3.1 Creating Your Project Timeline

Deliverable 5 is the OER Project Timeline where you will map out the development and implementation of your OER from now until the end of Year 3.

The OER Project Timeline includes four columns for this purpose: Due Date, Deliverable, Assigned To, and Done [1].

• Due Dates may be added as needed by adding rows to your spreadsheet.
• Deliverables are the completed pieces of the OER you plan to complete by the Due Date.
• Assigned To are the team members responsible for completing the Deliverables by the Due Date.
• Done! is where team members communicate that the work for which they are responsible is completed. This can also be used to add notes to communicate with other team members.

The OER Project Timeline also includes Key Milestones [2] to aid your planning as well as OERFSJ Activities (scheduled events and events yet to be scheduled) [3] to guide your timeline creation.

The OER Project Timeline is visually divided into seasonal terms from now until the end of the grant [4].

Just as we did with mapping your formative assessments, we start planning our project timeline with the end in mind.

Year 3 OER Deliverable

1. As a team, finish this sentence:

“By the end of Year 3, our OER Deliverable will be….” 

The answer to this statement becomes the final task of your Year 3 OER Deliverable.

2. In the Due Date column, find 12/15/2025. In the Deliverable column next to this due date, enter your OER Deliverable statement. Be as specific as possible, adding what you will and won’t have complete by the end of Year 3 (December 15, 2025).

Example:

“By the end of Year 3, our deliverable will be a Messages That Matter OER Pressbook with 7 team-written chapters with H5P interactivity embedded in each chapter, and an appendix. In future years, a student-authored chapter and four faculty-created interactive videos will be added.”

3. Now, assign it to the whole team in the Assigned To column.

Pilot and Implementation

Before you publish and promote your OER Deliverable at the end of Year 3, you will want to implement it into your course. This allows you to test it, get feedback from your students, and make revisions before you publish to an institutional repository for others to use. According to the grant specifications, you are expected to implement and teach with your new OER in Year 3 of the grant. However, we strongly encourage piloting your OER or parts of your OER as much as possible before implementation. This will ensure we have solid outcomes to report to the Department of Education. 

1. As a team, find the Spring 2025 and Fall 2025 areas of Project Timeline. These are the terms we expect you to implement and teach with your OER. In the Deliverable column, state when you will Implement your OER.
2. Notice that Spring 2025 is the recommended time to Pilot your OER, allowing Summer 2025 as time for revisions. However, you may pilot as early as Summer 2024. For example, you might pilot one chapter or section of your OER to gauge student learning before piloting the entire OER in the following term.  In the Deliverable column, state when you will Pilot your OER.
3. In the Assigned To column, state who will piloting and implementing the OER during which terms.

1. As a team, review the Assigned To column on your Table of Contents.  
2. Team Lead: In the OER Content and Assessment Map, guide your team from Chapter 1 to the end of the Table of Contents, identifying the person assigned the chapter or chapter section and addressing only the content. Inquire how long the team member predicts they will need to accomplish their To Do lists.
3. Team Members: Use the OER Content Map section from the OER Content and Assessment Map tab to name the content deliverables for each chapter or chapter section and estimate how long they will need to complete its creation or adaption.

What might this look like?

Team Lead: “Chapter 1, Section 1 is assigned to James. James, what is your plan for Chapter 1, Section 1?”

James, consulting his To Do List for Chapter 1, Section 1: “I’ve already gotten about half of this section written, but I plan to write about another 2 pages, and I need to make a 5-minute video.”

Team Lead: “Ok, when do you think you will have the writing complete?

James: “Probably by the middle of July.”

In the Due Date column at the middle of July the Team Lead places the due date of “July 15”; in the Deliverable column, “Chapter 1, Section 1 writing”; and in the Assigned To column “James”.

Team Lead: “And how about the video creation?”

James: “I should have all of my videos done by end of July”.

In the Due Date column at the end of July, the Team Lead places the due date of “July 31”, in the Deliverable column “Chapter 1, Section 1 video”, and in the Assigned To column, “James”.

The Team Lead continues this process through each chapter and section until all content deliverables are on the timeline.

As a team, review the OER Assessment Map section from the OER Content and Assessment Map tab. Discuss the following questions:

• Which formative assessments will be created for the Year 3 OER Deliverable?
• Which formative assessments will be created in the future (beyond the grant)?
• Which formative assessments could be combined?
• Which formative assessments already exist but need adapting?
• Is each team member creating their own formative assessments or will one or more team members create all of the formative assessments?

1. If each team member in the Assigned To column of the Table of Contents will be creating their own formative assessments for their assigned section or chapter, follow the same process you did for scheduling the content development to identify what formative assessments need to be created, who will create it, when it will be delivered, and place that information on the OER Project Timeline.
2. If one or more team members will be taking on creation of a group of formative assessments or interactivity, be sure to name all members responsible for each creation in the Assigned To column of the OER Project Timeline.

Note: If you plan to include Summative Assessments in your OER, schedule their development now, following the steps above.

Throughout the design process, everyone has likely been adding images and figures they think they might use to the OER Images and Figures tab. However, your team will need to decide:

• Who will make the final choice of images and figures to be used?
• Who will ensure they are licensed correctly?
• Who will ensure images include alt text and captions?
• Who will ensure they are cohesively placed throughout the OER?

1. After reviewing the OER Images and Figures tab, identify who will be responsible for each of the above items.
2. Each responsible team member should estimate when they will have each of the above responsibilities complete. Notice that the OERFSJ Review for Copyright, Accessibility, and DEIA Checks by the OERFSJ Grant Team is scheduled for July 1, 2025. Therefore, you will want to ensure your initial review is complete before then.  They should then place the estimated completion date in the Due Date column, state their responsibility in the Deliverables column, and add their name in the Assigned To column.

Your OER will likely have some formatting components that will require your team’s time and attention. This could include:

• front matter
• back matter
• acknowledgements
• appendix
• style guide

1. As a team, discuss what will be included in the front matter, back matter, acknowledgments, appendices, and adherence to style guide.
2. Identify who will be responsible for this work.
3. Each responsible team member should estimate when they will have each of the above responsibilities complete.
4. They should then place the estimate completion date in the Due Date column, state their responsibility in the Deliverables column, and add their name in the Assigned To column.

The responsibility of the initial review of your entire OER belongs to your team. Notice that the OERFSJ Review for Copyright, Accessibility, and DEIA Checks by the OERFSJ Grant Team is scheduled for July 1, 2025. Therefore, you will want to ensure your initial review is complete before then. 

1. Set three Deliverables with three Due Dates on your OER Project Timeline for this review:
   1. Start content review.
   2. Meet to finalize changes needed.
   3. Review complete.
2. In the Assigned To column, include the entire team.

Once complete, your OER will be ready to be submitted to the OERFSJ team for editing and internal review.

The responsibility of the editing and internal review belongs jointly to your team and OERFSJ grant administration team. Now that your team has reviewed the OER, you will need to submit it to the OERFSJ grant administration team for review by July 1, 2025.

You may want to take advantage of a Peer Review of your OER. While this is optional, ideally you would want to allow a Peer Review to coincide with your Implementation. Notice that an OER Peer Review is recommended for Summer 2025 or Fall 2025.

The OERFSJ grant administration team will be conducting a grant assessment of all OER and the overall grant project beginning January 1, 2026.

Once you begin the development of your OER this summer, your team will be largely working autonomously, reaching out for help or support from your liaison, OER Instructional Designer, and OER Librarian as needed, and attending scheduled jam sessions and workshops. Your team will need to meet regularly to

• answer questions that arise.
• attend training sessions or workshops.
• help keep one another accountable and encouraged.
• adjust the OER Project Timeline.

1. As a team, schedule and add to your OER Project Timeline:
   1. Regular team check-ins in which your team can give updates on your progress and track and celebrate completion of deliverables with one another. As tasks are completed, responsible members can check them off in the Done column.
   2. Meeting dates and any other get-togethers with your team and the OERFSJ team.
2. Ensure each entry includes:
   1. The planned date of the meeting or workshop in the Due Date column.
   2. The purpose of the meeting or workshop in the Deliverables column.
   3. A list of those attending in the Assigned To column.