Open EducationAL Resources (OER)
Open Educational Resources (OER) are learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright that have been released under an open licence, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others (UNESCO Recommendation on OER, 2019).
The University supports and encourages the re-use, re-purposing and adaptation of existing OER for teaching and learning, and also supports and encourages those who wish to create and share their own OER.
Why is the University supportive of OER?
OER are consistent with the University Vision for Education, in that they can contribute to an inclusive digital learning environment that is student-centric and enables all students to engage effectively in their learning
OER provide unrestricted access for students before, during and beyond their time at the University, and for the wider community regardless of their location
Adapting existing OER or creating new OER is an opportunity for teaching staff to showcase their work
By making your resource openly accessible, you provide other educators with a resource that can be readily adapted to their (educational, linguistic) needs, further enhancing your impact
OER lend themselves particularly well to regular updates, and the publication of revised editions
OER can counteract rising textbook costs and expensive and unsustainable commercial business models
The University expresses its support for OER through its OER policy (see the governance documents under ‘intellectual property’) and is reflected in the criteria in the Academic Career Pathways. This site aims to introduce you to the possibilities offered by OER and provide information on the following:
Have an idea for an OER project and looking for collaborators? Recently adopted an open textbook for your course? Created an open resource for others to use? Let us know and we’ll promote it here.