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OER

What is OER?

United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) defines Open Educational Resources (OERs) as :

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.

What Makes it "Open"?

OERs are licensed in such a way that enables adopters to utilize the 5 R permissions:

Retain a copy of the content
Reuse the content in a range of ways
Revise the content as needed
Remix original or revised content with other material
Redistribute the original, revisions, and remixes with others

Creative Commons licenses are often applied to OERs to license these rights to adopters.

Rising Expenses in Higher Education

It's not news that higher education has become increasingly expensive over the years. Students struggle to afford tuition increases and fees. Add in the sky rocketing costs to purchase textbooks to the equation and the ramifications are even more pronounced. Access to course material and textbooks play a critical role in student success.  A Florida Virtual Campus study conducted in 2012 reveals that 23% of students choose not to purchase textbooks due to the high cost. 

According to U.S. PIRG:

  1. High textbook costs continue to deter students from purchasing their assigned materials despite concern for their grades.
  2. High textbook costs can have a ripple effect on students’ other academic decisions.
  3. Students want alternatives, expressing support for textbooks that are available free online and buying a hard copy is optional.

Interested in Converting Your Course to OER?

Faculty interested in converting a course to employ Open Educational Resources (OER) are urged to consult the University's Open Educational Resources page, which includes an option to schedule a consultation with our OER Interest Team. Center for Teaching with Technology (CTT) and Library staff can assist you in the process with advice and assistance to facilitate making a course available with Open Educational Resources. To get started, please fill out this Cheng Library OER/Zero-Cost Assistance Request form.

Faculty Testimonials

OER is great. Everyone should be using OER in their classes. Why? Because it's great. But, what happens if I keep adding text to this box? Does it get longer once I've exceeded the current height, or does it overloap? Maybe if I used overflow: scroll, it would make everything fit into a fixed box.

~ Tony Joachim, Library

In et mi neque. Integer odio ipsum, vestibulum eget elementum vel, semper eu orci. Ut quis efficitur quam, ac sagittis lorem. Aenean sodales ex quis dapibus malesuada. Proin velit mauris, tincidunt faucibus dignissim a, viverra eu ex. Donec ut fermentum turpis. Curabitur fermentum mauris ligula, eget auctor neque commodo eu. Cras arcu eros, elementum nec sapien nec, placerat placerat felis. Aliquam tincidunt aliquet faucibus.

~ Plato

Etiam venenatis tellus eget magna vehicula fermentum. Fusce nec tortor et massa commodo pellentesque. Praesent et lacus risus. Vestibulum eget mauris non leo hendrerit ornare. Ut porta neque eget eleifend rhoncus. Sed felis risus, auctor nec tempor eu, blandit auctor libero. Mauris massa augue, dapibus sed aliquet at, vehicula ac mi. Etiam tincidunt arcu eros, non volutpat turpis dictum quis. Pellentesque mi justo, congue sit amet hendrerit id, pharetra ac nulla. Morbi et suscipit tellus, eu accumsan magna. Fusce vulputate metus bibendum ante fermentum, et mollis magna condimentum. Phasellus vitae nulla est.

~ Aristotle