Background
Open Educational Resources (OER) include e-textbooks, videos, animation, rubrics, simulations, assessments, and any other tools that support teaching and learning. In general, OER are in the public domain, open, free, and may be used and modified. Specific definitions from SETDA, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and UNESCO are highlighted below.
SETDA
OER are “teaching and learning materials licensed in such a way that they are free and may be used, reused, remixed, and otherwise customized to meet specific needs” In other words, OER are teaching, learning, and resource materials, tools, and media that reside in the public domain and may be used and re-purposed freely by educators, students, and self-learner. SETDA
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
OER are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others. Open educational resources include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
UNESCO
Open Educational Resources (OERs) are any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license. The nature of these open materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-share them. OERs range from textbooks to curricula, syllabi, lecture notes, assignments, tests, projects, audio, video and animation. UNESCO
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OER items can range from a single lesson or instructional support material to a complete unit or full-course materials.
They include e-textbooks, videos, rubrics, assessments, and any other tools that support teaching and learning.