Open Educational Resources

What are OER?

OER are educational materials (including textbooks, streaming video, test banks, podcasts, modules, and much more) that are openly licensed and freely available for anyone to use. Many are high-quality and peer-reviewed resources that can be modified and repurposed to meet specific course learning objectives and student needs. 

OER are licensed in a manner that provides users with free and perpetual permission to engage in the following activities (known as The 5 R’s of Open): 

• Retain - the right to make, own, and control copies of the content (e.g., download, duplicate, store, and manage) 
• Reuse - the right to use the content in a wide range of ways (e.g., in a class, in a study group, on a website, in a video) 
• Revise - the right to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself (e.g., translate the content into another language) 
• Remix - the right to combine the original or revised content with other material to create something new (e.g., incorporate the content into a mashup) 
• Redistribute - the right to share copies of the original content, your revisions, or your remixes with others (e.g., give a copy of the content to a colleague) 

Why use OER?

The current model of commercial textbooks has become unsustainable and has negative consequences for students. The cost of textbooks has been rising at three times the rate of inflation, making them 200% more expensive than they were 20 years ago. A recent Public Research Interest Group (2021) report on the impact of textbooks highlights how new publishing practices have worsened the issue. Electronic versions of textbooks are often bundled with other content, such as access codes to homework assignments and quizzes that are part of a student’s grade. As well, students may not have perpetual access to an electronic textbook; in some cases, they are purchasing access to the textbook for a limited period of time. Libraries often face challenges in providing reserve copies of textbooks for students, as approximately 76% of requested textbooks cannot be purchased electronically by the library (read the Library Statement on the Use of Commercial Textbooks in Classes to learn more) and the library cannot supply access codes. In a time of increasing food insecurity among students and the rising cost of education, students are choosing to not purchase their textbooks.  

This trend can be seen at the University of Guelph. In a 2016 textbook survey, 57% of students reported that they had chosen to not purchase at least one of their textbooks. This figure has remained consistent over time and in 2023 54% of students reported that they had not purchased at least one textbook. Students report that not having access to the required textbook has a negative affect on their academic goals, and their mental and social wellbeing.  

Switching from commercial textbooks to Open Educational Resources addresses these issues. OER has already had an impact on student savings; eCampus Ontario keeps a running calculation of student savings and estimates that Ontario post-secondary students have saved $18.8 million from OER. In addition to removing the cost barrier, OER will: 

• Ensure students have access to required course materials from the first day of class 
• Allows content to be customized to the unique structure or content of the course 
• Improve accessibility for students with perceptual disabilities 
• Enable equal or improved learning outcomes (Jhangiani et al 2018) 

Still not convinced? Watch this short video from U of G colleagues who have used OER and learn why it matters to them.