Open Educational Resources (OER) | English Discipline: Overview

What are OERs?

Open Educational Resources (OER) are "teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others."  

From The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

OER materials are released under an open license granting permission for every one to:

• Retain -- users have the right to make, archive, and own copies of the content
• Reuse -- content can be reused in its unaltered form
• Revise -- content can be adapted, adjusted, modified, and altered
• Remix -- original or revised content can be combined with other content to create something new
• Redistribute -- copies of the content can be shared with others in its original, revised or remixed form.

More information on the specific licensing types and conditions creators apply to their work can can be found on the Creative Commons Licenses and Examples page.

OER include digital learning materials such as:

• open textbooks
• full courses
• modules
• syllabi
• lectures
• homework assignments
• quizzes
• lab activities
• games
• simulations

Why does Open Education Matter?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index (CPI) Database, the price of college textbooks has steadily increased over the last few years. This graph illustrates the rise in textbook cost from October 2008 to October 2018:

OERs in Higher Education

Understanding & Using OERs