Open Educational Resources

Open Educational Resources (OER) let you assign course materials that are free to students and flexible for you.

Adopting OER can reduce student costs, improve access from day one, and give you the freedom to tailor content to your learning outcomes.

Use the steps below to evaluate a resource, align it to your course, and add it to Canvas.

If you’d like hands-on help at any point, the library can assist with discovery, accessibility checks, and attribution.

Use these steps to select, vet, and implement OER that aligns with your learning outcomes and your students’ needs. You’ll move from clarifying goals to shortlisting materials, checking quality and accessibility, integrating in Canvas, adding attributions, and collecting quick feedback.

1. Identify your learning outcomes.

   Map the outcomes you expect students to achieve and note any constraints (course modality, length, reading level, media needs, accessibility requirements, cost targets). This will guide what “good” looks like in an OER.

2. Use the “Best Bets” repositories to shortlist possible OER.

   Search your preferred repositories (see the “Find OER” page) and select 2–3 promising options. Skim the table of contents, sample chapters, and instructor resources (slides, test banks, ancillaries).

3. Evaluate quality and accessibility.

   • Content fit: accuracy, level, currency, examples appropriate for your students.
   • Pedagogy: clarity of learning objectives, practice opportunities, assessment alignment.
   • Accessibility: headings, alt text for images, readable figures/tables, captioned media, sufficient color contrast, math/chemistry readability, keyboard navigability.

   • License clarity: confirm a CC license and whether you may adapt/remix.

     Tip: If two OERs are close, pick the one with the clearer license and better accessibility.

4. Add materials into Canvas.

   Link or embed the OER in modules so access is one click from the week/topic where it’s used. Provide downloadable formats (web, PDF/EPUB, optional print info), add brief usage instructions, and label clearly (e.g., “Free, openly licensed textbook—download to keep”).

5. Attribute properly.

   Add a short attribution near the resource or in the module overview using TASL (Title, Author, Source, License). If you remix or adapt, state what changed (e.g., “Adapted by…”). Keep a small “Attributions” page/list in Canvas if you use multiple OER/media items.

6. Collect student feedback on the resource.

   After the first unit, ask 2–3 micro-questions (time to access, readability on phone/laptop, any barriers). Note any issues (e.g., figures too small, link friction) and update links/formats for the next run. If you switch away from a commercial text, consider noting estimated student cost savings in your syllabus/course intro.

Include a brief OER note in your syllabus to set expectations about no-cost course materials, where to access them, and students’ rights to download and keep them. This transparency reduces first-day confusion and signals that accessible alternatives are available upon request.

Option 1 (Short)
This course uses free or low-cost Open Educational Resources (OER) instead of a traditional textbook. OER are freely available and openly licensed, which means you can download, keep, and reuse them beyond this course.

Option 2 (Adds what OER means & support)
This course uses Open Educational Resources (OER) instead of a traditional textbook. OER are free to students and carry open licenses that allow you to download, keep, and reuse the materials. All required readings and media are linked in Canvas. If you have trouble accessing any item or need an alternate format, please contact me or the library for assistance.