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Affordable Learning Resource Guide: What are OER

Affordable Learning and Open Educational Resources (OER)

What are Open Educational Resources?

Open Educational Resources (OER), which are teaching, learning, and research resources that are free of cost and access barriers, and which also carry legal permission for open use.* They include a multitude of formats, including textbooks, full courses, modules, videos, labs, assignments, and assessments.

Why do OERs matter?

  • Students save money: Institutions's estimated cost for textbooks and supplies for school year is ​$dollars. This is over/below/inline with national averages which continue to increase at a staggering rate.*
  • Pedagogical freedom: Faculty can add, remove, and modify content to fit their classroom rather than having an expensive textbook dictate topics and order.
  • Immediate and lasting accessResources can be accessed immediately, retained, and returned to again and again.

What makes them "Open"?

OERs are licensed in such a way that enables adopters to utilize the 5 Rs:

  1. Retain a copy of the content
  2. Reuse the content in a range of ways
  3. Revise the content as needed
  4. Remix original or revised content with other material
  5. Redistribute the original, revisions, and remixes with others

Creative Commons licenses are often applied to OERs to license these rights to adopters.

Questions?

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Lizah Ismail
Contact:
Lizah Ismail, Director of the Library/Associate Professor
Limestone University Library, Limestone College, 1115 College Drive, Gaffney, SC 29340
864-488-4610

If you are experiencing problems with our guides and databases, please contact ProfessorJanet S. Ward, jward@limestone.edu, Assistant Director of the Library and Web Services Librarian.