Open Educational Resources

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation defines open educational resources (OER) as "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. OER include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge."

OER Global Logo by Jonathas Mello is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution Unported 3.0 License

To Increase Access to Higher Education

By making sure that each course includes all the course materials and resources that students need, we are putting all students on the same level. Each student has equal access to the same information, ensuring fairness and equality among all students enrolled in the OER course.

To Make Higher Education More Affordable

By eliminating the burden of additional textbook costs for students, the actual cost of taking an OER course is reduced. Often, this is a significant reduction in cost which translates to considerable savings over time.  This can result in much lower student debt, making attaining the Associate Degree easier and more valuable.

To Increase Student Success

By giving all students in an OER course equal access, and removing the burden of additional expenses to those who can least afford them, students have a better chance of being successful in the course, continuing their enrollment, and achieving their academic goals.
Excerpt from the presentation description for The OER Trifecta: Access, Affordability and Student Success presented by Dr. Wm. Preston Davis for WCET, November 21, 2014.

• Students can access OERs online for free or affordable cost, download and keep a digital copy, and print or purchase a low-cost hard copy.
• Educators can curate, tailor, and share OERs to perfectly suit their curriculum, and share their innovations freely.
• Authors can disseminate their work to a worldwide audience while still receiving attribution.
• Institutions can leverage OERs to reduce student out-of-pocket costs.
• Entrepreneurs can build businesses around OER by offering value-added products.

Source: SPARC Open Education Fact Sheet

Learn about SCALE (South Carolina Affordable Learning), South Carolina's statewide "initiative to help reduce the overall cost of higher education for students by promoting the use of quality low-cost and no-cost learning materials."

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