Quality transparency in OER repositories
Building the ENCORE+ Quality Transparency Framework (ENCORE QTF)
The workshops and expert consultations conducted by ENCORE+ initiative during 2022 concluded that practices which OER repositories employ to develop the quality of the repository – called “quality approaches of repositories” – have to be made transparent.
Transparency would allow users to understand upfront or in the process of using resources stored within a repository which quality they can expect and how this particular quality is described or assessed. We call this kind of quality development an “up-front quality development through transparency”. Transparency is important in order to allow:
- a mutual learning process among OER repositories;
- networking, discussion and exchange on quality issues between OER repositories and
- informing users about practices which assure quality of OER.
However, it is not only the quality of the OER itself that is important for the uptake and building of a European OER ecosystem; the quality of the OER repositories housing open content is equally crucial.
This report discusses why the transparency of quality practices of OER repositories is relevant for the uptake of OER and for the creation of a viable OER ecosystem in Europe. Based on four consecutive Thematic Peer Group (TPG) workshops involving 34 experts from more than 10 countries, the first outline of a quality transparency framework is introduced. It is proposed as an instrument for repositories to make their quality practices visible and explicit to users and other repositories.
A piloting plan for OER repositories is proposed in order to further develop the quality transparency framework.
Read the full report below:
