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Gibson D. Lewis Library Libguides

OER- Open Educational Resources

This guide provides an overview of OER, publication options, and where to locate OER.

Getting Started

Getting started with OER can be an overwhelming task.  Below are some suggested steps to make finding, creating, and using OER more manageable.

  1. Schedule Time - Learning about, locating, evaluating, and potentially adapting and creating OER takes time.  There are many places to look for OER and it is important to give yourself plenty of time to navigate the growing number of repositories and online collections of OER.
  2. Training & Education- If you are unfamiliar with OER consider taking training or educational courses.  You can find training and educational resources on the OER Training & Education Page of this guide.
  3.  Understand Copyright - Familiarize yourself with copyright restrictions and licenses.  The library has libguides on both copyright and open access to help you learn the basics.   
  4. Determine Your Needs- Are you looking for a textbook?  Supplemental materials? Data Sets? Graphics? What are your student learning outcomes? Do you have a list of key terms?  All of these questions can help you in your search for OER.  It is important to know what you are looking for before beginning your search.
  5. Begin Your Search- You can begin your search by using the Find OER page on this guide to locate and search collections of published open educational resources.
  6. Evaluate- Carefully examine the resources that you find to ensure they are a good fit for your needs.  This will take time and you may find that parts of one resource are perfect but other parts are not.  Remember in your evaluation that, depending on the license, you may be able to remix several resources into something new that fits all your criteria. Some criteria to consider: content, presentation, accessibility, license, and supplemental materials.
  7. Adapt or Adopt- Once you make your selections adapt them to suit your needs or adopt them as created.
  8. Notify the Library- The library can help you store or make resources available for your courses.  See the Library Services page of this guide for more information.