What are Open Educational Resources (OERs)?

OERs are openly licensed educational materials that are freely available to be used and remixed by anyone.  Examples of OERS include: textbooks, lesson plans, syllabi, entire courses, and other supplemental educational materials. The movement towards openness has continued to gain momentum as a result of the increasing costs associated with higher education.

Below is a short list of resources where you can find open textbooks and other OERs.

Open Textbooks

  • Open Textbook Library is a collection of textbooks that have been reviewed by faculty from a variety of colleges and universities. All textbooks are either used at multiple higher-ed institutions, or affiliated with an institution, scholarly society, or professional organization.
  • OpenStax is a nonprofit organization based out of Rice University providing textbooks that have been peer-reviewed by educators.
  • NCBI Bookshelf provides free online access to books and documents in the life sciences and healthcare.
  • OER Commons contains a curated collection of open textbooks and supplementary resources for your classroom.
  • Merlot II is a curated collection of free and open online teaching, learning, and faculty development services.