Open Education Resources (OER) are resources for teaching, learning, and research that either reside in the public domain or have been published under intellectual property licenses that allow free use. OER can include anything from:
- Textbooks and course materials
- Streaming videos
- Tests and quizzes
- Software
Benefits of OER
OERs provide students with affordable and accessible course materials while giving faculty the ability to customize course materials, creating the “perfect” course packet or textbook instead of being bound to a traditional one-size-fits-all model.
- Students anywhere in the world can access OERs at any time, and they can access the material repeatedly.
- OERs are easy to distribute widely with little or no cost.
- OERs can supplement textbooks and lectures where deficiencies in information are evident.
- Presenting information in multiple formats may help students to more easily learn the material being taught.
- Quick availability of material may increase the timeliness and/or relevance of the material being presented.
- OERs can be improved quickly through direct editing by users or through solicitation and incorporation of user feedback
The 5Rs of OER
The terms “open content” and “open educational resources” describe any copyrightable work 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
- Revise: edit, adapt, and modify your copy of the resource
- Remix: combine your original or revised copy of the resource with other existing material to create something new
- Reuse: use your original, revised, or remixed copy of the resource publicly
- Redistribute: share copies of your original, revised, or remixed copy of the resource with others
