Open Educational Resources: Using OERs for Instruction

Copyright

Open educational resources (OERs) are free digitized materials that allow users to copy, use, adapt, and redistribute for educational and research purposes. 

It is important to pay attention to the type of copyright assigned to an OER by its author and to use the OER in strict accordance to its stipulations. Many OERs have flexible copyright licenses from organizations such as Creative Commons; these licenses provide varying amounts of protection, ranging from “all rights reserved” (full copyright) to “no rights reserved” (public domain).  See our CopyRight! guide for additional information.

Accessibility

Federal laws including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act require higher education institutions to ensure that digital materials are accessible by all students, including those with disabilities. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) serve as an industry standard and provide specific recommendations for improving accessible web-based content.
  
OERs and Student Success

Research shows that OERs are as effective and of the same quality as textbooks in terms of student engagement and performance (Hilton, 2016). In addition, faculty members have found quality OERs more effective in supporting diverse learner needs and promoting an inclusive learning environment, in part through the ability of faculty and others to customize course content and improve alignment to learning outcomes. 

Reference

Hilton, J., III. (2016). Open educational resources and college textbook choices: a review of research on efficacy and perceptions. Education Tech Research Dev 64(4): 573–590. 

Advantages of using OERs include:

• OERs are easy to distribute widely with little or no cost.
• OERs can supplement textbooks and lectures where deficiencies in information are evident.
• Information may be disseminated rapidly. Quick availability of material may increase the timeliness and/or relevance of the material being presented.
• less expense for students. 
• A wide audience may learn of faculty research interests and expertise.  Potential students and donors may be impressed, and student and faculty recruitment efforts may be enhanced.
• OERs can be improved quickly through direct editing by users or through solicitation and incorporation of user feedback. Instructors can take an existing OER, adapt it for a class, and make the modified OER available for others to use.

Disadvantages of OERs include:

• quality issues. Since many OER repositories allow any user to create an account and post material, some resources may not be accurate.
• intellectual property/copyright concerns. Since OERs are meant to be shared openly, the “fair use” exemption from the U.S. Copyright Act ceases to apply; all content put online must be checked to ensure that it doesn’t violate copyright law.
• sustainability issues. Since OER creators generally do not receive any type of payment for their OER, there may be little incentive for them to update their OER or to ensure that it will continue to be available online.