Open Educational Resources (OER)

A guide for faculty to identify, evaluate, and implement Open Educational Resources (OER) in UMA courses.

Open Educational Resources - OER Diversity with rainbow colors by Lane Community College - via flickrOpen Educational Resources (OER) are defined as freely available educational materials that are either in the public domain or have been created with an open license (for example Creative Commons-see tab FMI) which makes the materials available in terms of the "5R's" Retain, Reuse, Revise, Remix, and Redistribute. They can be in many mediums including digital.

 

OER include physical & digital learning materials such as:
  • modules
  • games
  • lectures
  • syllabi
  • homework assignments
  • simulations
  • quizzes
  • open textbooks
  • lab activities
  • full courses

While free and open resources are great, it is quality that is most important. The resources in this guide have been vetted by UMA librarians and are the most reputable OER sources currently available. The field continues to grow quickly; this guide will be updated frequently to reflect expanding resources.

OER offers a solution to the ever-increasing cost of textbooks to our students and their already overburdened educational budget. To help meet the need, UMA Libraries offers this guide to assist faculty in finding, evaluating, and using OER resources which will meet curriculum objectives and save students the cost of high-priced textbooks.

Other OER Research Guides

Open Educational Resources (OER) are online resources (textbooks, journal articles, etc.) that are freely accessible and openly licensed. This guide provides information about resources that may be used by faculty members in addition to or in replacement of commercial textbooks.

You can find a list of example OER LibGuidesor use SPARC's "Connect OER" to discover OER activities.

Accessibility Statement
The University provides reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities upon request. Any person with a disability who needs accommodations for a workshop should contact UMA Libraries at uma.library@maine.edu to submit a request. Due to the lead-time needed to arrange certain accommodations, individuals should submit their request no later 1 week before the event.