Interactive Open Educational Resources: A Guide to Finding, Choosing, and Using What’s Out There to Transform College Teaching by John D. Shank (review)

In his book, John D. Shank explores the world of interactive open educational resources (OERs) by examining several of the most popular and highest quality digital repositories and library websites in depth in order to guide his audience towards best practices for utilizing these resources in the context of today’s classroom. Sponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), this book provides a comprehensive look at the importance of interactive learning materials to the learning process as well as a step-by-step approach on how to explore, select, and integrate these resources into the learning process. Shank, the founding director of the Center for Learning & Teaching at Penn State Berks, contends within his book that interactive learning materials can be a useful tool not only to enhance the learning environment but also as a way to improve the interaction that students have with peers and instructors.

The book is divided into three main sections that address the nature of interactive learning materials, explore the process of finding these resources, and, finally, discuss how to select and utilize such resources. The book closes with a thoughtful epilogue regarding the role of interactive learning materials in the future transformation of higher education learning.

In Part 1, Shank focuses on setting the stage for understanding the importance of interactive learning materials and how to engage students in a digital world. He examines the ways in which interactive learning materials can improve student learning, including a discussion of the increased use of these resources and a detailed description of what these resources are and what they are not. Rather than merely passive content, Shank reiterates the need for these resources to capture the attention of learners, engage learners in meaningful experiences, and provide feedback on learner progress. These opening chapters provide even the most novice of instructors seeking to integrate interactive learning materials with a clear concept of purpose and parameters of these resources.

Part 2 extends this conversation by exploring the types of interactive learning materials that are widely available to instructors and best practices for successfully searching these sites. Shank provides a thorough account of what he refers to as the “discovery process” for selecting and integrating interactive learning materials into the curriculum. The largest of the book’s sections, this section describes the process for locating high quality and relevant interactive learning materials, provides a quick start guide for selecting these resources, and provides an evaluation of some of the most robust and current resources in this area. The section also discusses some of the major players in the move towards interactive learning materials, including colleges and universities, textbook publishers, museums, and many more.

The third part of the book describes the process of selecting, utilizing, and evaluating the use of interactive learning materials in order assist the audience with successful implementation of these resources. Here, Shank explores the best practices for integrating interactive learning materials into the curriculum and offers practical suggestions on how to assess the impact on student learning. This section describes the benefits of integrating these interactive learning materials into current institutional management platforms (e.g., Blackboard, Moodle) in order to create a more centralized location for students to engage with content as well as provide the instructor with a way in which to track student engagement and effectiveness of resources. The section concludes with the presentation of several approaches to assessing impact of student learning, including a case study highlighting the successes and challenges associated with integrating interactive learning materials in an introductory calculus course.

In closing, Shank’s thoughtful epilogue inspires faculty librarians and other instructional support staff to transform the future of higher education through the use of interactive learning materials. Shank illustrates the challenges and opportunities facing the use of these materials, highlighting...