Are you interested in using an OER in your teaching but can’t find one on your topic or discipline? Perhaps you have found an OER you like but it doesn’t quite meet your needs? In these cases, you can adapt an existing OER or create one from scratch.
You don’t need to feel daunted - authoring an OER textbook is a similar experience to authoring any other book or learning resource. The main difference is that you will release the resources under an open license, giving freedom to you and others to adapt and change it in the future. The fact OERs can be tailored and adapted is what makes them such powerful learning tools.
Creating or adapting an OER comes with many benefits for authors, teaching staff and students, including:
- Opportunity to build a resource tailored to your course content and learning outcomes to incorporate learning materials you have already created and used in the classroom.
- Ability to retain creative control throughout each stage of publication. You also retain copyright, rather than a publisher.
- Greater discoverability and opportunities for collaboration; OERs can reach wider audiences than commercially published resources.
- Freedom from the digital access risks associated with commercial eBooks that have restrictive licensing agreements.
- Convenience of being able to update a resource more regularly and far more easily than in commercial publication to ensure your OER reflects the latest disciplinary trends and innovations in your research area.
- Providing your students with a more equitable, affordable, diverse and innovative learning experience.
