Checkpoints for drafting OER content

Write or revise up to five learning outcomes that clearly state what learners should be able to do after completing your chapter. Use these outcomes to check that different parts of your draft are working towards the same learning goals. They can also help you trim content if your chapter is over the word limit.

• Frame outcomes around what learners will be able to do, not what the chapter will cover.
• Use clear, observable verbs such as explain, compare, apply, analyse, evaluate, identify or discuss.
• Ensure each outcome is focused on one main capability or idea.
• Keep your outcomes appropriately scoped for one chapter; needing more than five may indicate that the chapter is trying to do too much.
• Check that your introduction, headings, examples, activities, knowledge check and conclusion all broadly align with these outcomes.

Examples and guidance:

• Writing effective learning outcomes
• Aligning your interactive activities with your learning outcomes

Ensure your introduction humanises your topic in a meaningful way. Outline why this chapter matters, how it connects to practice, and what learners should be looking for as they move through the chapter. Your introduction should orient and motivate learners before they encounter detailed content.

• Begin by bringing the topic to life in context, explaining why it matters before introducing definitions or background.
• Use a direct educator voice. First person and second person writing are highly recommended as your opening voice: for example “we”, “you” or “as practitioners”.
• Engage learners by telling your own stories and journey as a practitioner (if relevant)
• Humanise the topic by connecting it to people, practice, lived experience, or real-world consequences, making clear why it matters and what the stakes are.
• Signal any common misconceptions, anxieties or difficult areas learners may encounter.
• Prepare learners for the chapter rather than beginning with a condensed literature review or dense background information.

Examples and guidance:

• Writing an engaging OER introduction
• Adopt conversational voice

Shape the chapter so learners can follow the learning journey without being overwhelmed. The structure should not simply catalogue information. It should sequence ideas in a way that helps learners build understanding and apply it in practice.

• Use your learning outcomes to check that your chapter sections are clearly aligned and working together.
• Sequence content for progressive learner flow and understanding. Consider that this design may substantially differ from how it is traditionally presented in established textbooks.
• Break dense explanation into manageable sub-sections.
• Introduce technical detail only when learners need it. Avoid overloading learners too early.
• Move deliberately between concepts and practice: explain the idea, show what it looks like, then help learners apply or reflect on it.
• Make transitions explicit so learners understand how one section connects to the next.

Examples and guidance:

• Writing the main body of your OER

Make the chapter meaningful by connecting the content to authentic practice. Help learners understand how the concepts relate to real-world scenarios, rather than just receive general information.

• Include at least one authentic example, such as a case study, scenario, story, practice connection or lived-experience perspective where appropriate.
• Address learners as emerging practitioners, not passive recipients of information.
• Use examples to make abstract concepts, policies, frameworks or evidence more concrete.
• Where relevant, acknowledge that practice may vary across contexts, communities, services, roles or lived experiences.
• Let learners hear your educator or practitioner voice by speaking directly to them. Draw on your own practice to share authentic insights, examples and experiences.

Examples and guidance:

• Writing an engaging OER introduction
• Key considerations for planning your OER chapter content
• Using authentic case studies and vignettes

Embed media and other learning features to support learning and break up the text in purposeful ways. These elements help learners pause, interpret, apply and revisit important ideas in a digital OER.

• Use diagrams to visually illustrate complex concepts or processes
• Include existing media you already use in teaching. For example: YouTube or Vimeo videos, diagrams, podcasts, short clips, figures, tables or interactive activities (e.g. H5P).
• Explicitly introduce every media element. Explain what it shows and how learners should engage.
• Identify anything that may need copyright, licensing or accessibility support, including third-party images, video transcripts, captions, complex tables, diagrams, or media that is difficult to access.
• Use concept boxes to draw attention to practical examples, common misconceptions, professional insights, policy implications, or other important learning points. Your editors may provide specific concept boxes to use.

Examples and guidance:

• Key considerations for planning your OER chapter content
• Embed multimedia
• Concept box examples
• Include a glossary
• Embed inclusion, diversity and accessibility

Include at least one opportunity for learners to practise professional judgement, communication or decision-making. Interactive learning activities move learners beyond simply reading about concepts by giving them opportunities to perform actions.

• Match one of your learning outcome verbs to at least one of these activities.
• Choose an activity that helps learners practise, apply, reflect or make decisions – not simply memorise information.
• Keep it simple. A text-based scenario or reflective prompt can be just as effective as a digital interactive activity.
• Consider turning one of your figures, diagrams or images into a visual activity where learners select different parts to reveal explanations, concepts or additional information.
• Consider embedding questions into your video so learners pause, think and respond as they watch.
• Base your activity questions on common misconceptions. These often make effective distractors for meaningful Multiple-choice questions.

Examples and guidance:

• Getting started with your interactive learning activity
• Writing knowledge checks for your conclusion
• Knowledge check examples

Your conclusion should help learners consolidate the chapter's key concepts and reflect on how these enable them to think, act, or communicate differently as practitioners. Your conclusion is not just an executive summary. Use it to reinforce the practical significance of the chapter's key ideas and encourage learners to apply them beyond the chapter.

• Mirror the learning outcomes and introduction so the chapter feels coherent from beginning to end.
• Frame each key takeaway in a memorable, practice-based way that clearly demonstrates its significance for professional judgement, communication, decision-making, or care.
• Selectively recommend further reading – specifically resources that build upon your learning outcomes beyond the chapter. Annotate each resource, explaining how it relates to your chapter.

Examples and guidance:

• Writing an effective conclusion
• Knowledge checks

Before submitting your draft, please follow these three required steps.

1. Ensure your chapter includes these sections:
   1. Author bio and ORCID
   2. Learning Outcomes
   3. Introduction
   4. Main Body – including spotlight boxes
   5. Interactive Learning Activity
   6. Conclusion
   7. References
   8. Short glossary table (where relevant for important specialist terms)
   9. Any notes or questions you would like to communicate to the editors (where relevant)
2. You have reviewed your chapter against all checkpoints in this guide.
3. Include a table listing every figure, image, video, or other multimedia used in your chapter. For each item, record:
   1. Original source (web link or project folder)
   2. Creator (if known)
   3. Permissions, copyright or licensing information (where applicable)