Home
What are Open Educational Resources?
"Open Educational Resources (OER) 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.org)
Examples of OER include learning content like lesson plans, textbooks, and assignments, as well as tools for learning like production software, course management systems, and training materials.
Open Educational Resources can save money & time, improve access, and help democratize learning. Learn more about the myths and realities of OER here.
Large OER Repositories
Find Articles on OER
OER eBooks
Ask a Librarian
What are OER?
5 Rs of OER
The terms “open content” and “open educational resources” describe any copyrightable work (traditionally excluding software, which is described by other terms like “open source”) that is either (1) in the public domain or (2) licensed in a manner that provides everyone with free and perpetual permission to engage in the 5R activities:
- Retain – make, own, and control a copy of the resource (e.g., download and keep your own copy)
- Revise – edit, adapt, and modify your copy of the resource (e.g., translate into another language)
- Remix – combine your original or revised copy of the resource with other existing material to create something new (e.g., make a mashup)
- Reuse – use your original, revised, or remixed copy of the resource publicly (e.g., on a website, in a presentation, in a class)
- Redistribute – share copies of your original, revised, or remixed copy of the resource with others (e.g., post a copy online or give one to a friend)
(Defining the "Open" in Open Content and Open Educational Resources was written by David Wiley and published freely under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license at http://opencontent.org/definition/.)
Thinking about Creating an OER Textbook?
OER Resources @ Jefferson College Library
The Complete Guide to Open Scholarship by Call Number: AZ 101 .M38 2022ISBN: 9781440872808Publication Date: 2022-05-24Provides readers with a thorough understanding of how open scholarship fits into the practice of scholarly communication.
The Educator's Guide to Producing New Media and Open Educational Resources by Call Number: LB 1028.3 .G754 2018ISBN: 9781138939578Publication Date: 2017-07-10Digital video, audio, and text have never been more popular, and educators need to know how to make new media work in all types of learning environments. The Educator's Guide to Producing New Media and Open Educational Resources provides practical advice on how to produce and use open access resources to support student learning. This realistic "how-to" guide is written for education professionals in any discipline seeking to transform their instruction with technology.
Best Practices in Designing Courses with Open Educational Resources by Call Number: LB 3045.74 .Z53 2020ISBN: 9780367140700Publication Date: 2019-12-20A practical guide that assists faculty and institutions looking to adopt and implement OER and to foster meaningful, effective learning experiences through the course design process. Chapters loaded with tips, case examples, and guidance from practitioners advise readers through each step necessary for sustainable OER initiatives, from preliminary planning and course redesign through teaching, learning, and faculty development.
Open Pedagogy Approaches by Call Number: LB 3045.74 O74 2020ISBN: 9781942341659Publication Date: 2020-07-09This book aims to shed light on the multiple definitions of "open" and how they are applied in a variety of learning experiences. Chapters provide case studies of library-teaching faculty collaborations that explore the intersecting roles and desired outcomes that each partner contributes toward student learning in an open environment.
Open Access by Call Number: Z 286 .O63 S83 2012ISBN: 9780262517638Publication Date: 2012-07-20In this concise introduction, Peter Suber tells us what open access is and isn't, how it benefits authors and readers of research, how we pay for it, how it avoids copyright problems, how it has moved from the periphery to the mainstream, and what its future may hold. Distilling a decade of Suber's influential writing and thinking about open access, this is the indispensable book on the subject for researchers, librarians, administrators, funders, publishers, and policy makers.
