Why use OER?

Learning content found openly or through the library can save students significant cost over commercial curriculum. SPARC estimates that adopting OER has saved students an average of $160 per course and over $1 billion worldwide so far. There are pedagogical benefits too. The ability to revise and remix digital content licensed for reuse encourages more effective teaching over static copyright-restrictive textbooks. Faculty can customize content to make classes more inclusive, learner-centered, and social. Aggregate studies show OERs to be equally or more effective than commercial curriculum in achieving learning outcomes.

from: The Future of Teaching is Outside the Textbook: OER and Learning Objects

BY AGAINST THE GRAIN | FEB 13, 2023 By Andrea Eastman-Mullins (Founder / CEO, West End Learning) Against the Grain v34#6

How to find OER

If you have a textbook you like, you can try using the ISBN to find an equivalent OER: https://library.calstate.edu/textbook/?isbn=&button=Search (from Cal State)

Also try searching MOM (Mason OER Metafinder) to search 22 sources at once): Metafinder

(or try the widget below)

Still not finding what you need?

Try these other suggestions from PALNI: https://libguides.palni.edu/zero-cost-textbooks/locating-oer

The Open Textbook Library is a collection of openly licensed full textbooks. If you want to completely replace your existing textbook, this is the place to start.

Also try: OpenStax, BCCampus Open Textbooks, OpenSUNY

OER Questions and Answers

•What can we do with OER?

•How can we find and use OER?

•Why create our own OER?

•What are Creative Commons licenses?

•Where can we find more answers to our questions about OER?

OER Workshop Feb. 24, 2023, CFAI

Next OER workshop - March 22, noon, CFAI

Workshop 2 – Friday, March 22, 2023, noon:

Creating Open Educational Resources (OER): Platforms, Opportunities, Pedagogy

More questions and answers about OER (Open Educational Resources).

The OER Starter Kit

The OER Starter Kit is an Open Access text from Iowa State University on how to use Open Educational Resources: https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/oerstarterkit/

It was created with the PressBooks platform, similar to WordPress.

Pressbooks | The open book creation platform.

The OER Starter Kit

Author:Abbey Elder

Book Description:This starter kit has been created to provide instructors with an introduction to the use and creation of open educational resources (OER). The text is broken into five sections: Getting Started, Copyright, Finding OER, Teaching with OER, and Creating OER. Although some chapters contain more advanced content, the starter kit is primarily intended for users who are entirely new to Open Education. [Version 1.1. Revised September 5th, 2019.]

License:Creative Commons Attribution

READ BOOK

Print on Demand Guide

Open Educational Resources Print On Demand Guide (an OER about getting print OER if you prefer a print format)

US Department of Education

Grants:

https://sparcopen.org/news/2022/u-s-open-textbook-pilot-program-renewed-for-sixth-year/

"The U.S. Department of Education has until September 30, 2023 to award the $12 million in new Open Textbook Pilot funding. The competitive application process is likely to follow a similar structure and timeline as previous years, so prospective applicants are encouraged to review past notices in order to prepare."

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/05/26/2022-11343/applications-for-new-awards-fund-for-the-improvement-of-postsecondary-education-open-textbooks-pilot