Open Educational Resources (OER)

The 5 R Permissions of OER

The "5 Rs" is a framework that encourages educators to capitalize on the unique rights associated with open content. These rights include the ability to:

• Retain: Make and own copies of the work (e.g., download, duplicate, store and manage)
• Reuse: Use the work in a wide range of ways (e.g., in a class, in a study group, on a website, in a video)
• Revise: Adapt, modify and translate the work (e.g., translate the content into another language)
• Remix: Combine it with another resource to make a new work (e.g., incorporate the content into a mashup)
• Redistribute: Share the work with others (e.g., give a copy of the content to a friend)

These rights, or permissions, are made possible through open licensing. For example, Creative Commons open licences help creators of OER retain copyright while allowing others to reproduce, distribute, and make some use of their work.

What's Not OER

Below are four key categories of resources that are often considered to fall outside of what is truly OER. Of course, the best mix of materials to meet any given set of learning outcomes will vary and may include a combination of OER and the materials listed below. The key is knowing which resources will best meet your objectives for instruction, and for learners.

1) Resources that Cannot be Adapted:

Through open licensing, the mission of the OER movement is to exploit the full range of the "5 Rs" permissions of use (see prior tab). Some argue that unless an open licence allows for adaptation of content, then the resource is not truly OER.

The Six Creative Commons Licences

In descending order from least to most restrictive, here are 6 frequently used creative commons licenses:

1. CC BY: Open
2. CC BY SA: Open
3. CC BY NC: Open
4. CC BY NC SA: Open
5. CC BY ND: Not open
6. CC BY NC ND: Not open

2) Web-based Resources that are Fully Copyrighted

All the available resources on the web that you may have access to, but that are not in the public domain, or do not carry a Creative Commons licence or other open licence, are not OER.

3) Subscription-Based Library Collections

A library's subscription-based resources (journals, videos, and other materials), while accessible to students and faculty, are also not OER. This is because their use in education may be limited by licence agreements.

4) Open Access Resources

Open access is an important concept, which is related to - but distinct from - OER. Open access typically refers to research publications released under an open licence that allows for their free access and use.

Open access publications sometimes do not allow for adaptation and remixing. While open access articles are freely accessible, authors may retain their copyright and/or assign rights to publishers or users, so permission may be needed for copying and adaptation.

Attribution:

Unless otherwise specified, all materials in this guide are a derivative of The OER Toolkit, by The Learning Portal, and is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

Benefits for students:

• Save on textbook costs with low cost or free resources.
• Access resources before classes start.
• Engage with content that is customised and relevant.