Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research materials that are either (a) in the public domain or (b) licensed in a manner that provides everyone with free and perpetual permission to engage in The Five Rs:

• Retain  - the right to make and own copies of the content (e.g.,  download ) ​

• Reuse   - the right to use the content in a wide range of ways (e.g., in a  class , on a  website ) ​

• Revise  - the right to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself (e.g.,  translate ) ​

• Remix  - the right to combine the original or revised content with other  material to create something new (e.g.  textbook ) ​

• Redistribute  - the right to  share  copies of the original content, your  revisions, or your remixes with others

ZTC stands for Zero Textbook Cost and is the state mandated designation for OER, OER and ZTC are often used interchangeably in the CCC system.

OER are valuable for students and faculty because they:

1. Allow for customization of content so that faculty can teach exactly what they want to teach and how  they want to teach it. When faculty have creative control over their learning materials they can tailor those material to their specific student populations, increasing engagement and student buy-in.

2. Remove price barriers, saving students money and making it possible for everyone to have their own copy of required course materials from the first day of class. No more waiting for delayed orders to arrive at the campus bookstore!

3. Can create greater equity and provide a product as good or better than commercial textbooks, as several studies have shown