Next-Gen information architecture: open STEAM platforms

Abstract

Smart technologies in educational platforms need a new vision to organize attributes and characteristics that facilitate search and retrieval. This study reports the evaluation results of Open Educational Platforms (OEPs) in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). In a webinar, participants selected OEPs using a structured instrument provided during the session. The instrument includes a two-section rubric. The first section validates the obligatory metadata and adherence to an open license. The second quantitatively assesses the quality of the OEPs in seven dimensions. The questions guiding this research were: Which OEPs in STEAM aligned with the principles of open education scored the highest quality assessment, and in which dimensions? Which dimensions obtained the lowest means? 1) The highest-scoring STEAM OEPs were Khan Academy and GeoGebra, scoring highest in the dimensions "Smart Components," "Learner Support," and "Technical Support." 2) On average, the dimensions with the lowest scores were "Smart Components," "Learner Support," and "Technical Support." OEP developers should consider a new information architecture with metadata for demarcations that require new data sets for greater long-term scalability.