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Faculty Open Educational Resources (OER): Home - Finding OER

ASCCC Website: https://asccc-oeri.org/finding-oer-to-use-in-your-courses/ CC BY 4.0

Finding OER to Use in Your Courses

There is a multitude of OER to choose from, ranging from full textbooks and courses, multimedia resources, and primary sources. 

Video: How to Find and Evaluate OER: 

Four easy steps to look for open content:                     

  1. Identify keywords related to your course and its learning outcomes and/or objectives.
  2. Search OER repositories for relevant resources.
  3. Review the resources you’ve located for fit, currency and accessibility.
  4. Reflect on the materials you have located.

Aggregated OER Collections

  • ASCCC OERI Discipline Repository: Resource summaries by Discipline and TMC
  • Cool4ED – California Open Online Library for Education initiative, which aggregates searches across several collections, including SkillsCommons for free workforce development resources.
  • OASIS – Allows search for OER from hundreds of sources. It was developed by SUNY Geneseo’s Milne Library.
  • MERLOT – Provides access to thousands of discipline-specific learning materials contributed by the member community.
  • Open Oregon – Aggregates proprietary and openly licensed materials by course name, institution, and instructor information. 
  • OER Commons – A public library of OER with tools for content authoring & remixing. It also provides collaborative workspaces for creating, curating, and discussing OER.
  • LibreTexts – Comprehensive textbook library allows for curation and creation of Open textbooks and resources 

Open Media Collections

Open Data Collections

  • Data.gov – Comprises U.S. federal data with links to U.S. states, cities and counties with web sites that
  • provide open data.
  • World Bank Open Data – Global development data that is free and openly licensed.   
  • PLOS – Science and medicine research articles with images, figures, tables and graphs, all licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license that allows for adaptations and derivatives.

Open Textbooks                       

  • Open SUNY Textbooks – State University of New York’s collection of faculty authored and peer-reviewed open textbooks.
  • OpenStax Textbooks – AP-level open textbooks spanning multiple subjects that are developed and peer-reviewed by educators.
  • Open Textbook Library (UMN) – A peer-reviewed collection of hundreds of open textbooks spanning multiple subjects. All textbooks are quality reviewed by faculty from a variety of institutions.

Using OER to Build your Course

Free OER Authoring Tools 

  • LibreTexts –  Offers the ability to build, remix and import into an LMS or print on demand 
  • MERLOT’s Content Builder – Access templates for creating tailored websites with a variety of designs, including e-portfolio structures, lesson plans, online courses, and others.
  • OERPub’s Textbook Editor – Create textbooks from scratch using this simple editing tool.
  • OpenAuthor – Bring in and adapt your own resources, as well as resources from its affiliated OER Commons library, to create new or remixed OER.
  • OpenStax Hub – Adapt, remix, and localize OpenStax textbooks.
  • TED-Ed Content Builder Tool – Add TED videos to a lesson builder template, and supplement the video with questions and additional content.
  • Rebus Open Textbook Community – Develop open textbooks with a community of creators. 
  • WikiBooks – Access wiki-based adaptable open textbooks and create new wiki textbooks.

References: 
Abbey Elder OER Starter Kit  

“Finding OER..” by ASCCC OERI is licensed under CC BY 4.0

How do students feel about zero textbook cost (ZTC) textbooks at Diablo Valley College? (3:14)

Diablo Valley College Student Impact video, CC BY ASCCC-OERI (Diablo Valley College)   https://asccc-oeri.org/asccc-oeri-student-impact-videos/

What is OER?

OER Defined

Open Educational Resources are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium - digital or otherwise - that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.

-Hewlett Foundation https://hewlett.org/strategy/open-educational-resources/ 

What is OER? (1:39)

Video: CC BY 4.0 by the Council of Chief State School Officers,  Music: The Zeppelin by Blue Dot Sessions: CC BY NC 4.0

ASCCC Website: CC BY 4.0

Open Educational Resources by Discipline

In order to facilitate faculty consideration of OER and the development of OER/ZTC degree pathways, the ASCCC OERI has worked with the ASCCC OERI Discipline Leads to provide the curated lists of resources that follow.

Resource Summaries by TMC and CSU GE/C-ID. Transfer Model Curricula (TMCs) provide the framework for degrees (Associate Degrees for Transfer) that California Community Colleges (CCCs) can develop that guarantee student admission to the California State University. “C-ID” is the Course Identification Numbering System, consisting of faculty-developed descriptors for courses commonly taught at the CCCs. C-ID is used to describe required courses in TMCs and to establish articulation among the 115 accredited CCCs.

If you are aware of a resource that you would like to see added to this collection, please share it with the OERI using the Suggested ASCCC OERI Resource Form.

Open Educational Resources and Administration of Justice (added 2/28/21; revised 9/19/22)

Open Educational Resources and Anthropology (updated 4/18/23)

Open Educational Resources and Art/Art History (updated 11/9/21; revised 4/27/22; minor update 10/12/22)

Open Educational Resources and Biology (added 10/28/22)

Open Educational Resources and Biotechnology (added 2/28/21; updated 10/27/22)

Open Educational Resources and Business (updated 4/26/22)

Open Educational Resources and Chemistry (added 4/12/21; revised 12/8/22)

Open Educational Resources and CDEV/ECE (Child Development and Early Childhood Education) (updated 12/13/22)

Open Educational Resources and Communication Studies (added 9/27/21; updated 10/19/22)

Open Educational Resources and Computer Science (added 4/20/21; updated 5/11/22)

Open Educational Resources and Counseling/Student Success (added 10/10/23)

Open Educational Resources and Economics (added 5/8/23)

Open Educational Resources and English as a Second Language (updated 11/21/22)

Open Educational Resources – English and Literature (updated 5/9/23)

Open Educational Resources and Ethnic Studies (added 1/24/23)

Open Educational Resources and Geography (added 2/27/22; updated 4/14/22)

Open Educational Resources and Geology (Updated 2/5/23)

Open Educational Resources and Health Education (Added 2/13/23. Updated 5/9/23)

Open Educational Resources and History (updated 10/18/22)

Open Educational Resources and Hospitality Management (added 4/10/21; updated 3/23/23)

Open Educational Resources and ITIS (Information Technology and Information Systems) (added 4/20/21; minor edits 4/2/22)

Open Educational Resources and Journalism (added 1/27/23)

Open Educational Resources and Kinesiology (added 10/28/22)

Open Educational Resources and Library (updated 2/16/23)

Open Educational Resources and Math (updated 11/9/22)

Open Educational Resources and Nutrition (added 2/9/22; under development)

Open Educational Resources and Philosophy (updated 5/8/23)

Open Educational Resources and Physics (added 2/2/21; revised 12/7/21; updated 4/28/22)

Open Educational Resources and Political Science (added 1/24/21; updated 4/11/23)

Open Educational Resources and Psychology (Updated 9/27/23)

Open Educational Resources and Social Justice Studies (Updated 9/27/23)

Open Educational Resources and Sociology (Updated 10/28/22)

Open Educational Resources and Spanish (updated 3/30/23)

This page last updated May 9, 2023.

 

Finding OER to Use in Your Courses

There is a multitude of OER to choose from, ranging from full textbooks and courses, multimedia resources, and primary sources. 

Video: How to Find and Evaluate OER: 

Four easy steps to look for open content:                     

  1. Identify keywords related to your course and its learning outcomes and/or objectives.
  2. Search OER repositories for relevant resources.
  3. Review the resources you’ve located for fit, currency and accessibility.
  4. Reflect on the materials you have located.

Aggregated OER Collections

  • ASCCC OERI Discipline Repository: Resource summaries by Discipline and TMC
  • Cool4ED – California Open Online Library for Education initiative, which aggregates searches across several collections, including SkillsCommons for free workforce development resources.
  • OASIS – Allows search for OER from hundreds of sources. It was developed by SUNY Geneseo’s Milne Library.
  • MERLOT – Provides access to thousands of discipline-specific learning materials contributed by the member community.
  • Open Oregon – Aggregates proprietary and openly licensed materials by course name, institution, and instructor information. 
  • OER Commons – A public library of OER with tools for content authoring & remixing. It also provides collaborative workspaces for creating, curating, and discussing OER.
  • LibreTexts – Comprehensive textbook library allows for curation and creation of Open textbooks and resources 

Open Media Collections

Open Data Collections

  • Data.gov – Comprises U.S. federal data with links to U.S. states, cities and counties with web sites that
  • provide open data.
  • World Bank Open Data – Global development data that is free and openly licensed.   
  • PLOS – Science and medicine research articles with images, figures, tables and graphs, all licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license that allows for adaptations and derivatives.

Open Textbooks                       

  • Open SUNY Textbooks – State University of New York’s collection of faculty authored and peer-reviewed open textbooks.
  • OpenStax Textbooks – AP-level open textbooks spanning multiple subjects that are developed and peer-reviewed by educators.
  • Open Textbook Library (UMN) – A peer-reviewed collection of hundreds of open textbooks spanning multiple subjects. All textbooks are quality reviewed by faculty from a variety of institutions.

Using OER to Build your Course

Free OER Authoring Tools 

  • LibreTexts –  Offers the ability to build, remix and import into an LMS or print on demand 
  • MERLOT’s Content Builder – Access templates for creating tailored websites with a variety of designs, including e-portfolio structures, lesson plans, online courses, and others.
  • OERPub’s Textbook Editor – Create textbooks from scratch using this simple editing tool.
  • OpenAuthor – Bring in and adapt your own resources, as well as resources from its affiliated OER Commons library, to create new or remixed OER.
  • OpenStax Hub – Adapt, remix, and localize OpenStax textbooks.
  • TED-Ed Content Builder Tool – Add TED videos to a lesson builder template, and supplement the video with questions and additional content.
  • Rebus Open Textbook Community – Develop open textbooks with a community of creators. 
  • WikiBooks – Access wiki-based adaptable open textbooks and create new wiki textbooks.

References: 
Abbey Elder OER Starter Kit  

“Finding OER..” by ASCCC OERI is licensed under CC BY 4.0