Open Educational Resources (OERs)

Anyone can create an OER! It's as simple as following these three steps:

1. Identify a resource you would like to share with the public or create one. Be sure that the material reflects Fair Use and complies with the CC license terms if you used any existing OERs to create the resource.
2. Attach a CC license to the resource. All you need is a statement somewhere in the content (ideally at the front) and/or in the content's metadata that has the following structure, "Title of material by author is licensed by this CC license." Include a link to the license deed. Be sure that the CC license you choose complies with the terms from any existing OERs you used to create the resource (e.g., the ShareAlike term).
3. Upload the resource to an OER repository or institutional repository for the public to access. Making the resource public is a key step to creating an OER.

The following tools are recommended for UW-Superior instructors who would like to create an OER, especially an open textbook:

• Pressbooks: Popular publishing platform. Used to write, adapt, and share textbooks online. Finished OERs are made available in the Pressbooks Directory. UW-Superior has a subscription, and all open textbooks created here will be listed in the Universities of Wisconsin's Open Ed Network catalog.
• Open Author: OER Commons' free authoring tool. Not as robust or polished as Pressbooks. See an example from the Jim Dan Hill Library here. Finished OERs are made available in the OER Commons.
• Microsoft Word: A familiar, free tool available through UW-Superior. Finished OERs must be uploaded into an OER repository, such as the OER Commons or the Open Textbook Library.

One consideration to make when choosing a tool for writing an OER is if you are collaborating with others during the authoring or proofreading process. If you are, Pressbooks and Open Author currently do not have great real-time collaboration, tracking, or commenting tools, so it is best to use Microsoft Word to write your draft and then upload it to the tool to complete your copyediting there.

An example of an open textbook written and published with Pressbooks.

The following OER repositories are great places to upload your OER, and we encourage you to upload it in multiple places to increase the discoverability of your creation:

• OER Commons: A popular OER repository. Submit an OER by creating one with Open Author or submitting a link from a different repository.​

• Open Textbook Library: A great place to upload an original open textbook. Review these submission guidelines before authoring to ensure you meet the requirements.​​

• MERLOT: A repository of teaching materials, including OERs. Submit a link to an OER from a different repository.​

• Minds@UW-Superior: UW-Superior's institutional repository. A great place to host an OER and then link to different repositories. Contact a librarian or the OER Committee to get assistance uploading your material.