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Open Educational Resources (OER): OER basics

A guide for faculty and staff at Seattle Central College who wish to adopt or create OER materials

What are OER?

Open Educational Resources logoWhat are OER? 

“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 or re-purposing by others.  Open educational resources include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge. 
Atkins, D.E., Brown, J.S. & Hammond, A.L. (February 2007). A Review of the Open Educational Resources (OER) Movement: Achievements, Challenges, and New Opportunities. Report to The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. p. 4. 

"OER are assets that  can  be  adjusted  and  which  provide  benefits  without  restricting  the  possibilities  for  others  to enjoy them.” 
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2007). Giving Knowledge for Free: The Emergence of Open Educational Resources. Paris: Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, OECD. p. 10.
 


Image Source: "oer_logo_EN_1" by Breno Trautwein is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Learn More about OER

Video: OER Basics

Are you considering incorporating open resources into your course to save students money and improve teaching and learning? Watch this 6-minute video for some tips for finding Open Educational Resources to build or add to your classes.


Video source:  "OER Basics" by Open Oregon is licensed under CC BY 4.0

Video: Why Open Education Matters

Watch this short (2:22 minutes) animated video about open education and why it matters.

Textbook Costs: Why OER Matters

Documentary

Want to learn more? "Paywall: The Business of Scholarship" is CC BY 4.0 Creative Commons licensed documentary on the subject, available to watch for free on Vimeo or to download. Runtime is 1 hour 4 minutes.