Definition of OER
According to the College Textbook Affordability Act of 2015:
OER, Open Educational Resources, are "high-quality teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license, such as a Creative Commons license, that permits their free use and repurposing by others, and may include other resources that are legally available and free of cost to students. “Open educational resources” include, but are not limited to, full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, faculty-created content, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge".
In short, OER are resources that:
- Reside in the public domain or under a license that allows free use and repurposing, such as a Creative Commons license
- Includes resources that are legally available and free to students
- Include, but are not limited to, full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, faculty-created content, streaming videos, tests, and software
What is OER? (Video: CC BY 4.0 Music: The Zeppelin by Blue Dot Sessions: CC BY NC 4.0)