LibGuides: Open Educational Resources (OERs): OER Resources

Where to find OER resources

Data Repositories: a list of repositories and databases containing open data. The list is organized by discipline, many of which are specific to science/technology (for example, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Energy, Environmental Science, Geology, Geosciences, Marine Science, Medicine, and Physics)
Disciplinary Repositories: a list of discipline specific open repositories containing primarily texts instead of data. This list contains 45 disciplines, many of which are science and technology focused.
Open Access Directory: was launched in 2008 and is a collection of lists and information related to open access to science and scholarship. Content is overseen by an editorial board of prominent members of the open access community.
Open Access Publishing Funds: a list of funds given by various institutions in support of authors publishing in open access journals, books and other types of publications.
OER Commons: This site is a great place to browse for resources and establish connections with others interested in OERs.

The Orange Grove-Florida's Open Educational Resource Repository
Link offers access to Open Collections (open courseware, textbooks, videos, etc), Higher Education Resources, K-12 Resources, and Institution Collections (owned and managed by Florida institutions who make resources open to public).
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From "The Scout Report" --...Here, readers can find collections of materials produced by educational institutions in Florida, as well as thousands of other OERs that were "harvested" from institutions around the world. Visitors can elect to search or browse all of the Orange Grove's resources at once, as well as browse resources targeted toward higher education or K-12 students, both of which are organized by academic subjects such as humanities, mathematics, science, and visual and performing arts. In addition to an assortment of OER textbooks, lesson plans, and course curricula, the Orange Grove also contains a collection of approximately 30 printable 3D objects that are either in the public domain or openly licensed. Examples include a model of the near-Earth asteroid 433 Eros, a parametric syringe pump, and even printable parts to build a 3D printer. [JDC]
Mason OER Metafinder
“Search” using the OER Metafinder and a simultaneous search across 21 different sources of open educational materials occurs. Because it is a real-time, federated search, it can take a bit longer than searches of pre-indexed, curated content. Additional results will continue to trickle in as the search continues running and you begin examining your results.~ George Mason Univ

General resources:

Disciplinary repositories: a list of discipline specific open repositories containing primarily texts instead of data. This list contains 45 disciplines, many of which are science and technology focused.

Openstax
OpenStax is a nonprofit educational initiative based at Rice University that offers free (and low cost in print) high-quality, peer-reviewed, openly licensed college textbooks.
Libretexts
Offers an online platform for the construction, customization, and dissemination of open educational resources (OERs). This site offers more than just open textbooks. Links to courses, homework materials, and other supporting content may be found depending on the subject.
Merlot
The Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and On-Line Teaching (MERLOT) is a high quality collection of interactive learning materials, assignments, reviews, and people. Audience ranges from grade school through graduate education and professionals.
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Subjects covered by this database:
Adult Education and Workforce Education
Children's Literature and Literacy Education
Education
Education: Organization, Development, and Change / Training and Development
Health Education
Learning Design and Technology
Science and Math Education
Social Studies and World Languages Education
Open Textbook Library
A collection of textbooks created or used in higher education, arranged by discipline, with reviews from scholars in the field.

Subject Area

Mathematics

Approved Open Access Textbooks from the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM)
A list of textbooks approved for use after evaluation by the AIM Editorial Board. Evaluation criteria requires that "... an open source mathematics textbook must be able to serve as the primary text in a mainstream mathematics course at the undergraduate level in U.S. colleges and universities... Since the minimum length of a traditional course is 10 weeks with 30 hours of class instruction, the books we evaluate must have enough material for that..."~from the AIM website.
Textbook Revolution
Textbook Revolution is a student-run site dedicated to increasing the use of free educational materials by teachers and professors. We want to get these materials into classrooms. On this site you'll find links and reviews of textbooks and select educational resources. Some of the books are PDF files, others are viewable online as e-books, or some are simply web sites containing course or multimedia content.

Edfinity
From the provider: "Edfinity provides ready-to-go homework mapped to dozens of (open access) courses and textbooks." Current subjects: Mathematics (calculus, algebra, statisitics) and physics. Supported by the National Science Foundation among others.
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Drew Physics Dept faculty have successfully piloted this resource in Introductory Physics courses. Used in conjunction with OpenStax text books.
Libretexts
Offers an online platform for the construction, customization, and dissemination of open educational resources (OERs). This site offers more than just open textbooks. Links to courses, homework materials, and other supporting content may be found depending on the subject.
Merlot
The Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and On-Line Teaching (MERLOT) is a high quality collection of interactive learning materials, assignments, reviews, and people. Audience ranges from grade school through graduate education and professionals.
more...less...
Subjects covered by this database:
Adult Education and Workforce Education
Children's Literature and Literacy Education
Education
Education: Organization, Development, and Change / Training and Development
Health Education
Learning Design and Technology
Science and Math Education
Social Studies and World Languages Education

Merlot
The Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and On-Line Teaching (MERLOT) is a high quality collection of interactive learning materials, assignments, reviews, and people. Audience ranges from grade school through graduate education and professionals.
more...less...
Subjects covered by this database:
Adult Education and Workforce Education
Children's Literature and Literacy Education
Education
Education: Organization, Development, and Change / Training and Development
Health Education
Learning Design and Technology
Science and Math Education
Social Studies and World Languages Education

Online Instructional Activities Index
A meta-site for free exercises and activities created for or adapted to online learning. From the University of Illinois/Springfield.
Wisc-Online
A non-profit provider of embeddable learning objects.
TRAILS - ASA Digital Library for Teaching Resources
A searchable list of assignments and online activities. Generally only accessible to members of the American Sociological Association. There is an accompanying video on the ASA site, with helpful sources listed at 42:00.
National Communication Association: Online Course Assignments
A guide to recommended online activities in the fields of Communication and Journalism.
National Council of Teachers of English
Although primarily aimed at secondary education, this contains a number of activities adaptable to the college level.

Research Guides

Open Educational Resources (OERs): OER Resources

Where to find OER resources

General resources:

Under construction

New information will be added as we explore OERs for use at Drew University.