Challenges for finding Language OER: Suggestions to Repositories’ Administrators

Abstract

As the world becomes increasingly globalized, open, interconnected, multicultural,and multilingual it is extremely useful to speak many languages. Language OpenEducational Resources (OER) can enhance international collaboration and equal accessto language learning. This paper pictures the state of OER for teaching & learningEnglish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish in major Repositories ofOER (ROER). In general, it is not an easy task to find appropriate language OER forspecific language and educational objective. Most ROER curate OER for teaching &learning the English as a foreign language. Also, most ROER mainly curate smallpieces and parts of educational material than complete courses and textbooks.Furthermore, OER metadata do not provide information regarding the language skills.Then the paper suggests to ROER administrators the development of common standardsfor OER metadata, OER quality assurance, ROER organization, and e- communities ofOER curators, creators, and teachers as well as training and awarding them.