Appendix B – OER Learning Circle Faculty Support Online Course Structure Template
A letter to Educators from Karen Pikula
Dear Educators
I have created this course room as a support resource for all of us, as we work through your Minnesota State OER Faculty Development Projects.
We will be using the following D2L Brightspace tools: these tools appear on the navigation bar on the top of the D2L page. We will be focused mainly on the Content page which is located under the Materials tab on the navigation bar.
- Under Content you will find modules that I have created for you. Click on these modules and you will find…
Your Weekly Schedule and Checklist: This module contains your weekly schedule and checklist.
OER Explained: This module contains offers definitions of OER.
Modules for each project cohort: These are modules for each of the Minnesota State Faculty Development Projects.
If you are in the Authoring of Ancillary Resource Project, you will find resources here, as well as ten weeks of submodules with links to the discussion forums, and to the submission folders where you need to submit your updated weekly workplans.
If you are in the Course Redesign Project, you will find resources here, as well as ten weeks of submodules with links to the discussion forums, and to the submission folders where you need to submit your updated weekly workplans.
If you are in the Textbook Authoring Project, you will find resources here, as well as ten weeks of submodules with links to the discussion forums, and to the submission folders where you need to submit your updated weekly workplans.
Course Objectives/Course Objectives and Learning Objective Matrix: This module contains an example using the Course Objective/Learning Objective Matrix Template that you will find under the Template Module. I have used objectives for this course as a model of how you could use this template in redesigning your course.
D2L Help Desk: This module contains links to the D2L Help Desk and Institution’s policies.
Helpdesk Information: Links your institution’s Helpdesk. (Module)
Links to Policies: Links your institution’s policies (Module)
Creative Commons Licenses: This module contains links to information about creative commons licenses.
Universal Design: This module contains information on universal design, ADA compliance, and accessibility.
Links to OER Textbooks: This module contains several links to OER Textbooks.
Case Studies: This module contains case studies on OER
Videos and Workshops: This module contains links to videos and workshops about OER.
Templates: This module contains simple basic templates that I have created, that I use to keep my work organized and to save me time. You are welcome to use and edit as you see fit.
Resources: This module contains links to various OER resources beyond textbooks.
OER Evaluation Tools: This module contains OER evaluation tools
QM Rubric and Self-Review Tool: This module contains a link to the QM self-review tool and to the QM rubric. This will be very helpful if you are redesigning a course!
Pressbooks: Minnesota Libraries Publishing Project This module contains a link to Pressbooks. A great way to publish your work in a digital book format.
Copyright and Fair Use: This module contains information and checklists for fair use and for copyright.
- Under the Communications tab on the navigation bar you will find three other items we will be using in this course:
Classlist: The class list contains all the educators in this OER Projects Cohort as well as their emails addresses. My hope is that you will use this class list often to connect with people who have raised points of interest to you in our Learning Circles. I hope this serves as a catalyst for collaboration between disciplines as well as project areas.
Discussions: This link will take you to a full list of all the discussion forums for the entire ten weeks. I also have links to them individually within each weekly module.
- Under the Assessments tab on the navigation bar you will find three other pages we will be using in this course:
Assignments: This link will take you to all the assignments that you will need to submit for the ten weeks. I also have links to them individually within each weekly module.
Grades: This link will take you to the grades section of the course. I will be grading you as submitted or not submitted. Check here periodically to make sure that you have submitted everything that you need to submit to fulfill the requirements for these projects.
Surveys: This link will take you to all the entry survey that you complete week one and to the exit survey you complete the final week of your work. I also have links to them individually in the week one and the week ten modules
I hope you find this document helpful as you begin to navigate the course room. If you find that you have spent more than five minutes trying to find something…call me! I don’t want you wasting your time…five minutes of conversation will usually fix most problems!
