For those of us used to working with students and print resources, the idea of switching to a digital textbook or articles may be enough to put the breaks on the whole enterprise. But others have walked these streets before you and have advice to offer. And the reality is that students progressing into other institutions are going to find themselves confronting digital texts at some point in this day and age.
As faculty, you assess textbooks against a set of criteria that reflects your long experience and knowledge of student needs. You do the same with Open Textbooks, but there are a few additional considerations.
* Content
o Accuracy of material
o Richness
o Depth
o Breadth
o Timeliness
o Cultural context
* Presentation
o Writing quality and tone
o Reading level
o Organization
o Visual presentation
o Hierarchy of information
o Collateral materials
Additional Criteria
* Accessibility online
o Are the web pages for the textbook accessible?
* Production options
o Is the book available in more than one format? Printed? Bound? PDF?
* Platform compatibility
o Is the textbook viewable and usable on both MAC's and PC's?
* Delivery options
o Is a bound copy available at a very low price? Will your bookstore be able to carry the printed version?
* Interactivity
o If the online version includes interactive software or multi-media files, are they accessible and cross platform?
* Consistency between online and printed presentation
o Are the online and printed versions comparable in organization and basic appearance?
o Will you be able to identify locations in either with minimal confusion for students?
* Collateral material
o If there are test banks, interactives, or other enrichment materials, are they in a format you can use?
o Accessible?
o Free or very inexpensive?
*This content has been adapted from Regina Gong, Adopting and Evaluating OER