OER Integration Guide: How to Find, Adapt, and Use Open Educational Resources (Beginner Friendly)
Open Educational Resources (OER) are free educational materials that support teaching and learning. These resources include open textbooks, videos, lesson plans, quizzes, and more, all designed for reuse, adaptation, and redistribution under open licenses. This guide caters to educators, instructional designers, librarians, students, and anyone interested in enhancing their learning materials without financial barriers. Here, you’ll find practical steps to find, evaluate, adapt, and effectively use OER in your courses or projects.
Benefits of Integrating OER
Integrating OER into your curriculum provides numerous advantages:
- Cost Savings: Students benefit from lower or eliminated costs for essential materials, a trend supported by OpenStax and other publishers.
- Pedagogical Flexibility: You can modify OER to meet specific learning outcomes, incorporate local examples, or reorder content to suit your course sequence.
- Accessibility and Inclusion: OER can be formatted in various ways (HTML, tagged PDFs, transcripts), enhancing access for diverse learners.
- Community Collaboration: Sharing your adaptations contributes to continuous improvement and may foster collaborations with peers.
Research from groups like SPARC and authors such as John Hilton demonstrates that adopting OER often yields comparable or improved learning outcomes while significantly reducing costs for students. For further insights, refer to the “Resources & Further Reading” section.
Types of OER and Licensing Basics
Understanding the licensing of OER is essential. Most OER utilize Creative Commons (CC) licenses or fall under the public domain (CC0). Here’s a brief overview for beginners:
License Components:
- BY (Attribution): Must credit the creator.
- SA (ShareAlike): Adaptations must have identical licensing.
- NC (NonCommercial): Restricted to noncommercial use.
- ND (NoDerivatives): No adaptations permitted.
- CC0: Creator waives all rights; the work is in the public domain.
License Comparison:
| License | Allows reuse | Allows remix/adapt | Requires attribution | Commercial use allowed | Requires share-alike |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC0 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| CC BY | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| CC BY-SA | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CC BY-NC | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| CC BY-NC-SA | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| CC BY-ND | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| CC BY-NC-ND | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
For a complete breakdown of license texts, visit Creative Commons.
Where to Find Quality OER
Begin by exploring reputable repositories and subject-specific hubs:
- OpenStax: Offers peer-reviewed, classroom-ready textbooks in STEM and social sciences. OpenStax
- OER Commons: A vast catalog with remixing tools. OER Commons
- MERLOT: Provides curated learning materials across various subjects. MERLOT
- Creative Commons Search: Ideal for finding images and free media. Creative Commons Search
For full textbooks in science and economics, OpenStax remains a solid choice, while university repositories often offer valuable course materials. UNESCO provides extensive global policy guidance at UNESCO OER.
Quick Search Examples:
- For an OpenStax book:
"introductory biology" site:openstax.org - For images with remix permissions: visit Creative Commons Search.
Tip: Start with modular assets (individual chapters, activities) since they are easier to adapt than entire textbooks.
How to Evaluate OER: A Beginner’s Checklist
Evaluate OER efficiently using this checklist:
- Credibility: Who created it? Was it peer-reviewed?
- Currency: When was it last updated?
- Licensing: Is the license clearly detailed? Does it allow adaptation?
- Accessibility: Are alt text, captions, or accessible formats available?
- Learning Alignment: Does it match your students’ abilities?
- Technical Compatibility: Is it in an editable format?
Avoid using resources with unclear licensing until you obtain permission from the owner.
Step-by-Step OER Integration Workflow
Follow this workflow to ensure a smooth integration:
- Map Learning Outcomes: Identify 3–5 module-level learning outcomes.
- Search and Shortlist OER: Use the repositories mentioned above.
- Evaluate Resources: Apply your evaluation checklist.
- Adapt and Remix: Localize content and integrate any additional assessments.
- Test Accessibility: Ensure compatibility with screen readers and mobile devices.
- Publish: Add clear attribution to your LMS or website.
- Gather Feedback: Conduct surveys to assess effectiveness.
Basic Integration Checklist for an LMS Module:
- Module title and learning outcomes
- Selected OER items and licenses
- Notes on adaptations made
- Completed accessibility checks
- Assessment and grading plan
Sample Migration Note:
{
"title": "Chapter 3: Cell Structure",
"source": "OpenStax: Biology",
"url": "https://openstax.org/details/books/biology",
"license": "CC BY",
"adaptations": "Added 2 local case studies; updated references 2020-2024",
"contact": "[email protected]"
}
For coordinating the versioning of your OER, explore repository strategies detailed in our guide on monorepo vs multi-repo strategies: Monorepo vs Multi-Repo Strategies.
Tools and Formats for Adapting/Remixing OER
Consider these beginner-friendly tools:
- Google Docs/Slides: Easy editing and collaboration.
- LibreOffice/Microsoft Word or PowerPoint: Widely compatible formats.
- Pressbooks: Ideal for authoring OER textbooks.
- H5P: Creates interactive activities that can easily be embedded.
- Audacity/OpenShot: Tools for audio and video editing.
- Git/GitHub: Use for collaboration or version control.
For small edits, Google Docs or Pressbooks may be quicker and more user-friendly than Git.
Legal & Ethical Considerations — Attribution and Compatibility
Mandatory attribution: Include the title, author, source URL, and license with a link. Here are some examples:
- CC BY:
"Intro to Programming" by Jane Doe (2024). Source: https://example.org/intro-to-programming. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). - CC BY-SA:
"Biology Lab Manual" by Open Lab (2022). Source: https://example.org/biology-lab. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
Also, ensure that you respect academic integrity by not misrepresenting others’ works as your own.
Common Challenges, Solutions & Tips
Challenge: Limited OER Availability:
- Solution: Create original modules or invite contributions from peers.
Challenge: Perception of Quality:
- Solution: Pilot OER, collect data on outcomes and share results with colleagues.
Challenge: Technical Issues:
- Solution: Favor web-friendly formats and consult LMS documentation.
Engaging Students with OER: Turn adaptation into a learning experience by encouraging students to create or revise content. For collaborative opportunities, visit Submit a Guest Post Page.
Quick Checklist & Next Steps
Starter Checklist for OER Integration:
- Map learning outcomes
- Find 2 candidate OER resources
- Check licenses and accessibility
- Adapt one chapter and preserve attribution
- Publish in LMS and run student feedback surveys
Pilot Project Ideas:
- Replace a reading with an OpenStax chapter.
- Create an interactive quiz with H5P.
- Remix slides from various OER resources into a cohesive presentation. For more tips, see our Creating Engaging Presentations Guide.
Resources & Further Reading
- UNESCO: Open Educational Resources
- Creative Commons: Licenses and Chooser
- OpenStax: Impact & Adoption
- SPARC: OER Research and Advocacy
You may find these additional internal resources useful:
Conclusion
Are you ready to experiment with OER? Start by piloting a module this term and gather quick feedback from your students. If you develop or adapt resources worth sharing, consider contributing them to the community or submitting a case study via our guest post page. By collaborating, we can enhance educational resources for everyone.
