Open Educational Resources (OERs)

There are multiple ways that you can use OERs thank to open licensing:

• Adoption: Use an existing OER as-is in your course without any alterations.
• Adaptation: Edit an existing OER to meet your course's needs.
• Remix: Create a new OER by combining existing OERs together and release it back to the public with a CC license.
• Creation: Create an entirely new OER and release it back to the public with a CC license.

Note: What you can do with an OER completely depends on the CC license that is attached to the material. The strictest license term is ND: No Derivatives, which means you cannot alter the material at all, not even for distribution in your course. However, the material would still be freely available and able to be downloaded and used repeatedly forever.

All CC licenses include the Attribution (BY) term, which means that to use the OER, you must provide an attribution to the original creator. This does not require any special permission. An attribution is similar to a citation but follows a different structure, called TASL: Title, Author, Source, License.

Example

“Furggelen afterglow” by Lukas Schlagenhauf is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

The image above contains an ideal attribution because it includes the:

• Title: “Furggelen afterglow”
• Author: “Lukas Schlagenhauf“—with a link to their profile page
• Source: “Furggelen afterglow“—with a link to the original photo on Flickr
• License: “CC BY-ND 2.0”—with a link to the license deed

Example from the Creative Commons.

When writing an attribution, if you did not change the work at all, then your attribution can simply follow the TASL structure. If you changed the work in any way, you must indicate so in the attribution. For example, this guide is an adaptation of the Pressbooks Guidelines for the University of Minnesota, so our attribution would be:

Pressbooks Guidelines for the Universities of Wisconsin is adapted from the  Pressbooks Guidelines for the University of Minnesota by the University of Minnesota Libraries, used under CC BY-NC 4.0. Pressbooks Guidelines for the Universities of Wisconsin is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the Universities of Wisconsin.

For more information about writing attributions, please visit the following resources:

• "Recommended practices for attribution" - The Creative Commons
• "ASCCC OERI Attribution Guide" - The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges
• Attribution Builder - OpenWashington

There are a few ways to add an OER to your Canvas course:

1. Link to the OER: Linking is the simplest method.
   • It is recommended to add the link to a Canvas page, rather than to a module, so you can provide context to the link. However, if you will be using the text for multiple weeks, you may want to provide a link in a top module so students can easily access it.
   • Use the Rich Content Editor to create a descriptive link to the OER's location (e.g., a website, an open textbook platform like OpenStax). Describe the reading and explain why the students will be reading it. Example: "For this unit, we'll be using this open textbook on Biology from OpenStax."
   • Ensure that the Canvas page meets digital accessibility requirements by using the built-in Accessibility Checker or UDOIT.
   • Always provide clear and prominent attribution to the original creator.
2. Add the OER as an attachment: Another simple solution, but it requires making the document digitally accessible.
   • It is recommended to add the link to a Canvas page, rather than to a module, so you can provide context to the link. However, if you will be using the text for multiple weeks, you may want to provide a link in a top module so students can easily access it.
   • Ensure that the OER's file is digitally accessible by opening up the file in the appropriate software (i.e., Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat Pro), and use the software's accessibility checker to remediate any errors.
   • Upload the document into a Canvas page. Describe the reading and explain why the students will be reading it. Example: "For this unit, we'll be using this open textbook on Biology from OpenStax."
   • Always provide clear and prominent attribution to the original creator.
3. Copy and paste portions (with caution): You can copy and paste parts of the OER directly into your Canvas page, but only if the ND license allows it and you strictly adhere to the attribution requirements.
   • Crucially, the ND license means the user cannot modify or adapt the content in any way, including making revisions or creating new derivative works.
   • Always provide clear and prominent attribution to the original creator.
   • If the OER is licensed with a CC BY-ND license, it means the user cannot make any changes whatsoever to the original.