Analyzing repositories of OER using web analytics and accessibility tools

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Digital Libraries
• Web Science

Background:

• Open Educational Resources (OER) offer universal learning opportunities.
• Repositories of OER (ROER) curate and provide open access to these resources.
• Accessibility for all users, including those with disabilities, is a key principle of OER.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the reputation, usage, and accessibility of thirteen popular ROER.
• To identify variations in performance metrics across different ROER.
• To provide actionable recommendations for ROER administrators.

Main Methods:

• Utilized three Web Analytics tools to assess usage metrics (visitors, session duration, pages per visit).
• Employed five Web Accessibility tools to evaluate compliance with accessibility standards.
• Compared data across thirteen selected ROER.

Main Results:

• Significant variations observed in reputation, usage, and accessibility across ROER.
• Some ROER attract millions of monthly users with varying engagement levels.
• Global reach differs, with some ROER attracting international audiences while others are regionally focused.
• Most ROER show good accessibility, but some have notable errors.
• Mobile device traffic is generally low (<1/3) despite widespread mobile phone adoption.

Conclusions:

• ROER performance and accessibility are highly variable.
• Recommendations for improvement include enhanced interconnectivity, inter-ROER collaboration, and sharing best practices.
• Improving website accessibility and mobile-optimized design is crucial.
• Promoting ROER to educational institutions and libraries can increase usage.