Running the Play
Identifying your audience(s).
The OER Adoption Maturity Model was intended to be a helpful clarification of how individuals and organizations can progress in working with OER. The model is intended for a variety of audiences, especially:
- Those new to OER.
- Those already aware and interested in implementing OER but looking to organize a plan for propelling OER adoption.
- Those who are already actively adopting OER and need to structure efforts underway by a variety of people, departments, and so on.
Structuring your model.
The structure of the model relies on the identification of two categories of progress.
- Progress Stages. For the original model, the categories were “OER Initiate”, “Launch District”, and “Ambassador District” (the colored zones in the center of the model). The two later categories come from definitions outlined by the federal #GoOpen campaign to identify differing levels of competence, experience, and progress of an institutional OER program (in this case, public school districts). A third category, “OER Initiate”, as added to address those entirely new to OER, acknowledging them with a categorical identity and to offer some suggested first steps to get them going.
- Progress Criteria. These criteria identify specific actions that can be undertaken to drive and sustain OER adoption. Some of the criteria are more generalized, suggested actions. Others are identified as specific commitments that trigger progress to the next “stage” of maturity (those identified in bold). Detailing brief descriptions of associated actions is highly recommended, and examples are listed in a chart in the model linked in the resources section below.
Although the model implies a fairly linear structure, when presenting the model it’s worth noting that it need not be implemented in such a way. Rather, the stages and criteria are intended to be wayfinding markers for
- individuals to understand their own progress in working with OER as well as in relation to others across an organization
- Organizations to understand the direction and maturity of OER adoption among individuals
