What are Open Educational Resources (OERs)?
"Open Educational Resources (OERs) are any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license. The nature of these open materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-share them. OERs range from textbooks to curricula, syllabi, lecture notes, assignments, tests, projects, audio, video and animation." (UNESCO)
This material is based on original writing by David Wiley, which was published freely under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license at http://opencontent.org/definition/.
Is any free resource an open resource?
No. Open resources are free, but not all free resources are open. Information or intellectual property that is accessible without cost (for example, a YouTube video) can still be protected by copyright. These resources cannot be legally downloaded, modified, or redistributed without permission from the copyright holder.
How do I know if something is an open resource?
Open resources are published with a Creative Commons (CC) license, which grants permission to use, distribute, or adapt the work. Different types of CC licenses regulate exactly how a resource can be used. They are explained on the Creative Commons website.
Where can I find open educational resources for my class?
There are many different sites that have collected open educational resources to share with others. Many of them can be found on this guide. For general OER materials use the Find OER page and for specific topics use the Subject Specific OER page.
Who can help me find and use open educational resources?
Kat Good-Schiff, the OER Librarian at STCC, can help you locate open resources and make sense of any licensing rules. She can be reached by phone, email, or in person. There are also some faculty on campus who are currently using OER and would be happy to share their experiences. See a list of faculty on the STCC OER Courses page.
Of course, you (as a subject specialist) will need to review any resources to decide if they support the learning outcomes of your course.
Are all OER digital?
Like many educational resources these days, most OER are "born digital." But just like traditional resources, they can be made available to students in both digital and printed formats. Digital OER are easier to share, modify, and redistribute, but being digital is not what makes something an OER or not.
