Open Educational Resources

Open Educational Resources-

Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely accessible, openly licensed materials that can be used for teaching, learning, and research. Here’s a list of platforms and repositories where you can find high-quality OER:

1. OER Commons

• Description: A comprehensive digital library of open educational resources, providing access to a wide range of materials, including lesson plans, activities, and full courses.

• Website: OER Commons

2. OpenStax

• Description: Offers high-quality, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks and educational resources for free, covering a range of subjects including mathematics, science, and humanities.

• Website: OpenStax

3. MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW)

• Description: Provides free access to course materials from a wide range of MIT courses, including lecture notes, assignments, and exams.

• Website: MIT OpenCourseWare

4. Coursera (Free Courses)

• Description: Offers online courses from top universities and institutions, including free versions of many courses with options to purchase certificates.

• Website: Coursera

5. Khan Academy

• Description: A non-profit educational platform offering free instructional videos, practice exercises, and personalized learning dashboards across various subjects.

• Website: Khan Academy

6. Saylor Academy

• Description: Provides free online courses and certificates in various subjects, designed to be equivalent to traditional college courses.

• Website: Saylor Academy

7. OpenLearn

• Description: The Open University’s platform offering free online courses, interactive content, and educational resources across a wide range of topics.

• Website: OpenLearn  

8. UNESCO OER Platform

• Description: A global platform promoting and facilitating the use of open educational resources, providing a searchable database of OER.

• Website: UNESCO OER Platform

9. Creative Commons

• Description: Provides a variety of resources, including educational materials, that are openly licensed and freely accessible for use and adaptation.

• Website: Creative Commons

10. Project Gutenberg

• Description: Although primarily known for its collection of public domain books, it also offers educational texts and historical documents.

• Website: Project Gutenberg

11. EDX (Free Courses)

• Description: Offers online courses from universities and institutions around the world, including free versions of many courses with optional paid certificates.

• Website: EDX

12. Academic Earth

• Description: Provides free online courses and lectures from leading universities and institutions on a wide range of subjects.

• Website: Academic Earth

13. Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative

• Description: Offers free online courses and learning materials that are designed to improve learning and teaching effectiveness.

• Website: Open Learning Initiative 

14. Open Textbook Library

• Description: A repository of open textbooks that are freely accessible and openly licensed, providing a wide range of subjects.

• Website: Open Textbook Library 

15. LibreTexts

• Description: Provides a growing library of open-access textbooks and educational materials, especially focused on STEM subjects.

• Website: LibreTexts

These resources offer a wealth of educational materials at no cost, supporting learners and educators in accessing high-quality content across various fields of study.

There are many freely accessible, openly licensed documents and media which are very useful for teaching, learning, assessment as well as for research purposes. 

Certainly! Here's a list of freely accessible, openly licensed documents and media that are useful for teaching, learning, assessment, and research purposes:

1. Open Educational Resources (OER)

• OER Commons: A comprehensive digital library offering a wide range of educational materials, including lesson plans, activities, and full courses.

  • Website: OER Commons

• OpenStax: Provides high-quality, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks and educational resources for free.

  • Website: OpenStax

2. Free Course Materials

• MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW): Offers free access to course materials from a wide range of MIT courses, including lecture notes, assignments, and exams.

  • Website: MIT OpenCourseWare

• Khan Academy: Provides free instructional videos, practice exercises, and personalized learning dashboards across various subjects.

  • Website: Khan Academy

3. Free Textbooks and Academic Resources

• Project Gutenberg: A large collection of public domain books, including classic literature and historical texts.

  • Website: Project Gutenberg

• LibreTexts: Offers a growing library of open-access textbooks and educational materials, especially in STEM subjects.

  • Website: LibreTexts

4. Online Courses and Lectures

• Coursera (Free Courses): Provides online courses from top universities and institutions, with free versions available for many courses.

  • Website: Coursera

• EDX (Free Courses): Offers online courses from universities and institutions around the world, with free versions and optional paid certificates.

  • Website: EDX

5. Educational Media and Research

• Internet Archive: A digital library offering millions of free books, movies, music, and historical documents, including public domain works.

  • Website: Internet Archive

• Creative Commons: Provides a variety of openly licensed educational materials that can be freely accessed, used, and adapted.

  • Website: Creative Commons

6. Specialized Repositories

• UNESCO OER Platform: Promotes and facilitates the use of open educational resources with a searchable database of OER.

  • Website: UNESCO OER Platform

• Open Textbook Library: Offers a repository of open textbooks that are freely accessible and openly licensed.

  • Website: Open Textbook Library 

7. Historical and Research Documents

• HathiTrust Digital Library: Provides access to a large collection of digitized books and other content from research libraries.

  • Website: HathiTrust

• Library of Congress Digital Collections: Offers free access to a variety of digitized books, manuscripts, and historical documents.

  • Website: Library of Congress 

These resources offer a wealth of educational materials and research documents that are freely accessible and openly licensed, supporting various academic and research needs.

Some of these are presented here for the ready reference. Click on the logo to go the respective page.