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Get Started With OER

Finding OER

For faculty, interest in using OER often begins with a need to fill content gaps, or to identify enhanced or replacement resources for a course.

  • Start by looking for suitable resources that will contribute to your instructional objectives. Search dedicated OER repositories, including the eCampus Open Textbook Library.
  • Consider your own materials that may be available offline, including lecture notes, handouts and other resources prepared previously. be sure to check your college's intellectual property policies to see if a material you've developed can be used and shared as OER, with an open licence.

For additional support in finding OER, contact your Liaison Librarian for help.

Composing OER

  • Once you've gathered a selection of suitable open materials, piece them together to create a learning resource or set of resources to meet your instructional objectives and learning outcomes.
  • This is a creative design process of building an educational resource from scratch and/or using components that you have found.
  • As you compose, use OER authoring tools to support your work, such as the Open Author Module Builder.

See the Creating Module in this guide for additional support in composing OER or contact your Liaison Librarian for help.

Adopting/Adapting OER

  • You may decide to use the OER that you compile "as is" by printing or downloading them, or sharing the links with your students.
  • You may also decide to adapt the resources to local needs, or even revise them later based on feedback once implemented.
  • Your adaptations may involve minor corrections and improvements, remixing or adding new components, or even completely reworking the resources.

See the Creating Module and the Curating Module in the OER Toolkit from The Learning Portal for additional help adopting or adapting OER or contact your Liaison Librarian for help.

Using OER

  • Through open licencing, OER opens up possibilities for new, more collaborative teaching and learning practices--because the materials can be used, adapted and shared within and across learning communities
  • As you implement OER in your courses, take advantage of these possibilities. Pair up with a colleague on the implementation of OER, invite peer and student critique of the materials, or engage students as co-creators in OER-based assignments

For additional information on OER practices such as these, see the Teaching Module in the OER toolkit from The Learning Portal, or contact your Liaison Librarian.

Sharing OER

  • Make your resources available for your peers and the open education community to find, and to begin the life cycle again.
  • Add descriptors so that others can find and use the resource and select the appropriate licence for any new/adapted resources.
  • Access online tools that can help you describe and share your resources. Try OER Commons or LibGuides.

For additional information on sharing OER, see the Curating Module in the OER Toolkit from the Learning Portal.