What content resource?

Choosing your resource - An iPod Book?

Image courtesy of Brian "DoctaBu" Moore

Introduction

Your first consideration is to think about the type of content resource you would like to develop for Wikieducator. This is important because it will influence:

• the learning design,
• the layout of your project and
• where your content page should link to in the wiki.

The type of content required for a printed handout or worksheet that is used in support of a face-to-face class would be different from a self-study wiki tutorial, or printed study guide. The different contexts for the teaching and learning will require different learning content including different layout and style. For example, in the case of a worksheet handout, you would typically leave spaces where the learner can fill in their answers, whereas an online wiki tutorial would not require the learners to fill in their answers on the specific page of the wiki tutorial. Also, in a self-study tutorial you would include more "teacher talk" because you would not be present at the time the learner interacts with the resource.

Educational resources suitable for WikiEducator

WikiEducator is a community of educators who are collaborating on the development of teaching materials and learning resources to support their work. Our community comprises teachers, lecturers, trainers, learning designers, editors educational technologists and researchers.

The WikiEducator community collaborates on the development of teaching materials:

• that users can share, remix and reuse without restriction, in other words Free content materials. (All content on WikiEducator must meet the requirements of the Free cultural works definition);
• for all sectors, that is: formal, non-formal and informal;
• for all levels of schooling, post-secondary, tertiary and the professional development of educators.

By collaborating and sharing knowledge WikiEducators save time, interact with a global community and succeed in producing high quality materials through a process of peer editing and review.

Examples of the types of teaching materials in WikiEducator

WikiEducator is a dynamic community and as a result new forms of educational materials and supporting pedagogies are evolving on a daily basis. We encourage WikiEducators to develop new ideas and approaches --- it's the wiki way. However, you may find it easier to develop and contribute to one of the existing and more popular forms of content in our wiki.

Type	Description	Examples
Tutorial (self-study)	Tutorials are primarily designed for self-directed study. They are typically used for asynchronous learning situations, but also work very well as support materials for face-to-face teaching. Self-study tutorials usually include educational elements such as learning objectives, pre-knowledge requirements, case studies, reading activities, discussion activities, self-assessment questions and other activities embedded in the instructional text. A tutorial is a self-contained unit. It can be a subset of a larger educational unit, but typically would require between 0.5 to 1.0 notional hours of learning to complete. Delivery options Online using wikieducator Print-based study materials using the wiki ==> pdf print features eLearning delivery from your local Learning Management System.	WikiEducator Tutorials
Handout	Handouts are printed materials used to support face-to-face teaching in the classroom, for example worksheets, small group projects, and homework sheets for students to practice mastery of new concepts. A WikiEducator handout typically includes: A cover page providing metadata like, subject, topic and level Teacher tips or guidelines which are provided on the cover page The actual handout which is optimised for printing directly from WikiEducator A talk page for teachers to share thoughts and experiences on using the handout. Delivery options A pdf document generated by WikiEducator which is photocopied or printed for the learners Online teacher guidelines and discussion.	Population pyramids
Workshop	A workshop is a short intensive training session where small groups exchange information and experiences in an interactive way with the purpose of enriching their skills in a particular area. WikiEducator encourages professional developers, seminar facilitators and workshop organisers to develop their materials on WE so that their workshops can be replicated in other locations and improved over time through feedback and refinements. Typically a workshop resource will include: A cover page documenting the purpose and agenda with time allocations. Links to support materials and resources used in the workshop. Delivery options Conventional face-to-face workshop at a conference or professional development seminar Online workshop.	Internationalising online programs
Study guide (Distance education)	A distance education study guide is designed for self-directed study. Therefore, like a self study tutorial, it also contains educational elements like learning objectives, pre-knowledge requirements, case studies, reading activities, discussion activities, self-assessment questions and other activities embedded in the instructional text. Reading activities may direct learners to a textbook or research paper. It is more comprehensive than a tutorial and may include modules and a number of study units for each module. A study guide would typically be designed to take learners through 40 to 120 notional learning hours, guiding them through all the teaching materials for a course.	Cost and financing in open schooling
Textbook	A textbook is a standard book which is usually prescribed as required study or recommended reading in a course of study. Typically, a textbook does not contain all the educational elements of a study guide, but this is not a prescribed rule. Very often there are self-assessment questions provided as a subsection within or at the end of a chapter, rather than integrating these throughout the text, as in the case of a study guide. Delivery options Usually designed for print but can be adapted for elearning
Handbook	A handbook is a concise manual providing instruction on how to do something. It is distinguished from a textbook by being more succinct and providing practical guidelines. Delivery options Usually designed for print but can be adapted for elearning	OER Handbook for educators
Toolkit	A toolkit comprises a collection of "tools", resources and guidelines to accomplish a specific task or project. It is more comprehensive than a guidebook, because it contains the "tools" required for the task. For example, a toolkit for planning and presenting an OER workshop would, in addition to the guidelines, contain example documents, check lists and slideshow presentations to support the successful completion of the task.	OER Workshop toolkit
Research paper	A research paper presents the results of an investigation on a particular topic and is usually academic in nature. The problem formulation, procedures and findings are gathered from a variety of sources and data and is a unique contribution to our knowledge base. Research papers aim to be objective and are supported by the evidence and citations from the literature. Research papers can be incorporated as learning resources in courses, and therefore are included in the range of content types in WikiEducator. Delivery options Printed out as reading material for a face-to-face class Incorporated into a reading activity for a self-study tutorial or in a or distance education study guide which refers students to a compiled reader incorporating the research paper.

Content which is not suitable for WikiEducator

The following examples are not suitable for content development projects in WikiEducator:

• Content which does not meet the free content licensing requirements of Wikieducator. (This includes full copyright content, images and media with all rights reserved or for example licenses which contain a no-derivatives or non-commercial restriction.)
• Using WikiEducator as an alternative website for your institution. However, WikiEducator encourages institutions to create node pages or hubs to promote the work they are doing in developing OERs with corresponding links to the content resources they have developed;
• The development of encyclopaedia-like articles. Encyclopaedia articles should be developed in Wikipedia;
• Content which is clearly not intended for educational purposes.
• Advertising or marketing of products.