Open Education Resources (OER)

MY WAKELET BOOKMARKS FOR OER

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A) Share the OER Resource

One of the most accessible and impactful OER platforms is MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW). Since 2001, MIT has made thousands of course materials available online for free, covering engineering, science, humanities, economics, and more. It is considered one of the pioneering initiatives that sparked the global OER movement.

Resource link: MIT OpenCourseWare
B) Share an Additional Subject-Specific OER Site

A strong subject-specific OER site is CK-12 Foundation.

CK-12 offers free K-12 resources, especially in Math and Science, including digital textbooks (called FlexBooks), interactive simulations, and practice problems.

Its goal is to increase access while reducing textbook costs for schools worldwide.

Resource link: CK-12 Foundation

Another subject-specific Canadian example is Carleton University’s CU Open repository, which includes modules on Children’s Rights, R for Biologists, and Physics Education for Non-Science Majors.
C) What is the Risk of Using OER?

While OER expands access and reduces cost barriers, there are notable risks:

1. Quality & Reliability Concerns: Some OER may not undergo rigorous peer review; content can vary in accuracy.

2. Copyright & Licensing Ambiguity: Educators may misunderstand Creative Commons licensing, leading to potential misuse.

3. Equity & Access Issues: Students with poor internet or limited devices may struggle to access digital OER.

4. Language & Cultural Relevance: Most OER are in English, which may limit their usefulness in multilingual classrooms. D) How Might You Engage Students in Self-Directed Learning Using OER?

Students can be engaged in self-directed learning with OER through:

Inquiry Projects: Have students explore repositories like OER Commons or MERLOT to select resources that match their interests.

Curation Activities: Assign learners to build a mini learning pathway by collecting, remixing, and sharing OER on a topic they are passionate about.

Student-Created Resources: Encourage learners to adapt open textbooks or simulations, adding annotations, translations, or new case studies. This not only deepens understanding but contributes back to the global OER community.

Peer Teaching: Students can use open simulations (e.g., PhET Interactive Simulations) to teach classmates a science or math concept, reinforcing both autonomy and collaboration.

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