Open educational resources (OERs)

Open educational resources (OERs) are materials with open licences that enable free access, retention, reuse, revision and redistribution. 

These pages provide an introduction to how to create your own OERs, with suggestions of tools you might use and factors to consider, such as accessibility and licensing. 

There are many freely available resources you can use to find OERs to support your students, or where you can choose to share your own OERs. We suggest some appropriate platforms for these purposes.

Features of OERs

Open educational resources have some key features:

• Free access: students and educators can access OERs at no cost, often online, reducing financial and access barriers to education.
• Adaptability: depending on the licence, users can modify content to align with course objectives or incorporate the latest research.
• Variety: OERs can be available in multiple digital formats and can be device agnostic allowing for greater customisation and flexibility, especially for people with disabilities relying on assistive technologies. These formats include videos, textbooks, podcasts, diagrams, software, course slides, checklists, simulations, lesson plans, reading lists and 3D models.

Benefits of OERs 

OERs provide significant educational benefits and cost savings while also advocating for social justice, equitable learning and global knowledge. 

Benefits of OERs explained:

• Cost savings: OERs alleviate the financial burden of expensive books for students and institutions.
• Enhanced learning: educators can tailor materials to better suit their teaching methods and student needs.
• Wider reach: freely accessible materials can be used by a global audience, extending the impact of high-quality open educational resources.
• Accessibility: inclusive materials cater to a diverse range of learners.