ESC OER Taskforce/open education resource

OER - Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that are freely available online for everyone to use, whether you are an instructor, student or self-learner. They usually have a Creative Commons License associated with them (remember: just because something is on the web, it does not make it free nor an OER). Examples of OER include: full courses, course modules, syllabi, lectures, homework assignments, quizzes, lab and classroom activities, textbooks, pedagogical materials, games, simulations, and many more resources contained in digital media collections from around the world. (retrieved from: OER Commons)

Open Books (open textbooks) - “Open textbooks are high-quality college texts offered online under a license that allows free digital access and low-cost print options. Students can read the full text free online, download a printable PDF, or purchase a hard copy at a fraction of the cost of traditional books. Also, the "open" license typically gives instructors the flexibility to tailor the text to better fit a course by removing unneeded chapters or adding new material” (retrieved from: The Student Public Interest Research Group blog, Oct. 25, 2011).