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Open Educational Resources (OER) by Subject

Welcome

Welcome to the OER by Subject Research Guide!

This guide is intended to be used as a launch point for investigating Open Educational Resources (OER) in specific subject areas.

Also included here are informational videos and links to tried-and-true resources that support your journey from investigation to implementation of OER materials in your course.

If you are new to the wide world of OER, check out Getting Started with OER for tips, tricks, and best practices.

You might notice that some disciplines are full of resources, while other have a scant few. OERs are constantly being created and published. If you are not finding what you are looking for, check back here soon, or reach out directly to the ZTC Team, OER Librarian, Diana Tedone-Goldstone (tedoned@smccd.edu) and OER/ZTC Coordinator Sarah Harmon (harmons@smccd.edu). We are always happy to assist.

Open Education Resources: An Introduction

Open Educational Resources (OER) are legally free, shareable, customizable ready-to-use content for your classes. Creators and users are free to retain rights, reuse content, remix content, revise content, or redistribute content.

OER materials are released under an open license granting permission for every one to:

  • Retain -- users have the right to make, archive, and own copies of the content
  • Reuse -- content can be reused in its unaltered form
  • Revise -- content can be adapted, adjusted, modified, and altered
  • Remix -- original or revised content can be combined with other content to create something new
  • Redistribute -- copies of the content can be shared with others in its original, revised or remixed form.

OER include digital learning materials such as:

  • open textbooks
  • full courses
  • modules
  • syllabi
  • lectures
  • homework assignments
  • quizzes
  • lab activities
  • games
  • simulations

There are many resources for OER Textbooks and the list is always growing. Check the tabs on the left navigation bar to locate subject specific OER. For information on how to cite or attribute OER, please visit our Citing OER tab.