What is OER?
Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse at no cost, and without needing to ask permission. Unlike copyrighted resources, OER have been authored or created by an individual or organization that chooses to retain few, if any, ownership rights.
In some cases, you can download a resource and share it with colleagues and students. In other cases, you may be able to download a resource, edit it, and then repost it as a remixed work. How do you know your options? OERs often have a Creative Commons license or other permissions to let you know how the material may be used, reused, adapted, and shared. (source: OER Commons)
Open License, Open Possibilities
The benefits of OER impact users at all stages whether you are a creator, instructor, or learner.
Benefits to Students
- Most OER are free to access and share, reducing textbook costs to students. Since OER initiatives at WSU began in 2021 there has been an estimated $1,754,760 in cost savings to 16,712 students (as of Spring 2024).
- OER tailored to a course can provide higher levels of engagement and comprehension.
- The open nature of OER can be incorporated into assignments, allowing students to publish and share their creations with the world.
- OER are often available digitally with fewer restrictions, meaning students retain access to materials after graduation.
Benefits to Instructors
OER provides freedom in developing your course and your materials:
- Combine and organize sections from multiple open resources into a single resource.
- Update open resources with new content or readings to keep your content current.
- Create open content to match nuances of your subject and teaching style.
Learn more
The Course Materials Affordability Award recognizes the efforts of instructors at Weber State University who utilize affordable course materials, such as Open Educational Resources (OER) or library resources, in their courses.
Nominations open at the start of each Spring semester and recipients are recognized during the annual Thrive Symposium. Visit our Affordability Award page for information about the nomination process and past recipients.
The library offers a short, self-paced course about OER, available to WSU faculty, adjuncts, and staff. This 5-unit course covers OER overview, licensing and copyright, searching strategies, adapting and creating resources, and Open Educational Practices (OEP).
OER Grants at WSU are available to faculty, adjunct, and staff providing an opportunity to revise their course to utilize OER. Applications open in October and will be selected before the end of each fall semester. Visit our OER Grants page to learn more about grant applications and past grant projects.
If you are using an OER or library ebook we ask that you submit your resource to the bookstore for textbook adoptions by March 1 (summer and fall) and October 1 (spring). Submitting your resource on time helps the university meet reporting requirements and track use impact on campus.
Use this short tutorial to learn the differences in submitting OER to the bookstore. For help with OER-related aspects, please email us at oer@weber.edu. Other textbook questions should be directed to textbookordering@weber.edu.