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Open Educational Resources (OERs)

Guide designed to assist the UA community with finding and evaluating a variety of open educational and affordable resources used in teaching and learning.

Open Educational Resources (OER) Basics

WHAT:
Open Educational Resources (OERs) are "licensed, free-to-access learning materials that educators and students can adapt and customize to meet their needs. These materials include textbooks, presentations, videos, simulations, and much more.

WHY:
OERs "clearly state how the author wants you to use them and gives you the right to freely copy, modify, adapt, and build upon them for your desired use."

What is the Difference Between Open and Affordable?

Open Educational Resources (OER)
Course resources used by faculty to meet or enhance learning needs with ZERO cost to students, using openly licensed material.
Examples:
Virtual simulation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ToE6KCGdnTj_SovIlrop8Iek6Wo3YDBD/view
Online textbook (may be published in print): https://studio.libretexts.org/collection/5224
 

Affordable Educational Resources (AER)
Course resources used by faculty to meet or enhance learning needs with minimal cost to students. 
Example: The University of Akron participates in OhioLINK's Affordable Learning initiative.

Credit: Chippewa Valley Technical College. (2022, January 22). Open educational resources (OER): What are OER? https://libguides.cvtc.edu/OER/overview