Open Educational Resources

Definition

Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research materials that are freely available to the public, with little to no restrictions on their use, adaptation, and distribution. They provide an alternative to traditional copyrighted educational materials, promoting the free and open sharing of knowledge.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. OER can include a wide range of educational materials, such as textbooks, lesson plans, videos, assessments, and multimedia resources.
2. The use of open licensing, such as Creative Commons licenses, allows for the free use, adaptation, and redistribution of OER without the need for obtaining permission from the copyright holder.
3. OER can help reduce the cost of education and increase access to high-quality learning materials, particularly for students in resource-constrained settings.
4. The development and use of OER can foster collaboration, innovation, and the sharing of knowledge among educators, researchers, and learners worldwide.
5. The adoption of OER is often seen as a way to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in education by making learning materials more accessible and adaptable to diverse needs and contexts.

Review Questions

• Explain how open educational resources (OER) provide an alternative to traditional copyrighted educational materials.
  • Open educational resources (OER) offer an alternative to traditional copyrighted educational materials by allowing for the free and open sharing of knowledge. OER are typically licensed under Creative Commons or similar open licenses, which grant users the right to freely access, use, adapt, and distribute the materials without the need to obtain permission from the copyright holder. This open licensing model promotes the widespread dissemination of educational resources, increasing access and affordability for learners, while also encouraging collaboration and innovation among educators and researchers.
• Describe how the use of open educational resources can foster collaboration and the sharing of knowledge among educators, researchers, and learners.
  • The open and collaborative nature of OER enables educators, researchers, and learners to freely share, adapt, and build upon existing educational materials. This collaborative approach allows for the continuous improvement and refinement of resources, as users can modify and customize them to meet their specific needs or contexts. The open licensing of OER also encourages the sharing of best practices, teaching strategies, and innovative pedagogical approaches, fostering a community of practice where knowledge and expertise can be readily exchanged. This collaborative environment can lead to the development of high-quality, tailored educational resources that better serve the diverse needs of learners worldwide.
• Analyze how the adoption of open educational resources can promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in education.
  • The adoption of open educational resources (OER) can promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in education in several ways. First, the free and open access to OER helps remove financial barriers to education, making high-quality learning materials available to students and educators regardless of their socioeconomic status. This increased accessibility can particularly benefit learners in resource-constrained settings or from underserved communities. Additionally, the adaptability of OER allows educators to customize and localize the materials to better reflect the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and learning needs of their students. This can foster a more inclusive learning environment that celebrates and incorporates diverse perspectives and cultural knowledge. Furthermore, the collaborative nature of OER development can bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including marginalized groups, to contribute to the creation and improvement of educational resources, promoting a more equitable and representative body of knowledge.

Related terms

Creative Commons:

A non-profit organization that provides a set of copyright licenses and tools that allow creators to share their work with the public on more flexible terms than traditional copyright.

Open Access:

The practice of providing free and unrestricted online access to scholarly research and educational materials, often facilitated through open licensing.

Open Source: Software with source code that is openly shared and can be modified, used, and distributed by anyone for any purpose, in contrast to proprietary software.