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Open Educational Resources (OER)

Open educational resources are "high-quality teaching, learning, and research materials that are free for people everywhere to use and repurpose" (Hewlett Foundation, 2018). Navigate through this guide to learn more about them.

What are OER?

Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions (via UNESCO).

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of textbooks rose 88% from January 2006 to July 2016. While the Library works to support textbook affordability through our Course Reserves, OERs provide an alternative to expensive textbooks. 

Many thanks to Northeastern Illinois University's Ronald Williams Library for their OER LibGuide content, partially replicated here.

Are Open Educational Resources Effective?

Yes! Take a look at this video showing the positive impact of Open Educational Resources on student success.

Video: Research Shorts. (2016). A review of the effectiveness and perceptions of open educational resources as compared to textbooks [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/SX0K0hb_xKE

Questions?

Please reach out to a librarian with any questions! You can reach us by email at library@lakeforest.edu. Please allow one business day for a response.

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