0.8 Post connexions authoring workshop activities

Post authoring workshop activities

Build modules and collections

Some authors will only build a few unrelated modules and never attempt to build a collection (a group of modules organized and delivered as a unit). Others will plan a complete textbook with dozens of modules organized into chapters. But all should:

• Spend a few hours over the next few weeks and building at least four (4) modules.
• Consider building a simple collection.

You might start the process by planning your modules by outlining them. You can use the spreadsheet method used earlier in this workshop to establish your module titles and summaries. Whatever you do, do something each week. Plan a few hours to work on becoming a Connexions author.

Provide feedback

Anyone can email the author of Connexions materials and provide feedback. As a new author, you should not take offense if someone emails you and describes a problem with your content, spelling, broken links, etc. Take it in stride and use the feedback to improve your materials.

Ask for feedback

As a new author you might want to contact a peer within your field of expertise and ask them to review your materials. Another pair of trusted eyes is great at insuring that your Connexions modules are viewed by others as quality modules.

Provide module ratings

When you are logged into your Connexions account, you can use the five (5) star rating system provided within Connexions to rate the modules of any authors.

As your first experience at rating modules, we desire you to rate each of the seven (7) modules that were used in this workshop. Please go do it soon – maybe even today.

Affiliation lens

An “affiliation lens” within Connexions is a way to identify modules and collections identified as having the author’s material affiliated with that organization, group or project. You can select the “Lenses” tab from the Connexions home page to view the lenses that exist.

You should scroll down the “Affiliation lenses” category and discover if your institution has an affiliation lens. If it does have a lens, you should contact the person at your institution that manages the lens and inform them of the collections and/or independent modules (those not in a collection) by providing them the collection ID numbers (like: col10621) and module ID numbers (like: m19171). They can easily add your collections and modules to the lens.

Additional study

Within the link box (upper right corner of the module) there are several links provided.

• Example – Links in this grouping provide access to several existing collections or modules. You can review them for ideas of how others are using and organizing Connexions materials.
• Supplemental – Links in the grouping provide access to a variety of helps, modules and collections that cover being an author within Connexions.

Join the movement

If your organization has a discussion list or blog concerning Open Educational Resources (OER) or OpenCourseWare (OCW), please join in those activities.

Authoring workshop application

• Ask any questions
• Rate the workshop modules