Using OER in Courses
This document was prepared for the Crown Center for Teaching.
Accessibility Toolkit
Concepts and best practices for creating a truly open and accessible OER.
Sample Syllabus Language
If you are using OER in your courses, use this sample syllabus language to help explain the benefits (feel free to modify this statement as needed):
"in an effort to provide students with equitable access to quality learning materials, and to keep your course materials costs to a minimum, this course uses Open Educational Resources (OER). These are high-quality, openly licensed educational materials available at no cost to you. The OER materials are licensed under a Creative Commons [insert appropriate CCBY license] which means you are free to use, reuse, modify, and share with attribution [adjust this last part as appropriate according to license on the materials]. The course materials were created and/or assembled by [Insert Name Here] and funded by the Colorado College Open Education Curriculum Development Grant."
Teaching With OER
OER Starter Kit by Publication Date: 2021This starter kit has been created to provide instructors with an introduction to the use and creation of open educational resources (OER). The text is broken into five sections: Getting Started, Copyright, Finding OER, Teaching with OER, and Creating OER. Although some chapters contain more advanced content, the starter kit is primarily intended for users who are entirely new to Open Education.
Faculty OER Toolkit by ISBN: 978-1-77420-044-5Publication Date: 2047The Faculty OER Toolkit is an information resource about and guide to adapting and adopting Open Educational Resources. Included are definitions and examples, information about Creative Commons licensing, and tips on how to adapt and/or adopt OER for classroom use.
A Guide to Making Open Textbooks With Students by Publication Date: 2017A handbook for faculty interested in practicing open pedagogy by involving students in the making of open textbooks, ancillary materials, or other Open Educational Resources. This is a first edition, compiled by Rebus Community, and we welcome feedback and ideas to expand the text.
Marking Open and Affordable Courses: Best Practices and Case Studies by Marking Open and Affordable Courses is a collaboratively authored guide for institutions navigating the uncharted waters of tagging course material as open educational resources (OER) or under a “low cost” threshold by summarizing relevant state legislation, providing tips for working with stakeholders, and analyzing technological and process considerations.
- A Conceptual Framework for Non-Disposable Assignments: Inspiring Implementation, Innovation, and ResearchIn this report, we briefly review supporting rationale and guides for the implementation and innovative applications of these utilities of open pedagogical practice. Further, we provide a framework for conceptualizing NDAs wherein the openness of assignments can be viewed to influence others across three key dimensions: time, space, and impact/value, or “gravity.” This model is further exemplified through a succinct review of representative NDAs applied at our own institution.