Within the bounds of Creative Commons licensing,Â
there are 5 key points to consider when using OERs:
Content can be reused in its unaltered original format
Copies of content can be retained for personal archives or reference
Content can be modified or altered to suit specific needs
Content can be adapted with other similar content to create something new
Content can be shared with anyone else in its original or altered format
OER Benefits
There are many reasons for using OERs in learning and teaching.
For teaching staff, OERs can supplement and add value to existing curriculum resources.
At the same time, it can reduce the cost of education for students (reducing financial stress by removing textbook purchases).
For students, using OERs can expose students to a wider range of digital learning opportunities in the form of open texts, open images, open courseware, and self-assessment tools. Learners can benefit from:
enhanced quality and flexibility of resources
seeing/applying knowledge in a wider context than their course may otherwise allow (international dimension)
support for learner-centered, self-directed, peer-to-peer and social/informal learning approaches.
OERs provide:
Learning resources with cost-saving, quality and flexibility of access
Enhanced opportunities for self-learning at home
Skills development: digital literacy skills for searching, reusing, recreating, disseminating, branding, networking,...OERs to learning community.