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Open Educational Resources (OER)

This guide provides information and resources to help support you learn about OER, find and evaluate existing OER, adopt OER, and create OER projects.

Where to Start

Looking for OERs can be overwhelming! Below are our suggested first 3 steps for getting started in your search for OER.

 

Step 1: Use these tools to gain a broad overview of what exists in the world of OER

 

The Mason OER Metafinder (MOM): This tool searches 22 different collections of open educational resources in real time. Use the search box below to search for an OER in these collections.

MOM iconMason OER Metafinder (MOM)
Advanced Search

OASIS: Developed by SUNY Geneseo's Milne Library, this database contains records for over 300 000 open educational resources. Use the search box below to find an OER.

oasis logo
Advanced Search

 

Step 2: Search these platforms for a more-detailed look at what OER is available

 

MERLOT: Search this peer-reviewed collection of online teaching and learning materials and faculty-developed services contributed and used by an international education community.

 

OER Commons: Search this portal for teaching and learning materials around the world.

 

Step 3: Try taking a look at these Canadian platforms for Open Textbooks and other similar resources

 

Open Education Alberta: This catalog of Albertan open textbooks produced in Pressbooks. Open Education Alberta is a collaborative service provided by post-secondary institution partners throughout Alberta and hosted by the University of Alberta.

 

B.C. Open Collection: a curated selection of course materials developed by educators in B.C. that can be accessed by educators in B.C. and beyond for use in the classroom, in an institutional learning management system, or in other teaching and learning platforms. All the materials are openly licensed, which means they are free to use, customize, and share.

 

eCampusOntario Open Library: A collection of over 600 free and openly- licensed open textbooks and other OER.

 

Atlantic OER: A repository that supports the hosting and creation of open educational resources by educators and students in the Atlantic provinces

 

Step 4: Take a look at these American-based platforms for Open Textbooks and other similar resources

 

Open Textbook Library: A searchable online library of over 900 popular Open Textbooks curated by the University of Minnesota.

 

Pressbooks Directory: This directory provides an index of thousands of books published across Pressbooks networks worldwide. OER published in Open Education Alberta can also be found here.

 

LibreTexts: This online platform hosts Living Libraries featuring open textbooks and other learning objects divided by discipline. LibreTexts can be used for the construction, customization, and dissemination of open educational resources (OER).

 

Another place to look

 

PRISM is UCalgary's institutional repository which manages, preserves, and provides access to the academic work by faculty, students, and research groups at the University of Calgary. Many types of materials can be submitted to PRISM including learning objects and OER, so it's another place you could look for UCalgary-specific OER.


Still looking for more? Keep reading for more searchable OER platforms, as well as ways to search for OERs by discipline or material type. 

Licensing


This guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) unless otherwise noted. Content adapted from work done by BC Campus, Simon Fraser University, University of British ColumbiaGeorge Washington University and more.