Open Educational Resources: Sharing a World of Knowledge

By Deirdre Frank

Overview• What are OERs?• Why should we use OERs?• Is there a downside to OERs?

What are OERs?

"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" (Definition from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation licensed by CC BY 3.0 US).

Why should we use OERs?

1. Variety of material available across disciplines.2. Accessible to most people with internet access.3. Free for professors, students, and institutions.4. Knowledge shared with a broader audience.5. Adaptable to fit individual, current needs.

Is there a downside to using OERs?1. It can be a wild goose hunt.2. Not all resources are created equally.3. You can’t always find what you need.4. It takes time to SEARCH; it takes time to CREATE.5. More teachers are taking and fewer are

contributing.6. Assignments could become overused and stale.

Margaret Fuller (1810-1850)

If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.

“2 Candles” by Samuele is licensed by CC By-NC-SA 2.0