Open Educational Resources (OER) are materials either in the public domain or open-licensed for reuse, primarily using Creative Commons licenses. Benefits of OER include cost savings for users and increased visibility for creators, but both groups face challenges such as understanding licensing terms and ensuring proper attribution. Accessing OER requires internet capabilities, and users must navigate the legalities of use.

1. oer_logo_EN_1 by Breno Trautwein is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
OERs
Amy Herman
Library Faculty, Olympic College

2. What are Open Educational
Resources?
1.Works in the Public Domain:
•
Not protected by copyright law
•
Include government documents
•
Include works published prior to 1923
•
Many caveats/exceptions; see:
http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm
2.Open-licensed works:
•
Covered by copyright law but licensed for re-use
•
Creative Commons licenses are the most
common type of open-licensing; see:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/

3. Creating OERs
Benefits for Creators
Challenges for Creators
Share your work easily and
openly.
If you change your mind
about sharing your work, you
can only restrict its use going
forward, not retroactively.
Must understand the
different types of open
licenses and what you are
granting under each one.
Up to you to police correct
use of your work.
Do not have to continually
grant permission to use your
work.
Added publicity for your
course or institution.

4. Using OERs
Benefits for Users
Challenges for Users
Resources are available to use at
no charge.
Must know how to search for OERs.
If used in place of a textbook, big
savings for students can be
realized.
Must understand the different
types of open licenses and what
you can legally do with them under
which circumstances.
Reduced risk of violating copyright
law.
Must understand how to properly
attribute OERs.
In some cases you can make your
own derivative work.
Must have access to computer and
Internet to be able to search & use
OERs
In some cases you can re-use the
work for profit.