OER-101: Learn the Basics and Benefits of the Open Educational Resource
With the cost of textbooks and tuition on the rise, the necessity of incorporating Open Educational Resources (OERs) into curricula for all ages and all levels of education is undeniable. Do you struggle with finding high-quality OERs on the web or question whether or not certain resources are actually “open?” Would you like to create your own OER but don’t know how to begin or what steps to take?
Maybe you are even asking yourself, “What the heck is an OER?”
If you find yourself mulling over these questions or simply have an interest in learning more about creating and utilizing OERs, self-enroll in Open SUNY’s new Open Course on CourseSites. The course, “Locating, Creating, Licensing, and Utilizing OERs (OER-101),” is free and provides a wealth of information on OERs for both novice OER users and those already familiar with the world of the Open Educational Resource.
What You’ll Discover in OER-101
OER-101 starts with the basics, namely what makes a resource “open” and the benefits of incorporating Open Education into your learning environment, and is split into five modules or “pursuits”:
- What is Open?
- Copyright and Creative Commons
- Locating and Evaluating Open Education Resources
- Creating Open Content
- Open Access (Open Publishing)
Check out the brief trailer created to advertise the course:
Too busy to participate in an online course? Think again.
OER-101 is open and self-paced; how and when you complete the course is completely up to you. You can follow the suggested progression through the course, or you are welcome to progress through the course in any order you wish.
Also, there is no designated time frame in which you complete the course and no course end date, which allows you the utmost freedom to participate at your leisure. As you progress through the course, you will earn badges upon the completion of each course module and you will earn a master badge upon course completion.
Check out Open SUNY’s OER-101 by clicking here (contains information on how to register and participate).
What is the biggest roadblock you have encountered with finding, using, or creating OERs? Post your answer in the comments section below.
That video is hysterical (and I would be lying if I said I have never felt that way before)! The biggest roadblock I encounter when finding and using OERs (or any Learning 2.0 technologies) is the vast amount of them. It is intimidating to approach the world wide web of OERs. Where do you start? I tend to get carried away in the search so my question most of the time is, When do I stop?! I am excited to learn how to better locate, create, and utilize OERs in SUNY’s Open Course. Thank you for sharing, Monica!
Melanie–you’re not the only one that feels a little lost in search of OER! Seems like OER-101 has set out to help navigate through the OER landscape for those of us who could use a few tips. You should also check out two posts we recently published related to finding OER: Fidning OER Using Google Advanced Search and Finding OER using the CC-licensed search filter on media sharing sites. I hope those help, if even a little. If you do take the OER-101 course, let us know what you find. Thanks for commenting.
Thanks, Sarah!
What a great article and so well written!
Bob, thanks for commenting–Monica is in fact a great writer.
If you ever check out the OER-101 course, let us know. We’d love to hear your opinion.