Open Educational Resources (OERs)

What Are Open Educational Resources and Why Should You Care?

Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely available learning materials that can be downloaded, edited, and shared to better serve all students. Resources may include a book or software developed by individuals around the world for educational purposes (K-20 levels). Most are openly licensed and free to use by others.

Three principles of OER:

  • Openness, free availability, customizability
  • Accessible by search methods, or browsing through collections
  • Any individual can develop and post his or her own OERs.

The OER Guide

The Open Educational Resources – A Guide for Understanding, Finding, Creating, and Using Open Educational Resources (OERs) at Montgomery College is a resource for Montgomery College faculty and staff who want to locate or develop open educational resources (OERs).

Did you know that OER can save students money? Yes. OERs are educational materials that are low cost or no cost to the students.

OERs also provide greater flexibility and freedom in customizing course content, increase access to instructional materials, increase student success, and increase student engagement.

View the OER and MC Open Information Sheet.

OER Search Sites and Search Resources

There are many resources to help one search for legitimate open educational resources (OERs). The following list of sources is not exhaustive but it may be useful for someone looking for OERs to try these first. 

  • British Columbia – Open textbooks and other OER-related items.
  • Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources (CCCOER)
  • Open Educational Resources Used in Various Colleges and Universities
  • Listserve Compilation

Other Resources

  1. Getting Started with OERs
  2. Open Content to Create a Culturally Relevant Classroom Resources & Links
  3. OER and the Cornerstones of MC 2025
  4. Open Pedagogy Discussion: Open Educational Resources (OER)
  5. Open Pedagogy – OER
  6. Open Educational Resources (OERs)
  7. MC Open – Students
  8. MC Open – Faculty
  9. Using Open Content to Create Culturally Relevant Classroom Resources & Links
Back To Top