Imposter Syndrome is Real
Many faculty authors feel unsure of themselves when creating open educational resources (OER). This is called imposter syndrome, and it happens when you doubt your skills or worry that your work isn’t good enough. These feelings are normal, even for experienced educators. To overcome them, focus on what you know and how your work can help others. It can also help to work with colleagues who can give you feedback and encouragement. Break your project into smaller steps to make it more manageable, and celebrate your progress as you go. Even the most confident authors start somewhere, and every step forward helps you grow. Remember, you are an expert in your industry or discipline as well as teaching – you are well-suited to develop content!
The Similarities Between Writing OER and Traditional Educational Materials
Writing OER isn’t much different from writing regular educational materials. Both start with understanding who you’re writing for, planning out your ideas, doing research, and making sure the information is clear and accurate. You still go through the same steps: creating an outline, writing drafts, making edits, and getting feedback to improve your work. The big difference with OER is that it’s designed to be shared and reused by others. That means you’ll need to use open licenses (like Creative Commons) and make sure your work is easy for others to adapt and use in different ways. At its heart, creating OER is about sharing knowledge and making it accessible to everyone while still following the same basic writing process.