What is an OER?
Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse at no cost, and without needing to ask permission. Unlike copyrighted resources, OER have been authored or created by an individual or organization that chooses to retain few, if any, ownership rights.
In some cases, that means you can download a resource and share it with colleagues and students. In other cases, you may be able to download a resource, edit it in some way, and then re-post it as a remixed work.
How do you know your options? OER often have a Creative Commons license or other permission to let you know how the material may be used, reused, adapted, and shared.
OER Textbook Repositories
- Open Textbook LibraryThe Open Textbook Library provides OER textbooks for a variety of subjects and includes reviews from college & university faculty that have used the textbook in their own classes.
- OpenStaxHigh-quality, peer-reviewed, openly licensed college textbooks that are absolutely free online and low cost in print.
- OER CommonsCreative Commons search engine devoted to open-license educational resources on the web
- Open SUNY TextbooksA broad catalog of open textbooks to help incorporate OER into the classroom
- The Open Course LibraryA collection of shareable course materials, including syllabi, course activities, readings, and assessments designed by teams of college faculty, instructional designers, librarians, and other experts.
OER Meta-search Engines
Simultaneously searches well-known OER repositories like OpenStax, OER Commons, and MERLOT but also HathiTrust, DPLA, Internet Archive and NYPL Digital Collections where valuable but often overlooked OER materials may be found.
Openly Available Sources Integrated Search (OASIS) is a search tool that aims to make the discovery of open content easier. OASIS currently searches open content from 71 different sources and contains 165,051 records.
OER Campus Partner: Affordable Learning PA
Rocco Cremonese
724.738.2657
rocco.cremonese@sru.edu
Goals of Affordable Learning PA:
Build a community of practice among academic libraries to advance textbook affordability for our students through programs designed to:
- create awareness of OER
- build expertise to lead OER initiatives
- promote best practices and collaboration to achieve affordable learning at their institutions.
License & Copyright Information
- Creative CommonsInformation about Creative Commons licensing options.
Bailey Library Copyright Contact:
Heather Getsay
724.738.2665
heather.getsay@sru.edu