Transitioning from closed courses and educational resources to open educational resources (OER) and open courseware (OCW) requires considerations of many factors beyond simply the use of an open licence. This paper examines the pedagogical choices and trade-offs involved in creating OER and OCW. Eight factors are identified that influence openness (open licensing, accessibility and usability standards, language, cultural considerations, support costs, digital distribution, and file formats). These factors are examined under closed, mixed and most open scenarios to relatively compare the amount of effort, willingness, skill and knowledge required. The paper concludes by suggesting that maximizing openness is not practical and argues that open educators should strive for ‘open enough’ rather than maximal openness.
The objective of this mixed methods pilot study was to ascertain university students' perceptions of online library catalogues using tablet computers, to determine how the participants used tablets and whether or not the NEOS consortium catalogue (NEOS) played an important role in the participants' academic research. The researcher recruited four students from the University of Alberta who were each asked to use NEOS to complete a series of simple timed usability tasks on a tablet computer of their choosing. The participants also answered a variety of semi-structured interview questions regarding their tablet usage, internet browsing habits, device preferences, general impressions of NEOS, and whether they were receptive to the idea of a mobile NEOS application. Overall, the students found the functionality and design of NEOS to be adequate. Typing, authentication, and scrolling through lists presented consistent usability problems while on a tablet. Only one participant was receptive to the idea of a NEOS application, while the other three participants said tablets were not conducive to conducting academic research and that they preferred using a web interface on a laptop or desktop computer instead.
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