Tracking session univ of notts2

Tracking the use of OERs

Open Nottingham Seminar, University of Nottingham

7th July 2011

Executive summary:

Why bother tracking: its impossible isn’t it? Yes, short of adding viruses to OERs – but

there are some things we can try now.© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

Benefits of tracking OER usage

• funders to measure the value and direction of their activities

• Creators can have something more tangible than “number of downloads”

• potential re-users of an OER can discover similar works, or to see the 'family tree' of the resource.

• Seeing the ‘provenance’ or history of an OER can add value and credibility to it and may generate serendipitous discoveries

…OER projects

We are working with :

• Business, Management, Accountancy & Finance (BMAF) Subject Centre - Open for business accredited courses

• Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism (HLST) Subject Centre & BMAF - 2012: Learning Legacies

• University College Falmouth. Accredited Course 30 credit, postgraduate module that introduces and builds awareness of IPR and copyright within course design and development.

• JISC/HEA Phase 1 OER project released 360 credits of Engineering related OERs (inc. lots of images)

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

Early tracking attempts: TinEye web service

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

The plan…

• Create a simple tracking method that could be easily attached to the majority of OERs

• Release some test OERs with tracking codes and monitor online progress (if any)

Tracking Method

• System had to be as quick and simple to use as OERs themselves

• Not draconian but users/re-users had to be motivated to support it

• Not technically complex – text format – easy to add to most things

• no central regulatory agency (e.g; DOI) or bureaucracy – slow and expensive (and so not recession proof?)

• potential re-users of an OER can discover similar works, or to see the 'family tree' of the resource, just by clicking a link.

• Completely new codes must be easy to create by anybody• Don’t expect perfection – OERs are about relaxing control, not

tightening it and this is an unregulated system

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

Tracking Method

Each Resource should be allocated  a code in the following format:

man:240265:rh4xs

man: An (optional) three letter name, no vocabulary,  could be  “oer”, “Joe”, “man” (Manchester), oxf (Oxford) etc.  If not used remove the colon that comes after it  (a-z, 0-9, A-Z)

240265: the date of the creation or release of the OER in the form DD/MM/YY

rh4xs: a unique 5-letter code, allocated by the project. (a-z, 0-9)

This code would be added to the copyright citation, e.g;

© Poppleton University (ppl:240265:rh4xs) or

© ppl:240265:rh4xs or © 240265:rh4xs

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

Derivative works

© guy:120311:a0021

© rcp:051010:a0021

How to generate a new unique code for new OERs.

• If an author doesn't wish to link a new work with any existing materials contained a new code can be created. Choose your own 3-letter code, add the anticipated release date and search as below on Google with a plus sign prepended:

+tom:030504

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

© luf:240200:l0002 

• if nothing comes back citing this code then create a new 5-letter code of your choice, e.g; “a0000″ and append it to your resource. If the search returns a positive result, either make up a new 5-letter code and check for that appended to the previous search, or start again.

22 Example Engineering releases

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

Profile board© luf:131010:L0014

Using a dummy frame© luf:131010:L0012

Yagi antenna system. © rcp:140510:a0001

OER logo© luf:240111:L0047

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

© rcp:051010:a0021

© rcp:251010:a0029

© rcp:051010:a0024

© rcp:051010:a0013

29 general images

83 results

Fig. 1. An example image released via the project including a copyright tracking code. © rcp:140510:a0001

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

© rcp:051010:a0021

12 results

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

Squirrel reuse

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

Advantages• (Though not guaranteed), propagation of the code becomes a simple part of

the legal obligation of the user or re-user of the material under all the Creative Commons (CC)  licenses, thus linking all works incorporating parts or all of the original work together.

• Due to the penetration and ubiquity of Google’s search tool the need for a custom resolver service is dispensed with. (Particularly as Open Resources should be discoverable by normal means to be properly “open”)

• By adding a Google search URL into the original OER where possible, perhaps on the legal disclaimer page or the introductory text in the case of documents e.g

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=240265:rh4xs

• a click on that link will bring up all visible online linked and derivative works as well as metadata if the resource is cited in a open repository, for instance, Jorum.

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

The future..• Tracking of OER usage and derivative works and the

ability to easily generate a family tree of related resources by just using a tamed Google search

• An indirect way of linking people with similar interests and areas of expertise

• Usage and reusage data• How a code propagates

(or doesn’t), can provide insights into community needs and understanding ofproper copyright citationpractices

© luf:240200:l0001

© Rob Pearce, Loughborough University.

More details

• http://icesculpture.wordpress.com/make-evolved-oer-discoverable/

© luf:060809:l0006