About
This page offers information and tools to support faculty in creating and adapting Open Educational Resources (OER) for teaching and learning.
For help in creating and or adapting your own OER, please contact your Liaison Librarian
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Library Services for Faculty - Faculty Library TeamA guide designed to welcome faculty to Mohawk College Library with a list of Librarian Liaisons for different schools of expertise.
Example of OER Creation
Creating or Adapting Your Own OER
Why Create OER?
- Customize content to your specifications.
- Extend your academic profile.
- Provide more relevant and engaging materials to students, while reducing textbook costs.
- Ensure easy access to materials, even before classes begin.
OER Design
- Start with what's there: Explore existing collections with high-quality resources, like eCampus Ontario's Open Textbook Library. Additionally, consider using any offline materials you've already created.
- Make it accessible: Ensure that the resources you create are accessible to all learners. It's often easier to design accessible OER from the start than to modify existing ones.
- Make it adaptable: Making your content modular makes it easier for future users to reuse it. For open textbooks, organize your content by chapter and subchapter, and whenever possible, offer an editable version like .docx or Google Docs.
- Make it open: Clearly display the Creative Commons license for your resource. When incorporating other materials, choose those that are openly licensed. For guidance on selecting an open license, refer to the Licensing page in this guide or consult your Liaison Librarian.
- Make it discoverable: Collaborate with your librarian to choose the best platform for sharing your resource. They can also help you add the right descriptors to make your OER easily discoverable.
- Invite critique: Assess your resource with a rigorous tool like the Comprehensive OER Evaluation Rubric, and invite peers to review it as well. Since OER development is an ongoing process, aim to revisit and update your resource regularly.
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Accessibility Checklist (PDF 47KB opens new tab)The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) mandates that institutions provide all resources in an accessible format "on demand." While no precise guidelines define accessibility, the format must meet the specific needs of the student requesting it.
If instructional resources are not selected with accessibility, they can create barriers that hinder or prevent learning. To help you ensure the resources you develop are accessible to all learners, refer to the Accessibility Checklist.
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Pressbooks User GuideFind answers for common questions you may have while writing and publishing your book with Pressbooks Create.
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BC Campus Self-Publishing GuideA guide for writing and self-publishing an open textbook.
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Toronto Metropolitan University Open Textbook Authoring GuideA Guide on Authoring and Adapting Open Textbooks
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The OER Starter Kit WorkbookIncludes worksheets to help instructors practice skills needed to create open educational resources (OER).
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A Guidebook to Making Open Textbook with StudentsA handbook for faculty interested in practicing open pedagogy by involving students in the making of open textbooks, ancillary materials, or other Open Educational Resources.
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The BC Open Accessibility ToolkitThis kit contains resources and guidelines to support content creators in creating truly open and accessible textbooks. The BC Open Accessibility Toolkit is a collaboration between BCcampus and the Centre for Accessible Post-secondary Education Resources BC (CAPER-BC).
Free
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Pressbooks (eCampusOntario members):Access to a Pressbooks EDU account is free for anyone affiliated with an eCampus Ontario member institution, including Mohawk College. Pressbooks is an online formatting and publishing system that makes it easy to create professional, well-formatted print and digital resources. Pressbooks is a Canadian-built, open source tool built on WordPress.
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MERLOTAccess templates for creating tailored websites with a variety of designs, including e-portfolio structures, lesson plans, online courses, and others.
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Module BuilderThis tool allows authors to create both student and instructor facing content. Authors are encouraged to include overviews, pedagogical supporting text, and instructions for students and other users of the resource. Module Builder is a tool available through OER Commons and its suite of Open Author tools.
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Open AuthorIncorporate and customize your resources, along with materials from the affiliated OER Commons library, to create new or remixed OER.
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WikibooksAccess wiki-based adaptable open textbooks and create new wiki textbooks.
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Ted-Ed Content Builder ToolAdd TED videos to a lesson builder template, and supplement the video with questions and additional content.
Paid
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PressBooksPublish open textbooks in multiple formats in this content management system that uses WordPress.
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Soft Chalk CloudUse the SoftChalk desktop platform to create your OER, and choose to make it open and public in the SoftChalk Repository (free trial available).