9 Adopting OER

One of the easiest ways to kick-start your involvement with OER in the classroom is to adopt an OER for use in your course. There are a multitude of free and adaptable OER to choose from – including full textbooks and courses, multi-media resources, and primary sources. While these can be found through a search of popular search engines like Google, it is more effective to search and discover them through dedicated OER repositories or libraries. Below, is a sampling of such repositories and libraries. (A more detailed list can be found on ncLibraries’ OER Subject Guide). As you search using the tools below, consider using specific topics or learning outcomes as keywords, rather than the course name itself.

Aggregated OER Collections

• OASIS – Allows search for OER from hundreds of sources. Developed by SUNY Geneseo’s Milne Library.
• MERLOT – Provides access to thousands of discipline-specific learning materials contributed by the member community.
• Open Oregon – Aggregates proprietary and openly licensed materials by course name, institution, and instructor information.
• OER Commons – A public library of OER with tools for content authoring & remixing. Also provides collaborative workspaces for creating, curating, and discussing OER. See the California Community College OER Hub on OER Commons as a space for sharing local resources.

Open Textbooks

• eCampusOntario Open Library Portal – Curated collection of post-secondary education textbooks, many of which have been reviewed and vetted by educators across Canada.
• BC Campus OpenEd Textbooks –  A  growing collection of open textbooks (includes Canadian content) in a variety of  different subject areas.
• LibreTexts – Open textbooks across multiple disciplines created by faculty from institutions spanning the U.S.
• OpenStax Textbooks – AP-level open textbooks spanning multiple subjects that are developed and peer-reviewed by educators.
• Open Textbook Library – AP-level open textbooks spanning multiple subjects that are developed and peer-reviewed by educators.

Open Media Collections

• Creative Commons Image Search – Openly licensed still images, music, and videos across several repositories, including YouTube, Google, SoundCloud, and more.
• Wikimedia Commons –  A repository of media files, contributed by the public, most of which are openly licensed.
• Library of Congress – Peer-reviewed collection of hundreds of open textbooks spanning multiple subjects. All textbooks are quality reviewed by faculty from a variety of institutions.

Open Data Collections

• Open Government –  The Government of Canada’s open repository for data and digital information.
• Ontario Data Catalogue –  Over a thousand datasets maintained by the Ontario Government.
• World Bank Open Data – Global development data that is free and openly licensed.