Have you noticed terms like open education, textbook-free, or zero-textbook popping up more often in higher education discussions? These concepts are part of a growing movement to reduce financial barriers for students by moving away from costly traditional course materials. One key way to make education more affordable is by using Open Educational Resources (OERs), which not only save students money but also offer educators flexible options to meet diverse learning needs.
In this post, we’ll break down what OERs are and guide you through three simple steps to help you find and ethically use high-quality OERs in your online courses.
What are OERs?
The term OER is frequently mentioned, but what does it actually mean? Not everything that’s free on the Internet qualifies as an OER. Open Educational Resources are materials like textbooks, videos, and interactive media that are freely available and come with an open license.
An open license means that the creators of the resource have given up some of the privileges granted to them under copyright law. For example, some OER licenses may allow you to copy, make changes, and upload whole textbooks to your online course, while others may ask that you only share the work unchanged. Most OERs use Creative Commons licenses, and we’ll go into more detail about these in Step 3.
Step 1: Align
Before diving into your OER search, the first step is to ensure the resources you’re looking for align with your course’s learning objectives. Instead of getting caught up in finding flashy or popular content, focus on materials that directly help your students master the course goals. This follows the principle of backward design—start by identifying what you want students to achieve and work backwards to find resources that support those outcomes. For more on how to create a coherent course in which all elements align with your goals, check out our article on the course design triangle and our video on course mapping.
Step 2: Search
Once you know what type of content you need, it’s time to search for OERs. But with so much free content out there, where do you begin? Here are three reliable ways to find OERs:
Repositories
Repositories are curated collections of open resources, making them a great place to start. For example, MERLOT II repository, allows you to search for OERs by entering a textbook’s ISBN, helping you find materials that match your existing content. MERLOT can locate open courses, journal articles, texts, and other learning materials that are comparable to a textbook.Other popular repositories include OER Commons and OpenStax, which offer a wide variety of resources. Those aren’t the only resources for OER materials. Here is a list of OER Repositories and Resources that may meet your needs.
Search Engines
If repositories don’t provide the materials you need, you can also try using a general search engine with advanced filters. For example, a Google Advanced Search offers options for searching materials with certain usage rights. With these filters, you can tailor your results, for example, to show only materials that are free to use, share, or modify. However, search engines are not perfect, so make sure to verify the license before including a resource in your course (see Step 3).
Library Collections
Although the materials in your school’s library may not technically be OERs, library collections are typically free for faculty members and students to access because the library has already purchased access to this digital content. Libraries give you access to databases, journals, and catalogues that you can use to build your course without additional costs to students. You may not be able to upload the material to your course directly, but you can always provide links that students can access, provided that they’re familiar with how to gain access to library materials remotely.
Step 3: Evaluate
Finding an OER is just the beginning—you also need to evaluate its quality and ensure it meets your course’s standards. Here are six criteria to help you assess any OER:
- Scope: Does the resource cover the topic thoroughly? Is it peer-reviewed or well-referenced?
- Authority: Is the author reputable, and is the content hosted on a trustworthy site?
- Reliability: Is the content recent and regularly updated?
- Licensing: What kind of open license does the resource have, and does it fit your intended use?
- Accuracy: Does the content align with your course objectives and other materials?
- Professionalism: Is the resource well-organized, with quality visuals and a user-friendly layout?
We go into a more depth discussion on OER evaluation as well. If you’d like further information, please read OER Evaluation, Selection and Licensing.
Evaluating Licenses
Unless they’re in the public domain, OERs are protected under copyright law just like any other work of intellectual property. However, OERs have open licenses, which are licenses whose goal is to make copyrighted works more widely available without the expectation of payment. Many OERs have licenses from Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization that has created easy-to-understand open licenses that explain exactly how you’re allowed to use others’ works. If you comply with the simple terms of the license, then you are welcome to use the work. However, if you’re unable to comply with the terms of a license for any reason, you have two options:
- Don’t use the work.
- Use only a small portion of the work in compliance with fair use standards.
Conclusion
OERs are revolutionizing education by making high-quality resources more accessible and adaptable. Because they can be customized to fit your course, OERs provide a unique opportunity to deliver engaging, multimedia-rich content tailored to your students’ needs. By adopting OERs, you not only save students money but also contribute to creating a more inclusive and flexible learning environment. So why not give OERs a try in your next course? Your students—and your budget—will thank you!
