This week is Open Education Week, a time to raise awareness for and highlight open education successes around the world. You may already be familiar with open educational resources (OER) - educational materials that are free to use and (generally) free to adapt in a variety of ways. In addition, the culture of sharing surrounding OER makes them ideal for customizing to suit your needs. Unlike a traditional textbook, for example, OER can be customized to fit your exact lesson plan, and you never need to worry that a student won’t have access to the text! OER can take many different forms, including textbooks, lesson plans, activities, presentations, simulations, and more. There are even fully open online courses, which can provide a wealth of resources and even inform your own class structure. Whatever your teaching style or topic, there are likely resources out there you can use to inspire your own educational methods.
Students using OER have consistently shown improved course performance and satisfaction (Colvard et al, 2018). Because OER are provided free of cost, incorporating them into your course will help serve vulnerable student populations who may not be able to afford access to course texts, and who can struggle more in their coursework as a result. In addition, students will have the ability to access course texts on day one, without delays due to financial aid or shipping issues. OER are also freely available to learners outside academia, which helps promote knowledge and sharing in a wider context, in line with the goals of open science.
Remixing and customizing OER is also a scholarly endeavor, as it builds upon the knowledge and work of multiple people to build something better - the very foundation of modern scholarship. By using, remixing, and creating OER, you are adding to the scholarly record, helping transmit knowledge, and showcasing your skills as both a researcher and an educator. All researchers begin as students, and using your knowledge to help contribute to the education of future professionals in your field is a valuable professional contribution.
Now that you know a little about OER, you may be wondering how to get started. There are a variety of ways you can get involved with and start using OER in your own educational practices:
- Replace your course text(s) with OER textbooks.
- Incorporate non-textbook OER into your lesson plans.
- Remix and adapt OER to customize them to your teaching environment, teaching style, and student needs.
- Create your own OER from scratch.
Ready to get started? Check out the helpful resources below:
- Our Open Education Library Guide has plenty of resources to help you find OER, including textbooks!
- The OER Starter Kit Workbook is designed to help you practice the skills you need to find, use, remix, and create OER.
- Authoring Open Textbooks is a guide to help you create your own open textbook.
If you want to learn more about OER, open education or need help getting started, reach out to the Researcher Support team!
