Finding and Evaluating Indigenous OER

The goal of this post is to find and evaluate an OER that could be used in my teaching. Given my current absence from a classroom, the choice was made to find a resource that connects to the work I am responsible for. If the review is successful, the resource will be recommended to instructors here at USask. A search for Indigenous themed OER’s proved fruitful and I will take this opportunity to review Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science, Book 1 created by University of Victoria, BC. This resource is of interest given the title and intended coverage of the topic. I am interested to find connections between worldviews on science and make recommendations for use on campus. I will follow the B.C. Open Textbooks Review Rubric to assess the source.

• Name of textbook reviewed: Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science, Book 1 Edited by Gloria Snively and Wanosts’a7 Lorna Williams
• Reviewed by: Darryl Isbister
• Reviewer’s email: darryl.isbister@usask.ca
• Reviewer’s mailing address: 50 Murray Building, 3 Campus Drive Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A4
• Reviewer’s title: Lead – Indigenous Education Initiatives
• Reviewer’s home institution: University of Saskatchewan

Review Criteria

When reviewing an open textbook, the following criteria are addressed. The second item of each criterion asks the reviewer to rate it on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = very poor and 5 = excellent).

1. Comprehensiveness
   a. The text covers all areas and ideas of the subject appropriately and provides an effective index and/or glossary.
   How do you rate the book’s overall comprehensiveness? 4 – The material presented in the text is comprehensive and attends to the subject matter. an exploration of science from an Indigenous and Western lens contributes to the overall comprehension. The authors have ensured that in discussing Indigenous scientific views, they invite teachings from nations across the world, not just across this country.

2. Content Accuracy
   a. Content, including diagrams and other supplementary material, is accurate, error-free, and unbiased.
   b. Overall, how do you rate the accuracy of the content? 5 – The authors have worked to include diagrams and figures that enhance the subject matter. They also have ensured that teachings connected to Indigenous community are credited to the speaker or original knowledge holder. My trust in the knowledge shared by elders and knowledge holders does not give me pause to question what has been written. This is supported by the way in which the teachings are shared and the story that is told.

3. Relevance/Longevity
   a. Content is up-to-date, but not in a way that will quickly make the text obsolete within a short period of time.  The text is written and/or arranged in such a way that necessary updates will be relatively easy
   and straightforward to implement.
   b. Overall, how do you rate the relevance/longevity of the book? 5 – Given that the much of the knowledge shared has been here since time immemorial, I am confident that the text will remain relevant and sustain longevity. Additionally, the text was originally published in 2017 and the only documented change has been the addition of themes in 2019. This is evidence of the quality and validity of the information contained in the text.

4. Clarity
   a. The text is written in lucid, accessible prose, and provides adequate context for any jargon/technical terminology used.
   b. Overall, how do you rate the clarity of the book? 4 – This topic gave me pause for thought. The resource I chose was written by seven authors representing both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. My work as an advocate for Indigenous education has gifted me many teachings and interaction with elders, knowledge holders and citizens from nations across this land. Inviting me to speak to the text in terms of clarity will be different that someone who has not had opportunity to the same gifts. Where I find connections to prior learning and familiarity with terms and topics, another reader may struggle to make those connections. I still appreciate the clarity of the resource and the teachings that are shared and recommend to all learners.

5. Consistency
   1. The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework.
   2. How do you rate the overall consistency of the text? 4 – A logical flow exists in the textbook, in particular with the debate surrounding Indigenous understandings of science. The authors work to create a bridge between the traditional western understandings of science and Indigenous understandings. The teachings work their from from historical to present and validate ways of knowing being, and doing. 

6. Modularity
   1. The text is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections that can be assigned at different points within the course (i.e., enormous blocks of text without subheadings should be avoided).  The text should not be overly self-referential, and should be easily reorganized, and realigned with various subunits of a course without presenting much disruption to the reader.
   2. Overall, how do you rate the modularity of the text? 3 – I struggled with this topic as I very much appreciate the time, dedication, and energy put forth by all involved. M challenge lies in how some sections of the book are rich with knowledge and the authors/editors were unable to find a way to “chunk” the teachings in to smaller units. At times it was overwhelming to keep scrolling to access all the material. My preference is to have information contained to “one page”. I do appreciate how the sections are constructed and the arrangement of topics. 

7. Organization/Structure/Flow
   1. The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion.
   2. Overall, how do you rate the organization/structure/flow of the text? 4 – As mentioned above, this is a strength of the resource. There are four sections that each speak to a topic of importance to Indigenous science. There are also well planned appendices that finish off the book, allowing the reader to access additional resources, photos, and learning activities. 

8. Interface
   1. The text is free of significant interface issues, including navigation problems, distortion of images/charts, and any other display features that may distract or confuse the reader.
   2. Overall, how do you rate the textbook’s interface? 5 – There were no interface issues that arose when I reviewed the resource. The authors/editors/developers have taken care in creating and publishing the resource.

9. Grammatical/Spelling Errors
   1. The text contains no grammatical or spelling errors.
   2. How do you rate the grammar and spelling of the text? 5 – I found that the resource was free from spelling and grammatical errors, though I may not be the best one to make this assessment. I am often unable to catch even the simplest of mistakes in my own writing. I reply on software and others to catch my mistakes.

10. Diversity and Inclusion
    1. The text reflects diversity and inclusion regarding culture, gender, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, education, religion. It does not include insensitive or offensive language in these areas.
    2. Overall, how do you rate the diversity and inclusion of the text? 5 – I will share my bias assigning a five to this topic. Choosing to review an Indigenous resource contributes to the diversity and inclusion aspect. What I find adds to the diversity and inclusion is six of the seven authors/editors bring a female perspective to the resource. This aligns well with Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing and knowledge holders.  

11. Recommendation
    1. Do you recommend this book? Yes, I would recommend this book to those who are working to bridge western and Indigenous science. There are many conversations that speak of the inability to bridge this knowledge gap, this resource supports those who understand it can be bridged.
    2.  If not, why?