About

Textbook Quality Criteria

The following criteria informs which open textbooks we add to the B.C. Open Collection.

Required criteria

• Textbook elements: The resource must include elements that make it a textbook (as opposed to an essay collection or monograph). This includes things like learning objectives and activities.
• An open licence: The textbook must be released with an open licence (Creative Commons) that allows for editing or be in the public domain. Open resources that do not allow for editing (for example NoDerivatives) are considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Accessible: The textbook must meet the BCcampus OER Accessibility Criteria [PDF].
• Canadian relevance: The textbook must be able to be used in a Canadian classroom as is.
• An editable file: The textbook must include at least one editable file to allow for future adaptation (i.e., Pressbooks XML, Word, LaTeX source files).
• A PDF file and cover: The textbook must be available as a PDF file and have a book cover so BCcampus can set up a print-on-demand option.
• High quality:
  • The textbook is copyright compliant, meaning all non-original content is under an open licence and has been attributed according to the licence requirements. This usually takes the form of an attribution statement.
  • The textbook follows a consistent structure and has been copy edited by someone who is not the author to remove errors and inconsistencies according to the following guidelines: How to Copy Edit.

Preferred criteria

• Respectfully incorporates Indigenous perspectives and pedagogies (for more information, see the Pulling Together series)
• Incorporates Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and open pedagogies
• Considers equity, diversity, and inclusion throughout the resource
• Has undergone some sort of review process (this could include pre- or post-publication review by subject-matter experts or piloting the resource in a classroom and incorporating student feedback)
• Has supplementary resources (i.e., an instructor guide, test bank, assignment descriptions, or presentation slides)
• Includes interactivity and multimedia
• Is currently being used in a Canadian classroom.