Faculty: A 5-part framework for open courses

5R Open Course Design Framework available to help faculty as OER use enters mainstream.

Open course experts have published and revised the 5R Open Course Design Framework, a set of guidelines and best practices for developing courses using open educational resources (OER).

The framework, freely available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (CC BY), encourages educators and faculty who are not trained instructional designers to capitalize on the unique rights associated with open content also known as the 5Rs: the ability Retain, Reuse, Revise, Remix and Redistribute content for educational purposes.

Lumen Learning, the experts behind the framework, noted that while the framework is an over-simplification of OER course design, the framework is, instead, meant to “support moderate improvements in teaching and learning during the OER transition [and] create opportunities for faculty to think about how their practice might change in the context of ‘open,'” according to an online presentation. The company also plans to offer training, professional development and a course review and certification process associated with the framework. Professional development certifications will be offered to help individuals and organizations build capacity around effective course design with OER.

“Use of open educational resources in U.S. classrooms is entering the mainstream,” said David Wiley, a professor and longtime advocate of open education as well as chief academic officer of Lumen Learning, in a statement. “At the same time, the education community still has much to learn about designing effective courses and educational experiences using OER. The 5R Open Course Design Framework provides a foundation for consistent quality assurance and best practices.”

(Next page: Details of the framework)