Skip to Main Content

Open Education Resources: An Overview: What Is OER?

This guide will provide a brief primer on easy-to-access and freely available open education resources.

What Is OER?

“Open educational resources are materials for teaching or learning that are either in the public domain or have been released under a license that allows them to be freely used, changed, or shared with others.”​

​

Sparks, Sarah D. “Open Educational Resources (OER): Overview and Definition.” Education Week, Education Week, 11 Dec. 2020, https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/open-educational-resources-oer-overview-and-definition/2017/04.

What Does This Actually Mean?

  • Educators and students can get learning materials for free​

  • Leads to Costs for Students​ and Institutions

  • Requires responsibility with usage, particularly ensuring that materials are properly utilized and attributed

What Are the Types of OER?

  • Textbooks​

  • Open Access Journals​

  • Courseware​

  • Streaming Videos​

  • Learning Objects​

  • Public Domain

Is it the Same as Open Access?

  • Some open access resources (eg. journal articles and books) can be used as OER​

  • OA typically used to supplement research​

  • OA typically can’t be edited

How Do I Know What I Can Use?

  • OER Resources include a Creative Commons License​

  • All resources can be reused with appropriate attribution

  • Can be remixed under certain circumstances

  • Generally Non-Commercial Use