Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely available teaching and learning materials, such as open textbooks, modules, or homework materials. They are free for students to access and for instructors to modify. They allow instructors to easily pick and choose parts of resources to use based on their course’s needs. They are licensed to be shared, used, and modified, as long as proper credit is given.
There are both pragmatic and principled benefits of OER, including lowering the costs of higher education for our students, increasing the accessibility to higher education, increasing the visibility of work, and allowing coursework to be tailored to the CMU curriculum.
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Download OERs and keep them on your device(s). | |
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Use existing OER content as is as often as you need. | |
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Make small or large-scale changes to suit your needs. | |
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Combine or blend existing materials to add your own touches. | |
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Share your version with the community based on licensing as outlined by original materials. |
Infographic designed by SUNY OER Services
At many institutions, Zero Textbook Cost Resources (ZTC) refers to materials that students do not directly purchase - this can include OER, as well as materials students have access to through the Library's and institution's subscriptions. While ZTC materials are not "true OER" as they are not openly licensed materials or free materials, ZTC can still make a big impact in lowering costs to students. These materials costs are often part of campus fees or tuition costs, and can allow students to plan ahead for budgeting or get financial aid support.
