Research on review and endorsement of Open Educational Resources (OERs) is being conducted using HumBox resources as part of an Open University SCORE Fellowship Project. The aims of this project, led by Antonio Martinez-Arboleda at the University of Leeds, are to explore and develop a feasible model for employer engagement in OERs and to add extra value to existing and future OERs, hence reinforcing our existing Communities of Practice and encouraging high-quality open content publication and re-use. In particular, the project will look at ways of facilitating the review and endorsement of OERs by graduate-recruiting employers in the HumBox, where a vast range of Arts and Humanities OERs of all levels of granularity have been uploaded and shared by an increasing number of practitioners. In connection with this project, Antonio is interested in proposing a more dynamic, case-based and multilateral approach to employability in the area of Arts in UK HE. In this respect, the review and endorsement of OERs by employers can play a crucial role in this transformation. This project will build on the work which is already being done in the area of employers’ engagement in OERs and will consider the different review and endorsement tools introduced by key OERs repositories. If you are interested in having some of your resources reviewed or endorsed by employers or simply finding out more about this project, please contact Antonio Martínez-Arboleda at sllama@leeds.ac.uk

This is an alternative untested methodological proposal for a Literature Module that was taught for several years at the University of Leeds following the traditional lecture-seminar-essay methodology. This alternative methodology embeds very prominently team work, organisational skills, public communication skills and learners' initiative and leadership, whilst reinforcing classic academic skills such as critical thinking by making content more attractive as a result of the various ways in which social engagement occurs. There are almost no limitations to the successful introduction of any kind of e-learning tools such as discussion boards, wikis and podcasts in any literature module that follows socio-constructive approaches. Thanks to my colleague Dr David Frier, who used to teach the module "Innovation and Experimentation in Portuguese 20th Century Literature", for his help. For information and reflections on this methodology, please see A. Martínez-Arboleda, "Using new technologies on content modules in modern languages", Liaison, Issue 3, 2009, págs. 29-31. http://www.llas.ac.uk/news/newsletter.html