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Using the Library | OER Textbooks and ZTC Courses

Details open educational resources and zero textbook costs courses.

Open Educational Resources (OER)


Open Education Resources

What are Open Educational Resources (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 and 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.

Source: Open Educational Resources: Breaking the Lockbox on Education

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.
OER include digital learning materials such as:
  • open textbooks
  • full courses
  • modules
  • syllabi
  • lectures
  • homework assignments
  • quizzes
  • lab activities
  • games
  • simulations

General Resources

Videos

Why Open Educational Resources Matter by Brendan Walsh
What is OER? The OERs - Open Educational Resources from intheacademia

Related Research Guides and Pages


Acknowledgements


  • Guide Creator: Linda Miles