This document discusses open educational resources (OERs), which are freely available teaching and learning materials that can be reused and modified. It provides examples of OERs from repositories covering various subjects, as well as interactive simulations. Creative Commons licenses allow creators to retain copyright while permitting others to copy, distribute, and make some uses of their work. The document encourages sharing one's own work as OERs and properly attributing materials using Creative Commons guidance.

1. Open Educational resources
Olashore Staff Development Session
Tim Leonard, Assistant Librarian, Lancaster University Library

2. What we’ll be looking at
• “Open Educational Resources” – what are
they?
• How can OERs be shared/reused?
• Good sources of OERs
• OERs for Sciences, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics

3. What are OERs?
“Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning
materials that are freely available online for anyone to use”
“OER is also a process of engaging with the materials. This process
involves sharing materials that you have created, either
individually or in groups with other teachers and/or learners;
using and adapting others’ materials for your own use; and
sharing back modifications to or comments about others’
materials so that future users can benefit.”
OER Commons; http://wiki.oercommons.org/index.php/Why_OER%3F

4. How can OERs be shared?
http://creativecommons.org
• Creative Commons are a non-profit organisation
• CC Licenses “help creators retain copyright while allowing
others to copy, distribute, and make some uses of their work”
• There a range of different CC licenses that give different rights
• CC Licenses are helping to build a “digital commons” of
material that can be shared, reused and modified.
“Creative Commons logo” and “CC-BY Button” by Creative Commons are licenced under CC BY 4.0.

5. Growth of Creative Commons
https://stateof.creativecommons.org/
“State of the Commons” by Lemonly is licenced under CC-BY 4.0

6. “Free” does not mean open
MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses) are free* to students
But their content remains the
property of the owner/institution
(so can’t be modified/edited).
*there may be a charge for certification or some elements of the course.

7. OER Repositories
https://www.oercommons.org/
• Search by discipline/level/ keyword, etc
• International in scope, though primarily US-based
http://www.jorum.ac.uk/
• Search by discipline/level/ keyword, etc
• UK-based

8. OER @ African Virtual University
http://oer.avu.org
• Pan-African initiative of 12
Universities
• 73 modules in three languages
(English, French, Portuguese)
• Modules on Maths & Sciences, ICT
Skills, Teacher Education and
more
• Accompanying text books for
students
• All released under CC-BY-SA
license
“Basic Mathematics” by Jairus M. Khalagai is licensed under CC-BY-SA (3.0)

9. Open College Textbooks
http://www.collegeopentextbooks.org/
• Network of US Colleges who have peer
reviewed Open Textbooks
• Links to a range of Open Textbooks,
including a number of STEM titles
• Textbooks published under a variety of
CC licences

10. OpenStax College
http://openstaxcollege.org
• OpenStax College is an open ebook
platform created by Rice College
(Houston, Texas).
• All textbooks published under a
Creative Commons Attribution
License (CC-BY)
• Textbooks in Biology, Physics,
Physiology (Chemistry coming
soon)
Information for Educators at: http://openstaxcollege.org/faculty

11. Open Source Physics
http://www.opensourcephysics.org
• Simulations and modelling
• Curriculum resources
• Code licenced via GNU General Public
Licence (v.2)
• Many Curriculum packages licenced under
Creative Commons licences
“Double pen diagram” by Tom Dooling is
released under GNU Public Licence V.3.

12. PhET
http://phet.colorado.edu/
• Interactive research-based
simulations
• Accompanying teachers guides
and activities for students
• Materials licensed under CC-BY/
CC GNU licenses
“Molecules and Light” by Kelly Lancaster, et al is licensed under CC-BY 3.0 US

13. OERs from major Universities
Open Yale Courses
http://oyc.yale.edu/
MIT Open Courseware
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm
Oxford University Open Spires
http://openspires.it.ox.ac.uk/
Image from http://openspires.it.ox.ac.uk/

14. Using Creative Commons
Licensed Material
See:
https://wiki.creativecommons.org/Best_practices_for_attribution
• Always consult the licence
• Check on the guidance on creativecommons.org if unsure of
rights
• Contact the creator/rights-holder if in doubt
• Follow the guidance of the licence with regards to reuse and
attribute appropriately

15. Share your own work
• A number of the resources we looked at allow you to
contribute
• See “Things to know before Licencing” and “Choose a Licence”
for guidance re: Creative Commons
• OER Commons has guidance about how to contribute or join a
group
• Other resources/repositories also offer guidance

16. Questions?
Thanks for listening!
“Open Educational Resources: Olashore Staff Development Session” by Tim Leonard is licensed
under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.