What are Open Educational Resources?
OER is “teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.”
UNESCO definition for Open Educational Resources
Key to this definition is that OER is educational materials (“teaching, learning, and research materials”) that are free (no cost) for anyone to use and change (“access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions”), which can be done because they are made open (“reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license”).
Nashville State Community College , TBR, and OER Commons:
The Tennessee Open Education Hub brings together the intellectual and creative power of faculty throughout the state, providing a place to build and share resources with the common goal of improving student learning outcomes.
OER, OA, or Affordable?
OER has many similarities with Open Access (OA) publishing and affordable educational resources. OER separates itself with its focus on cost and adaptability for teaching & learning materials.