Open Educational Resources (OER) Explained: A Comprehensive Guide

In recent times, the term Open Educational Resources (OER) has become increasingly familiar to parents, teachers, and students alike. But it may not always be clear exactly what open educational resources are and for whom they are intended. This article aims to provide a comprehensive explanation of OER, exploring their definition, benefits, licensing, and practical application in education.

What are Open Educational Resources (OER)?

When it comes to defining OER, there are as many definitions as there are educational professionals advocating for it. Generally, OER are teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse at no cost, and without needing to ask permission. These resources reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and repurposing by others.

OER Commons defines open educational resources as: ‘Teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse at no cost, and without needing to ask permission.

The European Commission defines open education as ‘a way of carrying out education, often using digital technologies. Its aim is to widen access and participation to everyone by removing barriers and making learning accessible, abundant, and customizable for all.

While almost every organization has its own definition, open education is an idealistic yet practical viewpoint that contains two fundamental conceptions: teaching and learning materials that are free to use and aimed at sharing and building upon each other’s work.

Read also: Undergraduate Learning Commons

OER includes course modules, lectures, homework assignments, lab and classroom activities, pedagogical materials, games, simulations, and many more resources contained in digital media collections from around the world.

The 5Rs of OER

One of OER’s core objectives is to broaden access to educational material and improve the overall quality of teaching and learning worldwide. Therefore, OER must be subject to five permitted activities: the ‘5Rs’ coined by David Wiley:

Retain: the right to make, own, and control copies of the content (e.g., download, duplicate, store, and manage).
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 into another language).
Remix: the right to combine the original and/or revised content with other existing material 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).

Open educational materials that allow users to practice the 5 Rs - retain, revise, remix, reuse, and redistribute - allow for much more flexibility than traditional textbooks.

The Need for OER

Education has been delivered with textbooks and content shaped for universal consumption for decades. While this has been effective for a long time, our educational system has partially decayed in the last few years. In the US, for example, the average yearly cost of copyrighted books and supplies for full-time undergraduate students at a four-year university was approximately $1240.00 in 2021. The average yearly cost for college textbooks in the US is $1200-1400. According to the 2019-2020 Common Data Set, Bradley University students spend $1200 on average, putting them right in line with national numbers. These costs have increased explosively over the past decade.

In response to these outrageous costs, studies have found that up to 65% of students skip buying required textbook because of price. This number is higher for students affected by trying circumstances, such as food insecurity or deadly pandemics.

Read also: CU Denver Hub

Educational experts have pondered over how to make access to education more inclusive. Pivoting towards electronic learning materials is often mentioned as a solution, but while it’s currently cheaper, the price of e-books is increasing as well, and copyright restrictions ensure that digital learning materials can’t be shared or resold, so every student pays full price - every single time. This realization is why many people believe copyrighted learning materials - in whatever form - no longer suffice.

What emerged from the need for inexpensive educational material has grown into a world-wide movement to battle inequality. OER is now perceived as the future of education. Besides its ideological nature, the combination of technology and shared responsibility offers an organic solution for the sustainability of knowledge and, at the same time, connects with the next generations of learners.

Who Benefits from OER?

Essentially, the OER movement aims to make high-quality education available to students. But OER is aimed at more than just learners. Using open educational resources applies to anyone who wants to improve their teaching, learning, and research. OER, therefore, applies to students, educators, faculty staff, and research. Also, using OER isn’t limited to higher education. Primary and secondary educational institutions and learners can also use OER to improve their teaching and learning.

Cost savings are not the only benefit to students, and instructors are not the only ones granted more freedom by OER. Open pedagogy is a high-impact practice that engages students as creators of information, rather than just consumers.

OER vs. Other Resources

It's important to understand the distinction between OER and other types of resources:

Open Educational Resources (OER): Teaching and learning materials that can be freely used, revised, remixed, retained and redistributed without charge. OER often have a Creative Commons license that states specifically how the material can be used, reused, adapted, and shared.
Open Access Resources (OAR): Available online free for people to use, but they may not be revised, remixed, retained, or redistributed.
Library-Licensed Materials: Resources that a library subscribes to for use by their users. These are free for the users because the library has already paid an access cost.

Note: Fair Use provides for some leeway in using Open Access and Library-Licensed materials with students in a classroom setting (in person and online).

Knowing the difference between "Free" and "Open" is also crucial:

Free: Refers only to cost.
Open: Refers to the terms of use defined in a copyright license chosen by the creator.

Many resources that educators find may appear to be open since they don't require payment or a log-in. While the resource may be "free", it could have copyright restrictions that don't allow for use, sharing, or adaptation. Many "free" resources require educators to search for and read complicated terms of use. One advantage of OER is that the licensing information is clearly labeled, often with Creative Commons licenses.

Copyright and Licensing

When an author creates a new work, the work is automatically copyrighted and all rights belong to the author, thus limiting how anyone else can access or use the work. The author may choose to release some of the copyright in order to allow for open access and use (see the 5 Rs in the previous section).

Public Domain is the most open form of copyright and is when the author has released all copyright and the work can be used by anyone, in any way, and without any attribution necessary.

Creative Commons (CC) licenses are the primary tool for adding open permissions to authored materials. CC licenses have defined terms of use and authors can add clear restrictions to inform how resources can be used by others. The most open CC license is CC-BY, which allows for open remixing, revision, reuse, redistribution, and retention - as long as the author is given attribution.

Creative Commons Licenses

Creative Commons licenses make finding, using and sharing OER an easy and empowering opportunity for educators. In the case of Open Educational Resources, all users are given the right to copy and repurpose without needing to request permission from copyright holders (as long as they adhere to license conditions, such as attribution); the users’ rights are clearly specified and easily understandable. Here's a breakdown of common CC licenses:

Attribution (CC BY): This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. This is the most accommodating of licenses offered.
Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA): This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. This license is often compared to “copyleft” free and open-source software licenses. All new works based on yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also allow commercial use.

There are three main restrictions that can be added to Creative Commons licenses:

Share Alike (CC-BY-SA): This restriction requires anyone who shares or modifies the resource to share it using the same terms on the license.
No Derivatives (CC-BY-ND): Users cannot make any changes or derivatives and must use/share the resource in its unadapted form only.
Non-Commercial (CC-BY-NC): Only non-commercial uses of the work are permitted.

These restrictions can be combined in different ways.

Implementing OER in Your Teaching

As a modern-day educator, the overarching goal of your education is to create a real understanding of the topics discussed during your course. Yet helping your students truly grasp the meaning of your subject can be challenging. But how can you enhance students’ engagement when lectures are given to larger groups than ever before? And how can you provide every student a personalized learning experience so they learn to grasp the theory - instead of just passing an exam? This is where using OER comes in.

One of the most common challenges in education is the expiration date of learning materials. When using textbooks, the subject matter can become obsolete in just a few years. As an educator, you aim to have as many students pass your class as possible. But when students don’t feel engaged with the subject, their chances of failing increase. This is where OER comes in.

Since many open educational resources are available through digital platforms or online, they come in a multimedia format. In modern-day education, teachers preferably provide every student with a unique learning experience so students truly understand the theory. Standardized textbooks and other copyrighted materials normally don’t take students’ individual knowledge into account. This leads to a generic approach - one-size-fits-all education. However, when using OER, educators gain access to thousands of resources that allow for more augmentation of class materials. Think learning analytics, interactive exercises, and (digital) tools that infinitely differentiate exercises to provide each student a unique trajectory.

Practical Steps for Using OER

Determine Your Needs: What specific learning objectives do you need to address? What type of resources would be most effective for your students (e.g., textbooks, videos, simulations)?
Search for OER: Explore OER repositories like OER Commons, MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) A web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content.
Evaluate the Resources: Does the OER align with your learning objectives? Is it accurate, up-to-date, and of high quality? Is it accessible to all students?
Consider Adaptation: The next step is to determine if you want to use the OER as is or modify it. Many faculty feel driven to create the “perfect” resources for their classes and it can be difficult to put aside that perfection and use other people’s creations. However, the number, variety, and quality of OER available freely is such that anyone should be able to find resources they can readily (with or without adaptations) put to use within their classrooms.
- If the open material is available in an editable format, then the easiest approach may be to use the same tool as the original author to add, delete, or modify it. Consulting course support services (such as your institution’s instructional design team) is recommended, particularly if you have not done this kind of work before.
Ensure Accessibility: Keep accessibility in mind. General rights for copying and repurposing are what make OER different from any other educational resources available online free of charge.
Provide Access to Students: There are several stakeholders on campus involved in delivering instructional materials to students, including the bookstore, library, IT help desk, and possibly on-site print services. You can also provide a link for students to view or download the OER. Most open textbooks are available in different downloadable formats, such as PDF, ePub, mobi, or DAISY formats. Keep in mind that certain formats may be preferable for students with visual impairments. Downloadable options may also be useful for students without reliable Internet access, as they can download the material to their computers or mobile devices for offline access. Low-cost printing is another option for open textbooks.
Attribute the Source: Always provide proper attribution to the original creator of the OER, as required by the license.

Lesson Planning with OER

Experienced teachers understand that a lesson plan is used as a daily step-by-step guide for what they will be teaching their students. It also contains what resources you will be using and how the progress of the students will be measured. It does not matter if you use pencil and paper, or a computer program to create the lesson, each lesson should contain specific components. These key parts include:

Goal & Objectives
Standards Alignment
Materials
Procedures
Formative Assessments
Reflections

Let us look at each of these individually.

Goal & Objectives

A goal provides directions for the lesson. It is generally not measurable and very generic. It can be used as the lesson overview to tell someone about the lesson. Once the generic goal has been created, you will need to break it down into more detailed objectives (also called competencies). The objectives should align to the state, local, and national standards for your school. Students should be able to use these objectives to monitor their own learning progress. The objectives should be created using the SMART model which means they should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based.

As you write the objectives for your lesson, start by asking the following questions.

Is the objective specific?
Can the objective be measured?
Is the objective attainable by all students? Can it be adjusted for Differentiated Instruction or personalized learning?
Is the objective relevant for all students?
Can the objective be completed in a specific amount of time? Will it align to the class syllabus?

All objects should start with an action word. When action words are included in the objective, it becomes a painless process ensuring that the students have met their objective goal. These action words will change based on the type of lesson objective. An introductory lesson may use the action word define whereas an advanced lesson may use the action word create. For example, an introductory objective may be “Students will define the buttons on the Microsoft Word Ribbon” whereas and advanced objective may be “Students will create their own Microsoft Word Ribbon Toolbar”. A list of action words, provided in the Resource Library, can be helpful when creating your objectives.

Standards Alignment

Once you have identified your objectives, it is now time to align them to required local, state, and national standards. Depending on your institution, you may also have to align them to a certification. Placing the standards directly into the lesson plan provides a quick way of showing you are meeting all requirements. When aligning the standards, it is advisable to always use the exact verbiage so you can continue to focus on the outcome.

Materials & Equipment List

This section of a lesson plan is a summary of all the items you need to teach the lesson. It ensures that you do not forget to sign-out a computer cart or copy a handout. For example, will you be handing out a paper quiz or will that quiz be assigned via Google Classroom? Since this is closely related to the procedures in your lesson, it is advisable to complete this in conjunction with your lesson procedures.

Procedures

This is the bulk of the lesson plan. It contains the step-by-step instructions you will need to teach the lesson to your students. Think of this are the detailed instructions you would provide a substitute instructor. As you begin to determine what steps your procedure will include, ask yourself the following questions:

How will I introduce the topic?
Do you have a specific strategy or technique that will work best for this topic?
What activities do you want to incorporate into the procedure? Are they individualized, group or divided by stations?
Are there any project-based, critical thinking, or problem-solving activities you can include? Does it relate to real-life? Can I show how?

Formative Assessments

This section can be used as a way of evaluating student learning. They can be quizzes, games, hands-on activities, group presentation, or projects. A mixture of these assessments can be used on a regular basis to keep your students engaged. Some examples of these assessments can be found on the Edutopia.

Reflections

Reflections can be divided into student reflections and teacher reflections. The student reflection is used by the student so they can document what part of the lesson resonated with then. They can analyze what they learned and why they think it is a relevant component of their learning. They can also reflect on any group participation or ways they plan to expand their knowledge.

Instructor reflections are used as an observation of the success of a lesson plan. These are completed at the conclusion of the lesson plan. Once the reflection is completed, updates need to be made to the plan, so it is ready for the next time.

When it comes time to reflect on the lesson, ask yourself the following questions:

Did I allow enough time for the lesson?
What part of the lesson did the students have difficulty with? Do I need to make changes?
Did the students stay engaged with the lesson?
Did I meet all the objectives?

OER Commons Lesson Plan Template

You can use the OER Commons Lesson Plan Template to plan out your lesson, so it becomes easier to add it into OER Commons. Let us look at where the above components fit into the OER Commons Lesson Plan template. The lesson overview / goals on the OER Commons Lesson Plan template is used to provide a summary of what your lesson is about. It is used as a way of introducing your lesson to users who are searching through OER Commons for materials they can use. In addition to the Lesson Overview, OER Commons will also use the Title, Creator, Subject Area, and Suggest Grade as part of its overview description.

Even though there are now distinct areas for the objectives, they can be used to help introduce each section of your lesson on the OER Commons platform. You can include them in the overview, or as part of the teacher instructions within the lesson plan itself.

When you are entering the lesson plan into OER Commons, there is a module available specifically for aligning to standards. This module will allow you to align standards based on the following:

AASL 21st Century Learner Standards
AASL Standards for Initial Preparation of School Librarians
CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards
Common Core State Standards English Language Arts
MathNext Generation Science Standards
Pennsylvania Core Standards
English Language Arts
Math
Pennsylvania Academic Standards
Environment and Ecology
Science and Technology (2002)
Mathematics
Business, Computer, and Information Technology
Career Education and Work
Civics and Government
Economics
Family and Consumer Sciences
Geography
Health, Safety & Physical Education
History
Science and Technology and Engineering Education
UNESCO ICT Competency Frameworks

If you have aligned your lesson to any other standards (ASCA, ISTE, etc.) These will need to be entered into the instructor information in the lesson plan. The standards area of the OER Common Lesson Plan Template provides an easy way of organizing these items.

The Procedures area of the lesson plan is where you will spend your time. This area is broken down into 3 components: Warm Up/Introduction, Research/Explore, and Reinforcement/Creation. Formative assessments are not required for every activity in a lesson plan, but they may be helpful to check for understanding at the end of each activity. Assessments are a way of showing that the students have learned the content. They can be completed in class or at home as part of their homework.

Rubrics can be used as a way of assessing the student. They are designed in a grid and clearly indicate achievement criteria. Rubrics can be used as a way of showing what components need to be included in a project and how they will be graded. The grading can be done by the instructor, a peer, or an expert in the content area. The assessment area also includes a placeholder for a rubric if it used.

Academic Senate for California Community Colleges Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI)

The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI) was funded by the California legislature in trailer bill language during the summer of 2018. Preparations for its launch were made during the fall 2018 term and this state-wide faculty-led effort had its kick-off with a webinar on February 1, 2019. As referenced in Assembly Bill 1809 (Higher education trailer bill, 2017-2018). The OERI’s mission is to reduce the cost of educational resources for students by expanding the availability and adoption of high-quality Open Educational Resources (OER). “OER” refers to teaching and learning materials that are freely available online for everyone to use and includes course modules, lectures, homework assignments, lab and classroom activities, pedagogical materials, games, simulations, and many more resources contained in digital media collections from around the world (as defined by OER Commons. OER most often refers to openly-licensed textbooks and ancillary materials that are available at little or no cost to students.

The OERI facilitates and coordinates the curation and development of OER texts, ancillaries, and support systems. OER Collections for the California Community Colleges, organized by discipline, CSU general education requirements, Transfer Model Curricula, and C-ID are available, as well as a summary of OER gaps. The OERI’s curated collections are developed by the OERI Discipline Leads. OER by C-ID/Course Materials provided by COOL4Ed. The ASCCC OERI funds the development of new OER for courses commonly taught in the CCCs. The ASCCC OERI has developed two self-paced courses to prepare faculty who are planning to develop/curate OER. Important: All courses are offered via Canvas and set so that you can “self-enroll”. Please be sure that you are logged into your home instance of Canvas before attempting to access any PDC course. OER Basics serves as an introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER) providing faculty with new options for selecting textbooks and other resources so they can make the best decisions for their students. Properly identify the creative commons (CC) license on a resource and describe how this resource can and cannot be used. Create an open resource by remixing multiple existing resources and designate a license to this new resource based on the licenses of multiple resources use. This course was designed with two compatible goals.

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