This teaching tip was prepared by Conestoga’s Library. 

Have you heard about open education resources (OERs) but don’t know where to start? The Library can support you at any step in your OER journey whether you want to know more about OER or are looking to adapt or create your resource. 

How We Help 

The Library can support you in many ways, including: 

• Helping you learn more about OER and the impact they have on teaching and learning 
• Finding relevant resources to support your courses 
• Assessing OER for quality 
• Overall copyright guidance 
• Interpreting and applying open licensing 
• Adopting, adapting, or creating your OER 
• Technical troubleshooting 
• Learning more about eCampusOntario, the Open Library, and Pressbooks 

To Get You Started 

The Library has created the OER Toolkit to help you locate open resources and learn about the impact that OER can have on student success. This toolkit is comprised of 9 guides that provide information and training on a range of OER-related topics, including open licenses, open repositories, H5P development, Pressbooks project management, and more.

The OER Toolkit also provides examples of how faculty have created, adopted, and adapted OER resources for their classes in language studies, business fundamentals, health and life sciences, interdisciplinary studies, and more.  

To Search for OERs for your Courses

Another excellent resource to visit is the eCampusOntario Open Library This extensive library database offers you free and openly licensed

• textbooks,
• videos,
• supplemental materials
• courses
• and more!

The Open Library aims to offer a one-stop shop for you to browse through OERs, whether you’re just looking for an extra reading for a particular content area, or whether your working on course development and want to scan what may be available to support you. All of these resources are ready to be directly incorporated into your courses, no sign up, cost or permission required!

Connect with The Library for More Help 

Meet with your Program Liaison for your specific program area of study. The Library looks forward to supporting you on your OER journey! 

Reference 

College Libraries Ontario. (2020, August 6). OER Toolkit. The Learning Portal. https://tlp-lpa.ca/oer-toolkit/home