Finding Open Content

There are many different places which host OER, from institutional repositories to grant-funded websites. Consequently, not all OER are easy to find. In this chapter, we will review some methods you can use to locate OER or other open-access media.

The Search Process

There are four easy steps any author can take when looking for open content:

1. Identify keywords related to your course and its learning objectives.
2. Search OER repositories and aggregators for any relevant resources.
3. Review the resources you’ve located for fit, currency, accessibility, and any other rubric you deem necessary when judging teaching materials.
4. Reflect on the materials you have located.

Search Tips

Start Broad

Searching for OER can be difficult when you’re starting from a narrow perspective. Start with a broad search focused on your discipline for the most results. Once you’ve brought together a large collection of resources, you can limit your results.

OER Search Scenario

Barbara teaches a course on abnormal psychology. She wants to find videos, readings, and case studies related to this topic for her course. Here is an example of a search strategy she can follow by starting broad:

1. Search the Open Textbook Library for “Psychology.” Peruse the Tables of Contents of listed textbooks to find chapters or sections focusing on topics covered in the course.
2. Search OASIS for “abnormal psychology.” Since OASIS searches content on multiple repositories, limiting your search a little more can be useful. These can then be sorted by format, type, or date.
3. Search YouTube for videos on specific topics related to Abnormal Psych. Since YouTube contains many different types of content, being specific is more important on this platform.
4. As a last-ditch effort, do an Advanced Search in Google for “Abnormal Psychology” (we will discuss this more below).

By the end of these searches, Barbara has compiled the following list: Abnormal Psychology OER List [Google Docs]

Pro Tip: Filter by Usage Rights in Google

Google is a familiar resource for many of us, and it is also useful for finding openly licensed content. The Advanced Search feature in Google allows you to filter results by Usage rights. Filtering by usage rights will limit your results to works with certain licenses listed on the webpage, usually Creative Commons licenses. There are a few options to choose from in the Usage Rights list, but we recommend starting with “free to use or share” to retrieve the broadest set of results.^[1]

Remember that when using this method, Google trusts what users tell it about an item’s copyright status. Although a resource may be labelled CC BY or even CC 0, you should trust your instincts if you aren’t sure whether the item you are reviewing is actually under copyright. Ask your supervisor if you are unsure.