One of the great things about open educational resources (OER) is that they can be textbooks, open courses, auxiliary support materials, and so much more. On this page, we will outline some steps and provide resources to help you find OER that fit the needs of your course. 

Finding Quality Open Educational Resources Video:

In the video above, developed by the University of New England, a faculty member briefly discusses their journey with OER and the assistance that librarians can provide if you have questions regarding OER. 

Search Tips

The steps taken to find OER are similar to the steps that you would, you use to search a library database. 

1. Identify keywords that are related to your course and learning objectives.
2. Search OER repositories using the keywords you identified to find OER material that may be useful to you. We recommend you keep a list of possible materials as you are conducting your search. 
3. Take time to review the OER materials that you found during your search. You know what information your students will need to be successful in your course. Remember that you can modify OER if it has the appropriate license. 
4. Adjust your search and reflect on what you've located. If you've found an OER material that is great, be sure to write a review on the repository site, so other faculty can see your thoughts on the quality of the selected material. 

Like the research process, the steps that you take to find OER is going to be more circular rather than linear. If you have questions or need assistance, you can complete an OER Consultation Form or contact the Open Educational Resources Librarian at libraries.oer@ttu.edu. 

Evaluate OER

It's important to evaluate the OER that you are considering for your course(s). As you are finding materials that you may want to use, look at this faculty checklist to help you determine if the OER that you've found is appropriate and right for you and your students. 

Popular OER Repositories:

• OpenStax: This repository is great for those who are looking for content related to general education courses.  
• Open Textbook Library : This repository includes textbooks for a wide variety of subjects and allows faculty to write extensive reviews. It should be noted that this repository only includes textbooks. 
• OERTX : This is a repository containing open resources from higher education institutions in the state of Texas.
• OER Commons: One of the great things about this repository is that it allows you to narrow your search results by education level and it has a number of K-12 resources. 
• OASIS : Developed by SUNY Geneseo, this is a database that searches multiple OER repositories simultaneously. 
• BCcampus Commons: Developed in British Columbia, this repository provides you with resources beyond the US and shows that open education is a conversation that is happening worldwide.  
• MERLOT: This repository contains not only a wide variety of subject areas, but it also has a variety of material types, such as: articles, courses, textbooks, and presentations. 
• Directory of Open Access Books: While this repository contains a large number of books, most are not able to be modified. 
• MITOpen Courseware : MIT has made some of its courses and the materials used for those course available for use and modification. 
• Mason OER Metafinder: Developed by George Mason University, this OER Metafinder allows you to search multiple repositories simultaneously. 

 

 

Home

Why Adopt OER?

What is an OER?

Find OER

OER and Accessibility

Create an OER

Students

Open Education Week

• 2023
• 2022

Funding Opportunities

• Open Educational Resources Adoption Incentive Grant
• Follett Bookstore and TTU Libraries OER Adoption Initiative