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OER for Students

What is OER?

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) Initiative defines open educational resources as:

Open educational resources (OER) are freely available, fully accessible instructional materials that either reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits the use, revision, improvement, and redistribution by others. OER include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support learning (adapted from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation’s definition).

OER are “openly licensed,” typically under a Creative Commons (CC) license, which enables the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work.

Different groups have slightly different definitions of OER.  However, most agree that to qualify as OER, materials must be:

  • Produced under an open, non-commercial license, such as Creative Commons
  • Freely available and accessible in full-text
  • Able to be retained and used forever
  • Able to be revised, remixed, and redistributed without needing to ask permission

I'm a student. I'm not in charge of designing my courses. How does OER help me?

Even if your professor assigns a traditionally-published textbook for your course, you can always use OER or other free materials on your own.  Here are some reasons why:

  • If your assigned textbook doesn't explain something clearly, a different book or author might give a better explanation.  OER is free, so you can use as many books as you want without it costing you extra.
  • OER includes more than textbooks.  If you're a visual or auditory learner, you can look for graphics, videos, podcasts, and audiobooks that may fit your learning style better.
  • OER is free forever, which means you can keep the materials after the course is over.  That can be helpful in future semesters if you need to brush up on your knowledge or cite sources in a project for another class.

 

Are you ready to check it out?  Visit our list of recommended websites containing OER textbooks.

Are there any handouts or information that I can take with me or give out?

Yes!  See our flyer on OER Basics.