9 Qualities of Scholarship

No longer is peer review the single standard for quality, but there are other areas. This includes how widely the work is shared, recognition the work may receive, and the integrity of the work, such as the rigor of the methods used.

When considering an open education program, thinking about how faculty work will be perceived by their peers is an important aspect to truly incentivize the work. If a faculty member creates an OER, it may be considered scholarship of teaching and learning, or one of the other categories as well depending on how the faculty wants to present it. What’s important is to provide venues for evaluation of the work, such as engaging in continuous improvement or peer review, the recognition, such as through a rigorous application process, and the methodologies used to develop the work. OER has the capability to reach large audiences. In this way, assessment can be made through the analytics and uses of those OER, as well as emails from other institutions about using the work, or copying the work to remix into a new OER.

Broader usage and widespread adoption of scholarly work is a key indicator of its quality. When a piece of scholarly work is utilized by various academic institutions, it becomes eligible for inclusion in resources like the Open Textbook Library (see: Open Textbook Library Submission Guidelines). This inclusion not only demonstrates the work’s broad acceptance but also highlights its accessibility, serving as an indicator of the high quality of the scholarly activities behind it. In this way, the extent to which academic work is embraced and integrated across different educational settings plays a crucial role in affirming its value and impact in the realm of scholarship.