Open Educational Resources (OER): Overview

What are Open Educational Resources (OER)?

"Open Educational Resources are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium –  digital or  otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost  access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions." UNESCO

This includes textbooks, videos, images, lesson plans, course modules, and entire courses.

Why should we explore OER?

Textbooks have become too expensive.  Period.  Many people are doing something about it by creating and sharing teaching materials legally and ethically.  In fact, the quantity can be overwhelming.  Let us help you find free resources, as well as avenues to share yours with others.

The 5 "Rs" of Open, from David Wiley at OpenContent https://opencontent.org/ This is an ideal, but check the license to be sure whether you can revise or remix. (More on Creative Commons Licenses on a separate tab .)

1. Retain - the right to make, own, and control copies of the content (e.g., download, duplicate, store, and manage)
2. Reuse - the right to use the content in a wide range of ways (e.g., in a class, in a study group, on a website, in a video)
3. Revise - the right to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself (e.g., translate the content into another language)
4. Remix - the right to combine the original or revised content with other material to create something new (e.g., incorporate the content into a mashup)
5. Redistribute - the right to share copies of the original content, your revisions, or your remixes with others (e.g., give a copy of the content to a friend)

OER Mythbusting - SPARC* debunks seven common myths about OER in a simple PDF document.