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Open Educational Resources (OER)

This guide is intended to assist Oakland University faculty in learning about, finding and teaching with OER.

Where to Start

1. Determine the topics for the course you wish to convert
2. Start by searching a few OER search engines - use keywords and sort by type of content desired

3. Review items found using the evaluation guide
4. Review the OER Adoption workflow document

Need more assistance finding content - contact your librarian liaison 

OER Search Engines & Databases

  • LibreText - Library of open textbooks and ancillary materials produced in partnership with U-Cal System and the U.S. Department of Education. 
  • Mason OER Finder - George Mason University's real-time federated search engine for OER materials, searches include public domain library of congress, JSTOR open access, directory of OA books etc.  
  • MERLOT - Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching
  • OER Commons - offers a comprehensive infrastructure for curriculum experts and instructors at all levels to identify high-quality OER and collaborate around their adaptation, evaluation, and use to address the needs of teachers and learners.
  • OASIS -  search tool that aims to make the discovery of open content easier. 
  • OpenResources for STEM - Open Education Consortium (OEC)
  • Open Textbook Library - Index for over 1000 open textbooks, with reviews and additional teaching materials
  • Pressbook Directory - Index of openly published books using Pressbooks network - includes a filter for H5P activities
  • SkillsCommons - Free and OPEN digital library of Workforce Training Materials

Find Open Textbooks & Monographs

  • Affordable Learning Georgia - List of courses and the adopted OER resource for top 100 undergraduate courses
  • BC OpenCampus - Search open textbooks created by BC OpenCampus and partners
  • DOAB - Directory of Open Access Books - all titles are open access with varying reuse liscences
  • LibreText - Library of open textbooks and ancillary materials produced in partnership with U-Cal System and the U.S. Department of Education.
  • OpenALG - Open Learning Georgia - textbooks and ancillary materials  
  • Openstax College: free textbooks are developed and peer-reviewed by educators to ensure they are readable, accurate, and meet the scope and sequence requirements of your course. collaboration with Rice University
  • OpenCulture - over 200 free textbooks pulled from a variety of openedu sites.
  • Open Textbook library - search tool to help instructors find affordable, quality textbook solutions. All textbooks in this library are complete and openly licensed. (created by University of Minnesota with university partners like Purdue, Cleveland State, Oregon State)
  • Open Research Library - Access and download openly published monographs from multiple university presses and other publishers
  • Open SUNY Textbooks - large subject catalog of open textbooks available for adoption and reuse
  • Rebus Community - platform for creating and publishing open textbook

Open Courses & Supplemental Materials

Open Courses, homework systems and supplemental materials (some with $ structure) 

  • Openstax partner Lumen Learning offers a wide array of open content that you can access for free. Their Waymaker and OHM modules are low-cost homework platforms that can be integrated with Moodle.
  • MIT OpenWare - is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world.
  • Study.com - ($) courses and supplemental content fee-based  

*View all Openstax partner companies.