New OER Exchange Opens with 680,000 Free Learning Objects

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 06/24/13

Educational technology company Pearson has launched its OpenClass Exchange for instructors. Out of the gate, the new open education resource (OER) catalog will include links to 680,000 instructional and learning items. Pearson also said it has updated its learning environment, OpenClass. The announcements came during ISTE 2013, the annual conference for the International Society for Technology in Education.

OpenClass Exchange lets instructors search and get to digital content culled from e-textbooks, course resources, videos, and other educational content that's free and open. They can also create and add content to the exchange. For example, the catalog will include pointers to videos from YouTube EDU, Khan Academy, and TED-Ed as well as materials from Washington State's Open Course Library, and other sources.

Pearson OpenClass Exchange 

Pearson promised to continue adding content to the Exchange with updates taking place on an ongoing basis.

"The introduction of the OpenClass Exchange provides educators with the 21st century resources, assets, and best practices they need to keep students engaged, coupled with the social connectivity tools students have come to expect," said Matthew Leavy, president and CEO of Pearson eCollege and Pearson Higher Education Learning Technologies.

Pearson has also added new social features to OpenClass that will help users exploit content from the exchange. For example, the online service now has an upgraded function that lets users perform preset and keyword searches, refine search results with "accordion navigation," and select from featured items through a carousel banner or a "popular content" listing.

The update to OpenClass also lets students and teachers create a network of peers using a "follow" function. Users will be able to set up groupings based on interests, projects, and other designations. The service has also added a notification feature to notify users about OpenClass activity pertinent to them, such as an assignment being returned or a response is posted to a thread they're part of.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Stylized illustration showing cybersecurity elements like shields, padlocks, and secure cloud icons on a neutral, minimalist digital background

    Microsoft Announces Host of Security Advancements

    Microsoft has announced major cybersecurity advancements across its product portfolio and practices. The work is part of its Secure Future Initiative (SFI), a multiyear cybersecurity transformation the company calls the largest engineering project in company history.

  • repeating abstract pattern featuring cloud icons, neural network shapes, data streams, and circuit-like elements in muted tones

    Report: Infrastructure Is the Missing Piece in Gen AI Strategy

    While generative AI has become central to digital transformation strategies, a new report from Google Cloud reveals most organizations aren't yet equipped to support it at scale.

  • digital learning resources including a document, video tutorial, quiz checklist, pie chart, and AI cloud icon

    Quizizz Rebrands as Wayground, Announces New AI Features

    Learning platform Quizizz has become Wayground, in a rebranding meant to reflect "the platform's evolution from a quiz tool into a more versatile supplemental learning platform that's supported by AI," according to a news announcement.

  • tutors helping young students with laptops against a vibrant abstract background

    K12 Tutoring Earns ESSA Level II Validation

    Online tutoring service K12 Tutoring recently announced that it has received Level II validation underneath the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The independently validated study provides evidence of K12 Tutoring's role in creating positive student outcomes through effective academic intervention and research-based solutions.