Creating OER

Creating open educational resources (OER) is similar to authoring other teaching materials, including textbooks, except that the content is assigned an open license which usually allows for its free use and repurposing by others.

Before you get started

When you create an OER, you could be creating a new resource from scratch or assigning an open license to something you already created. Here are a few things to consider before you get started:

  1. What license will you assign to your OER? Using a Creative Commons license will provide you with the legal framework to share your OER.
  2. How will you make your OER accessible to all students? We recommend Affordable Learning Georgia's OER Accessibility Series and Rubric to assist you in creating an accessible resource.
  3. Where will you create and host your OER? There are sites available from which you can directly upload and share your materials, and there are educational repositories designed specifically to assist with the creation and hosting of OER. Contact us for more information about tools that can help you create and host your OER.
  4. How will you share your OER? Once you've created your OER, you may want to share it across many directories and repositories for maximum visibility.

Source: University of South Carolina Libraries' Create Your Own OER.

Tools to get you started

Video series

  • Video of Making Open Textbooks - introduction

    Making Open Textbooks, a video series

    This clip introduces a video series about publishing open textbooks, with collaboration at the heart of a collective, open process of creation.

    Watch the series

Get help

Need help getting started with OER?

Michele Behr, our scholarly communications and open educational resources librarian, will point you in the right direction, help you figure out what to do next, and answer your questions.

Make an appointment Contact Michele