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OER: Overview

Open Educational Resources

How does OER work?

Each resource is issued under a license that spells out how it can be used:  Some materials may only be used in their original form; in other cases, learning resources can be modified, remixed, and redistributed.

7 Things You Should Know About...Open Educational Resources. (2010). Retrieved June 10, 2015, from https://net.educause.   edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7061.pdf

What is OER?

Open educational resources (OER) are any resources available at little or no cost that can be used for teaching, learning, or research:

  • textbooks
  • course readings
  • simulations
  • games
  • syllabi
  • quizzes
  • learning applications
  • assessment tools
  • any other material that can be used for educational purposes

7 Things You Should Know About...Open Educational Resources. (2010). Retrieved June 10, 2015, from https://net.educause.   edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7061.pdf

Wiley's 5 Rs of Openness

Image by Designers for Learning: Gain Experience for Good, Jennifer Maddrell, Director (CC, BY, NC, SA)

Retain: the right to make, own, and control copies of the content

Reuse: the right to use the content in a wide range of ways (e.g., in a class, in a study group, on a website, in a video)

Revise: the right to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself (e.g., translate the content into another language)

Remix: the right to combine the original or revised content with other open content to create something new (e.g., incorporate the content into a mashup)

Redistribute:  the right to share copies of the original content, your revisions, or your remixes with others (e.g., give a copy of the content to a friend)

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