Open Educational Resources Guide  

photo © 2009 Joe Hoover | more info (via: Wylio)What are Open Educational Resources?

According to the OER Commons, "Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse, without charge."

Why should faculty consider using OERs?

Everybody, from Student PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups) to Congress,  knows that the rising costs of college textbooks is a major issue in higher education today.

The amount an average student spends on textbooks has been estimated to be between $700 and $1,000 per year! According to a 2005 study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the cost of textbooks and supplies as a percentage of overall tuition and fees is 72% for community colleges tudents; for students at 4-year public institutions, the cost of textbooks is 26% of tuition.

One way faculty can increase college affordability is by exploring the use of textbook alternatives and OERs.

The Open Educational Resources Guide is designed to help faculty find and use quality educational content for their courses. See the tabs above or the links below for more information.

• Open Educational Resources
• Open Textbooks
• Affordable Textbooks
• Library Resources

Open Education Week is March 11-15, 2013. Free webinars online all week.

Creative Commons, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Open Society Foundations announced the winners of the Why Open Education Matters video competition.

Do you own the rights to a textbook that you are willing to share with the Saylor Foundation? They will offer you a $20,000 award if you submit your textbook to and it is accepted for use in their course materials.