Retrieval efficiency of select search engines vis-à-vis diverse open courseware formats

This paper aims to gauge the visibility of open content available in different formats of select open courseware (OCW) repositories through prominent search engines.

Open content in three formats (pdf, audio and video) from four OCW repositories listed in the OCW consortium under the science and technology subject heading were searched through seven select search engines.

None of the selected OCW repositories are fully visible on the selected search engines. Visibility of OCW content varied from one search engine to the other and was affected by the format in which it is available. Google is the best search engine for retrieving OCW content, whereas OCWfinder – a specialized search engine for retrieving OCW – has performed dismally.

The study demonstrates the need for enhancing the visibility of open content through using search engine optimization techniques.

The study intends to supply findings that could be used by stakeholders to improve the visibility of OCW repositories. It is an attempt to draw a comparison between search engines for their ability to index different formats of OCW in the selected repositories. Findings can be used by information professionals to brush their information hunting skills.