William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
Open Educational Resources
by Judy Zebrowski, Librarian, Information Literacy Initiatives
Open Educational Resources (OER) are materials used to support education that may be freely accessed, reused, modified and shared by anyone. (Downes 2011). The shared philosophy is that teaching, learning, and research are improved when educational resources are more open and accessible. Students and faculty are often frustrated by the high cost of textbooks and other learning materials. Looking for a solution to reduce the cost of learning materials and still increase the quality of teaching and learning, leads us to examine Open Educational Resources (OER). As the major thrust of the Open Movement, OERs offer the opportunity for equity and access to high-quality pedagogy to ensure equity and access to all learners without rigid restrictions. OERs are relatively free for use, adaptation and redistribution, making them a notable trend in higher education that impacts student success.
Creative Commons helps you legally share your knowledge and creativity to build a more equitable, accessible, and innovative world. CC provides free, easy-to-use copyright licenses to make a simple and standardized way to give the public permission to share and use your creative work on conditions of your choice.
Creative Commons Search offers convenient access to search services provided by other independent organizations. You can search Google Web, Google Images, YouTube, Flickr, Open Clip Art Library, and more, to search for learning materials that you can modify, adapt, or build upon.
Have a question for Library Confidential?
Tracey Amey
Director of the Madigan Library
x7386
Judy Zebrowski
Librarian, Information Literacy Initiatives
x4115