What are OER?

OER | Open Educational Resources

Text: "CC Creative Commons" with attribution symbols. Person, money sign, equals sign, backwards C.

Reading materials used in classes that are freely available to students, educators, and the general public.
The readings are openly licensed (outside of copyright) so that others can adopt or reuse the material for their own purposes.

Open licensing allows for the retention, reuse, revision, remixing, and/or redistribution of published readings.
OERs will contain licensing information that explains what type of changes can be made to the text and what credit you may have to give to the content creator.
- Retain - the right to make, own, and control copies of the content (e.g., download, duplicate, store, and manage)
- Reuse - the right to use the content in settings like classes, study groups, websites, videos, etc.
- Revise - the right to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself (e.g., translate the content into another language)
- Remix - the right to combine the original or revised content with other material to create something new (e.g., incorporate the content into a mashup)
- Redistribute - the right to share copies of the original content, your revisions, or your remixes with others (e.g., give a copy of the content to a friend)
More information about Creating Commons Open Licenses can be found on Creative Commons.

Open textbook with dollar sign, dollar sign has a slash through it

Courses that eliminate conventional textbook costs by using alternative instructional materials and methodologies and recognize that a variety of approaches can be used to bring course costs for students to zero
- Includes college library subscriptions, purchasing access to copyrighted resources, and purchasing print resources
Open Educational Resources (OERs) are the preferred and most sustainable mechanism for eliminating course costs

Community College associate degrees or career technical education certificates earned entirely by completing courses that eliminate conventional textbook costs by using alternative instructional materials and methodologies.
Ensures the ZTC programs and courses are truly zero cost to the students by eliminating hidden costs
ASCCC Resolution