

Learning diary. For each individual student and with the same format for all tasks. Used to ensure review of the task and the project's development.

Final Task

The project should conclude with the creation of a product, the resolution of a challenge, or the development of an activity within –or outside of– the classroom. Something that involves the sharing of the final task should also always be included. Said task should take up one page and have the following structure and contents:

Final task. This will include a description of the activity, instructions, and resources for its development and evaluation (documents, rubrics, criteria, etc.).

Sharing of the process, final product, experience, etc.

Learning diary for each individual student. This will include a review of the final task and the project's overall development.

Teaching Guide

This node should appear shaded. To get this effect, you must include "- " (dash, space) before the name of the node and " -" (space, dash) after. Example: "- Topic -"

General description. Fundamental data for the resource: challenge, problem, or final product, creative project within which the activity is framed, subject area, methodological approach, and proposal for classroom organization.

Itinerary and timing. Tasks/components of the project, as well as a summary of the goal and the number of class sessions. Suggestions for interdisciplinary connections.

Assessment and references to the curriculum. Evaluation of documents, moments, and participants. Grading proposal. Criteria, standards, and key competencies.

Documents for download in zip format, including all the materials.

Recommendations for teachers. Specific recommendations for the OER in question.

Technical Data Sheet

This node should appear shaded. To get this effect, you must include "- " (dash, space) before the name of the node and " -" (space, dash) after. Example: "- Topic -" Basic information about the resource, with the following sections: title, year, subject, curricular content, challenge/problem/final product, number of sessions, and author.

Provide your opinion about the OER

This node should appear shaded. To get this effect, you must include "- " (dash, space) before the name of the node and " -" (space, dash) after. Example: "- Topic -" This section gives users the possibility to send in their opinions, suggestions for improvement, and evaluations of the resource through the questionnaire that is hosted on the Cedec webpage.

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Assessment

The central point of reference for the assessment of students should be the solving of the challenge (final task) and the activities and tasks undertaken to achieve this final goal. Assessment must be complemented by other aspects, such as how the classroom teams worked together, the student learning diary, student portfolios and, if the teacher finds it necessary, specific oral or written activities. Assessment of these aspects is to be undertaken by using assessment documents, such as rubrics or evaluation guides. Additional Information:

Assessment Using Rubrics

Self-Assessment, Peer-Assessment, and Hetero-Assessment

The Portfolio as a Tool for Learning and Assessment

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Sharing

Cedec will share the EDIA Project resources and plans through its website and its social media profiles, as well as through the activities in which its members participate (articles, presentations, training workshops, cooperation with the media, etc.). Said sharing of resources should be complemented by the sharing undertaken by the project's creators and collaborators. Guidelines for Sharing:

Twitter. Always use the hashtag #proyectoEDIA and mention the user @cedec_intef. Add a specific hashtag for the project.

Facebook. Add a tag for the Cedec page: @cedec.intef

Blogs and websites. Include the EDIA Project logo.

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Licensing of the content

OER are provided under a CC BY-SA license. The creation and inclusion of different elements (texts, videos, audio files, and other materials) must abide by this license or other similar/compatible licenses.

Any illustrations that are not original must have a Creative Commons BY-SA or compatible license (CC BY, CC0, Public Domain, etc.).

All embedded elements must be published by their authors or by those who hold the rights for their publication and dissemination.

Links to external content (web pages, blogs, articles, articles/documents, presentations, videos, audio files, etc.) should direct users to the original resource or to links where the author and/or authors have authorized publication and dissemination, likewise authorizing the use of the content.

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General style guidelines

Open Educational Resources created for Cedec must follow some common formatting guidelines. These guidelines may be adapted for specific content, but their core elements may not be altered.

10 Keys to Creating Educational Content for the EDIA Project

What must be taken into account when creating a resource?

The heading must be clear and make reference to the whole project.

The structure must include and identify the basic sections.

The contents must be original or have a license that permits their use.

Written texts must be clear, concise, and geared towards the tasks and activities.

All texts must be written in the first-person plural.

Embedded images and materials must have the right size and include the proper reference.

Links must work and direct to original materials.

The information in the "Properties" section must be complete.

The materials must meet accessibility requirements.

The resource's license type must be clearly identified.

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General format for OER

The tool used to create the resources must be eXeLearning. The latest stable version must always be used, and the style used should be "Cedec Oficial 2017."

For each area or OER, the structure of the resource shall be defined, along with the iDevices that correspond to each content type. The structure defined, as well as the different types of iDevices assigned, must be maintained throughout all of the teaching sequences of the same area.

Each page must not exceed 4 "mouse scrolls." This is an approximate length, as content is viewed on the computer screen.

The classroom may have people with different visual, auditory, physical, and intellectual abilities. Therefore, to the maximum extent possible, the OER must be adapted to meet the specific needs of each individual. Throughout this guide, accessibility recommendations shall be marked with the icon accesibilidad. The resource entitled "Material Formats and Accessibility" can be used to expand upon any of these aspects.

These accessibility recommendations are the result of the cooperative effort of the CENTAC Education Group (National Center for Accessibility Technology).

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Use of iDevices

Each OER content type must be linked to a specific iDevice. The EDIA Project templates included on eXeLearning provide a structural base for the design and creation of resources.

Cover

iDevice "Free Text."

First Steps

Initial situation / question: iDevice "Objectives."

Project description and first tasks: iDevice "Practical Case."

Learning diary: iDevice "Reflection".

Tasks

Introductory / motivational activities: iDevice "Objectives."

Developmental tasks linked to the project/challenge/end product: iDevice "Practical Case."

Complementary activities: iDevice "Objectives."

Learning diary: iDevice "Reflection".

Teaching Guide

General resource description: iDevice "Objectives."

Itinerary and timing: iDevice "Activities."

Assessment and references to the curriculum: iDevice "Activities."

Recommendations for teachers: iDevice "Activities."

Documents for download: iDevice "Attachments."

Technical Data Sheet

iDevice "Free Text."

Provide your Opinion About the Resource

iDevice "Free Text" with the following text:  "Help us to improve this resource by answering the EDIA Project OER Opinion Questionnaire. Thank you for your help."

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Texts

Content

Source. Content texts much be original. In the event that texts by other authors are included, they must be properly cited. These cited texts must not be misused.

Creation. The creation of content texts shall be done directly through eXeLearning. In the event that the text was originally created in a different editor, it can be included as content by using the "paste without formatting" button.

Drafting Conventions 

The first-person plural must be used. Students should be addressed through informal, correct, and direct language – avoid long paragraphs and academic language.

Texts should focus on providing directions for tasks that are brief, clear, and direct. Informational and motivational texts may appear, but they should be limited in length (1-2 paragraphs per iDevice).

Title. The resource's title must appear in the header. All the resources from the same project must make reference to the title.

Spelling. References to check spelling and grammar can include the Diccionario panhispánico de dudas (Panhispanic Dictionary of Doubts) and the Diccionario de la Real Academia de la Lengua Española (Dictionary of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language). For any questions that are not included in the aforementioned two resources, the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language's query service must be used.

Format

Alignment. The default text alignment should be used. The align right, align left, align center, and justified buttons must not be used.

Font size and font family.  The defaults provided by the editor should be used (default font size / font face).

Bold. Only important words or expressions within the text may be put in bold.

Colors. Different text colors other than the original color used shall not be employed to highlight words or mark sections within the text.

Headers.  Limited use. 

Titles of works. The general guidelines of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language shall be used (for resources drafted in languages other than Spanish, the respective linguistic guidelines shall be taken into account):

Titles of artistic works (films, videos, books, songs, etc.): in italics.

Titles of documents (rubrics, templates, publications): between quotation marks.

Titles of website articles, parts of books, etc.: between quotation marks.

Titles of websites, blogs, mass media pages: plain text.

Quotes from Texts

Short quotes. These must be included by using the "cite with author" button and including the author's name.

Text fragments that are longer than a paragraph. These must be included by using the "cite with author" button (without checking the "include style" option) and including the author's name and the title of the original work.

Citing electronic documents. The following recommendations must be considered:

How to Cite Electronic Resources, by Asumpció Estivill and Cristóbal Urbano.

Types of Attribution. This provides general criteria (and, more specifically, online tools) for citing works.

Lists

By default, unordered lists must be used.

The editor's default bullets are to be used.

The list depth level must be limited to one.

A list with a single element must never be included.

A period must be written if it is a text list (no period is to be used if the list is of links).

Links

Links must be external. Internal links within the document's contents may not be used (i.e., links to anchors). 

The link text should contain the title or a descriptive name of the element being linked. Expressions like "at the following link" or "click here" must not be used.

When a link is included, the target must be a new window  accesibilidad and a generic link title should be included for reasons of accessibility.

Writing styles shall be used that make the text easy to read (reference documents: Easy Reading: Methods of Writing and Assessment (Ministry of Health) and The Easy Dictionary.

Use accessible fonts.

If headings are used, respect their hierarchy and try to enhance their contrast (use Color Contrast Analyzer to be sure).

In the event that the links open in a new window, this must be explicitly stated in their title. Thus, said title must end with the words "opens in a new window" so as not to mislead the blind, as changing windows can make them lose track of where they were surfing.

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Images

Image relevance

Images inserted in the OER must broaden/enhance the meaning of the texts or support the proposed activities.

Image size

Images must have a size of 560 x 315 pixels (side images should be 250 x 140 pixels). >In the event that the original image is of a different size, its width should be reduced to 560 pixels with an external editor. Next, the height of the canvas should be set to 315 pixels and the part of the image that is of interest should be centered on the canvas.  Image proportions should be kept so as not to distort the images.

Alignment of images

In general images should be centered. The use of side images should be limited.

Information to be Included when an image is inserted 

The appropriate fields must be filled out :

General tab: Description of the image. 

Title and acknowledgment: Title of the image and a link to the source / author, as well as a link to the license.

Image databases

Cedec's Flickr

EDIA Project's Pinterest

CC Search

Procomún

The image title and image description should be different from each other for each image. Likewise, different images should have different titles and descriptions.

The image description is what a screen reader will read to someone who cannot see the image. It is also the text that will be displayed if the image does not load; thus, the relevant information about what the image has in it must be provided for those who cannot see it. This should be an objective description of what is seen in the image, described in a way that is sufficiently relevant to the image itself. For example, a picture of a computer with a padlock accompanying a text about computer security could have the description, "Picture of a laptop computer on a desk with a padlock protecting it."

The image title can be subjective, and is intended to briefly and synthetically highlight what the relationship is between the image and the content. For example, a picture of a computer with a padlock accompanying a text about computer security could have the words "Computer Security" as its title.

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Multimedia documents and resources

Multimedia files and documents can be embedded or linked to online. Materials specifically created for the EDIA Project can be included, as well as those materials whose licenses and characteristics allow for their inclusion amongst the resources.

Multimedia elements must be designed and included with accessibility recommendations in mind.  accesibilidad

Embedded Elements

Multimedia files and documents that are relevant to specific tasks or activities may be embedded in the resource. Their dimensions should be 560x315 pixels and they must be centered and include a citation of their title and author, as well as a link to the resource at its original location.

Multimedia. There may be a maximum of one or two multimedia elements embedded per page. 

Documents. These must appear in drop-down menus.

Linked Items

Multimedia files and complementary documents should be housed on external servers/spaces and they should be linked to. They should always open in a "new window." 

Media files must include transcripts, subtitles, audio description, and sign language whenever possible.

To expand upon and improve multimedia accessibility:

Chapter V of the "Guide for the Accessibility of Electronic Documents" UNIDIS – UNED (Center for Attention to University Students with Disabilities of the National Distance University).

“Guidelines for the Design of Accessible Learning Environments for Individuals with Visual Impairment” ACCEDO-ONCE (Digital Educational Content Accessibility Group of the Spanish National Organization of the Blind).

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Properties tab

Package Tab

The following sections of the "Properties" tab should be filled in:

Title. Full name of the OER.

General Description:  

Brief explanation of the project, indicating the area, module, or subject – as well as the level and academic year.

Objectives. Curricular objectives.

Prior knowledge. Always with the phrase "None necessary. The teacher has access to all the guides and guidelines in order to be able to successfully use the materials and suggested lesson."

Author: Full name of author or authors.

License: Select "Creative Commons. Attribution-Share Alike 4.0"

Resource Type: Select "Real Project."

Document Type: Select "HTML 5."

LOM-ES Metadata Tab

Information should be included in the following fields:

Keywords (6 or 7): The following should always be included:

Cedec.

OER.

EDIA Project.

Accessible.

Area, subject, module.

Curricular content.

Methodology (PBL, Flipped, Gamification, etc.).

Final project.

Classification: Always by academic level, by discipline type, and by competency.

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Gender equality recommendations

Equality in Projects

Add equality as a cross-disciplinary objective.

Select content from the gender perspective, not from an androcentric or biased perspective. Try to ensure the visibility of the contributions made by women to the different fields of knowledge.

Reflect on the presence of women in the curriculum and their contributions to knowledge.

Eliminate gender stereotypes in content, texts, and images.

Propose activities that promote the critical analysis of inequalities throughout the entire project.

Equality in Images

Use a greater number of images in which the human figure at different ages appears to serve as a positive reference for students. Include each sex in equal proportions.

Ensure that male supremacy is not conveyed in group images.

Show people with different physical traits that are similar to the students' reality while avoiding stereotypes.

Take care when depicting professional activities in order to avoid stereotypes such as male doctor / female nurse.

Take into account the recommendations from guides on non-sexist language and images in terms of clothing depicted, accessories, attitudes, use of space, etc.

Use counter-stereotypical images.

Equality in Written Language

Avoid using masculine generalizations and singular masculine terms to refer to collectives made up of both sexes. In order to accomplish this, change the wording using linguistic devices such as periphrasis and metonymy so that the same thing is said in another, more inclusive way.

Use inclusive vocabulary without gender connotations such as "students," "teachers," "individuals," "friends."

Use nouns that are not gender specific –such as "officer"– instead of gender-specific nouns like "policeman" or "policewoman."

Don't overuse the slash to differentiate between genders (for example: boys/girls).

Eliminate stereotypes in the use of the written language, especially when using adjectives and words referring to professions (for example, “bold boys” and “quiet girls").  

Recommendations from the "Cedec Guide of Recommendations for Non-Sexist Educational Materials in Open Educational Resources" written by Prudencia Gutiérrez Esteban, Inés Rodríguez Sánchez, and María Rosa Luengo González of the Department of Education at the University of Extremadura.

.

EDIA Project. Guide for the Creation of Interactive Educational Materials. CeDeC

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