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Guidelines for EngSC OER Description.
Author: Phil Barker, Heriot-Watt University.Date: November 2009Version: 1.0
The aim of these guidelines is to help ensure that those working with the Engineering SubjectCentre (EngSC) in releasing Open Educational Resources (OERs) provide an adequatedescription of the content they release. The descriptions have to be adequate to fulfil a number of requirements from several stakeholders. The simplest is that potential users of the contentneed to be able to find it and to understand what it is useful for and how they may use it. Theymay be looking for resources using Google or some specialist search facility provided by theSubject Centre or a third party
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; they may or may not have knowledge of OERs or the SubjectCentre's role in releasing them. There are other less obvious sources for requirements: our funders wish to keep track of how many resources we are releasing, as do the project team andpossibly you do as well. You and your institution will want to be credited when a resource isused.Sometimes the requirement will be for textual information that another person can read and acton
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;other time the requirement will be for metadata, that is structured descriptions that caneasily be accessed programmatically, and which is normally entered in a form on whatever platform is being used to host the resource.
Textual information to include in the resource
Title
At the front/top/beginning of the resource, also as a running header or footer on each pageif appropriate.Needs to convey maximum information in minimum space, e.g. subject + level formula of "Advanced wickerwork for basket weaving"
Description
In the resource as an abstract, if appropriate (examples where this isn't appropriate arevideos or images). Should include information on what the resource is intended to help astudent learn, how it may be used etc. as appropriate
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.
Author 
On title page, at front/top/beginning of resource, and with copyright and licensinginformation in credits section at end of resource.
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For an examples of such facilities see http://www.oercommons.org/ http://ocwfinder.com/abouthttp://xpert.nottingham.ac.uk/
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Some resource types, namely non-textual resources such as images, movies, audio recordings, are particularlyproblematic for this approach. There are a number of options, which range from embedding the resource in a pageof text (such an approach is adopted by many web 2.0 sites in providing what is sometimes called a canonical webpage for a resource) or the use of embedded metadata in the resource, which requires technical interventionbeyond the scope of these recommendations. For audio or video recordings the title and other textual descriptionscan be either read or displayed at the beginning of the recording.
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Pretty much every entry could have "if appropriate" appended to it. Take it as read from now on.
 
Guidelines for EngSC OER Description
Can be useful to include contact details.
Creation / revision date
On title page or at end of resource (with copyright information)
Source Institution
With the author's details at the front/top/beginning and/or in the credits/copyright section
Origin Course
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In the description, preferably with a URL to some public information about that course andsome descriptive link text, e.g. advanced wickerwork module in the third year of a basketweaving course.
Source of Funding
In "credits" section, at end of resource or as footnote. The standard Eng OER resourcestamp and back page fulfil this role.
Project
In "credits" section, at end of resource or as footnote. The standard Eng OER resourcestamp and back page fulfil this role.
Licence information
With copyright information and "credits" section at back of resource. The standard backpage fulfils this role.
Subject Keywords
The description/abstract and the content of the resource should normally contain sufficientkeywords. If not it may be worth adding them separately below the description.
Third Party rights
With copyright and licence information as credits section.
URI, URL
If there is a canonical version of the resource, i.e. a version which you keep up to date,then it is useful to include the URL for that version in the resource so that people whoobtain a copy know where to find it.
Metadata to record on publishing the resource.
Title
Make sure the title is the same as on the resource
Description
As per description in resource
Programme Tag
Should be tagged as UKOER
Source Institution
Use a tag based on your institution's name
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i.e. the course for which the resource was created or in which it was originally used.Phil Barker, Heriot-Watt University Oct 2009page 2 of 3
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uploaded a new revision for this document (#2)

11 / 16 / 2009

uploaded a new revision for this document (#1)

11 / 16 / 2009
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