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ACRL/CJCLS OER Librarian Toolkit

Created by the CJCLS OER Taskforce with the purpose of advancing capacity in OER Research.

Theoretical and conceptual frameworks provide evidence of academic standards and procedure. They also offer an explanation of why the study is pertinent and how the researcher expects to fill the gap in the literature. 

Imenda, S. (2014). Is there a conceptual difference between theoretical and conceptual frameworks. Journal of Social Sciences, 38(2), pp.185-195.

Research Frameworks

COUP Framework (Open Education Group)

Image representing COUP Framework which includes Cost, Outcomes, Use, Perceptions
"An approach to studying the impact of open educational resources (like open textbooks) and open pedagogy in secondary and post-secondary education." COUP stands for:

  • Cost
  • Outcomes
  • Usage
  • Perceptions

 

 

CARE Framework

"The purpose of the CARE Framework is to articulate a set of shared values and a collective vision for the future of education and learning enabled by the widespread adoption and use of OER. It aims to address the question of how an individual, institution, or organization seeking to be a good steward can contribute to the growth and sustainability of the OER movement consistent with the community’s values."

  1. Contribute: OER stewards actively contribute to efforts, whether financially or via in-kind contributions, to advance the awareness, improvement, and distribution of OER; and
  2. Attribute: OER stewards practice conspicuous attribution, ensuring that all who create or remix OER are properly and clearly credited for their contributions; and
  3. Release: OER stewards ensure OER can be released and used beyond the course and platform in which it was created or delivered; and
  4. Empower: OER stewards are inclusive and strive to meet the diverse needs of all learners, including by supporting the participation of new and non-traditional voices in OER creation and adoption.

Developed by Lisa Petrides, Douglas Levin, and C. Edward Watson.

 

OER Adoption PyramidOER Adoption Pyramid

"This analytical framework helps distinguish and compare the factors shaping lecturers’ OER adoption which are both immediate (over which they have personal control) and remote (over which they have less or no control)"

Cox, G., & Trotter, H. (2017). An OER framework, heuristic and lens: Tools for understanding lecturers’ adoption of OER. Open Praxis, 9(2), 151-171. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.9.2.571