Open Educational Resources: the free tool of online learning

Open Educational Resources have paved the way for an educational transformation.

This transformative power stems from the fact that the digitisation of these resources facilitates their free distribution via the Internet. Of course, this change has become ever so prominent thanks to the current Covid-19 situation, in which many people have turned to online resources for their everyday needs.

But first, what is open education?

Open education supports the belief that everyone around the world should have free access to high-quality educational material, facilitated by recent technological advances and online interconnectivity. This concept aims to remove all unnecessary barriers to education and lifelong learning.

What are Open Educational Resources?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFeyCc6we-s

Open Educational Resources (OER), simply put, are various types of educational content and resources that are made available online for everyone, with no copyright fees.

All kinds of online content, published under an open licence (such as Creative Commons), can be used for educational purposes: From online web lectures, textbooks, video, PowerPoint presentations, podcasts, websites, to entire courses online.

OER are licensed in a way that allows use and reuse without having to request permission from the creator. Creative Commons, one of the most widely used open licences, is based on the following 5 key points:

Source: OER, BCcampus (CC 4.0)

So, where do I find OER?

There is no directory that includes all of the rapidly increasing OER. So these are some trusted online tools to get you started with your search.

1. OER search engines: Intended to search specifically for resources of different areas of study. Two of the most popular ones are the Creative Commons Search and the Open Courseware Consortium, which provides courses with university-level educational materials.

2. OER repository: Most repositories are created by organisations and institutions, mainly offering material they have created. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers its own MIT Open Courseware Repository. Other repositories focus on a specific area of study such as MedEd PORTAL, which provides medical content.

3. OER directory sites: Websites that include comprehensive lists of quality resources:

   • OER Commons is a portal which provides a detailed easy-to-navigate database. Users who register with OER Commons have access to a plethora of open educational resources, which they can later evaluate.

   • Other commonly used directories are OER Africa and Commonwealth of Learning.

We hope you be able find the Open Educational Resource that suits you best!