Open educational resources (OER) are freely accessible, openly licensed documents and media that are useful for teaching, learning, and assessment and research purposes (see ). The development and promotion of open educational resources is often motivated by a desire to curb the commodification of knowledge and provide an alternative or enhanced educational paradigm. OER materials encompass any content that is offered freely and openly to use and adapt for teaching and learning purposes (especially online).
OER Logo
The English-language version of the open educational resources logo.
OER materials encompass a wide variety of content, such as full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, and software. OER also include any educational resources (lesson plans, quizzes, syllabi, instructional modules, simulations, etc.) that are freely available for use, reuse, adaptation, and sharing.
Teachers can use open educational resources to improve lesson plans or to get in touch with other educators who teach similar subjects and use different resources. Websites such as WikiEducator provide a digital community for teachers, educators, and learners to build and expand upon OER.