Where can you start?
You don't have to go all-OER immediately.
We share ways to get started with OER and participate in the community along with steps to adopt OER in your course.
You choose your own adventure!
Start Small
Deposit in OER
OER collections like Merlot and OER Commons are made of resources created by the community. You can contribute as well! Once you've created and licensed an item, deposit it in one of these collections or choose one of the subject-specific collections listed in this guide.
Use one OER
Try out an Open Educational Resources from one of the many collections out there in your class. It can be an assignment, in-class activity, or any other small component of your overall class. If you like it, keep using it!
Review OER
If you use OER material in your class, consider posting a review to let others know how useful an item is. Many OER collections like Merlot offer the option of peer reviews from the community. If you want to be an official OER reviewer, check out Merlot's GRAPE Camp for official peer reviewers.
If you run a blog or social media site, you can write a post with a review of the material that you have found and used.
Get Involved
Join other educators and leaders to make education and access open! Follow or get involved with the work of KYVL Affordable Learning Committee in Frankfort or check out the list of ways to get involved from Sparc.
Katrina Salley
300 N. Broadway
Lexington, KY 40508-1797
Steps to adopt OER
Step 1: Set aside time.
Searching for these materials takes time and persistence, just like research! We have tried to simplify your start with this guide and your librarians are happy to meet with you one on one to get you started.
Step 2: See if someone else has created a similar, complete OER course or textbook.
See the "Complete Courses" and "Complete Textbooks" sections of the "Find" tab.
Example: Go to the Open Textbook Library and browse their open business texts.
Step 3: Work from your learning objectives.
Instead of focusing on the textbook that you would like to replace, focus on what you would like students to know or be able to do. You will likely need to search for several materials to address different topics or components of your complete class.
Example: instead of searching for “biology” materials, search for “cell structure” or “DNA” or “evolution” materials.
Step 4: Use Google “Advanced Search” to search for other open resources.
Step 5: Search in some of the specific OER repositories and search engines:
See the "Find" tab for a list and the Big List of Resources.
*OER Pro Tip* Use the browsing tools that the repository or search engine presents to you! Don’t rely solely on keyword searching.