International Journal of Open Educational Resources Volume 2, Issue 1, Fall 2019/Winter 2020 | Page 212
International Journal of Open Educational Resources
application on their computers, they
may have difficulty using it. In order
to increase the likelihood that students
will successfully download and access
the simulation, the Discovery Services
Librarian uploaded a copy of the Java
Archive (JAR) file to LibGuides, created
and uploaded an associated Java
Network Launch Protocol (JNLP) file,
and created a link to the JNLP file on
the LibGuide page. Now when students
download and open the JNLP file, the
Java Web Start software automatically
downloads and runs the simulation.
Similarly, as the faculty have continued
to reflect on assessment, they
have requested usage data that goes beyond
what Springshare’s RefAnalytics
reporting tool supports. For example,
in addition to page and asset views, the
faculty are interested in collecting data
about entry and exit pages, page link
clicks, and video views. As a result, the
Discovery Services Librarian has created
and embedded a Google Analytics
profile targeting the OER using Lib-
Guides’ Guide Custom JS/CSS feature.
This profile is associated with a delegated
Gmail account, which ensures access
continuity as instructors change over
time. Furthermore, it ensures that only
instructors of record are provided access
to usage data consistent with FER-
PA and IRB guidelines. As assessment
needs continue to evolve, the Discovery
Services Librarian may further employ
Google Tags or Google Analytics’ Campaign
URL Builder.
During Fall 2019, the faculty
will continue to modify the OpenStax
content now migrated to the OER Lib-
Guide. As they do so, they will gain experience
revising content on LibGuides
CMS and lay the groundwork to hand
the OER over to new instructors as they
take responsibility for the course. As use
of the OER evolves, the Champion and
Discovery Services Librarian anticipate
further collaboration, including training
the faculty to develop interactive
tutorials and assignments using Springshare’s
LibWizard module. Doing so
will further extend the OER’s value for
conducting student assessments and required
assessments for ALG. While this
level of faculty-librarian collaboration is
extensive and may not be sustainable for
all OER projects, the faculty’s current
progress toward delivering the OER has
depended heavily on intra-library collaboration
and expanding liaison and
technical services roles as needed.
Observations and Best Practices
Faculty barriers to OERs are not
singular or discrete. In this study,
what presented itself as a barrier
early on (e.g., locating an appropriate
OER) evolved as the process moved forward.
The teaching faculty in this study
expressed different anxieties, questions,
and stumbling blocks at each stage in the
creation of their course material. In the
beginning, the most prevalent anxiety
centered on understanding and finding
OER content. This anxiety spilled over
to time management anxiety. At times,
the faculty panicked over the work required
to completely overhaul a course.
Once faculty became comfortable
finding and evaluating OER content,
anxieties about copyright and reuse li-
204