Open Educational Resources
What are OER?
Open Educational Resources (OER) are openly-licensed, free educational materials. OER can include full courses, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools or materials used to support access to knowledge. Learn more about OER.
Why are OER important?
For faculty
- OER support academic freedom. You are not locked into a particular publisher’s platform.
- OER are openly licensed, so you can edit OER content to make it more accessible, more inclusive, and tailored to your students’ needs.
- OER support open and engaging teaching practices.
- OER are easily integrated into Moodle and into courses regardless of teaching modality.
For students
- OER save students money. Textbook costs have risen. When students cannot afford their textbooks, nearly 2/3 of students will opt out of buying their textbooks.
- OER contribute to student well-being by eliminating anxiety around course material affordability.
- OER are freely available online to all students on the first day of class, providing equitable access to course content and positively impacting student success and retention.
- OER provide students with unlimited, permanent, and portable access to course materials. OER can be accessed online, accessed on any number of devices, downloaded, printed, and retained indefinitely.