Open Educational Resources (OER) are ANY type of educational materials (textbooks, videos, lesson plans, and more)in the public domain or introduced with an open license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others.
The nature of these materials means anyone can legally and freely:
copy
use
adapt
re-share
There are various definitions of OER but all have the same licensing components. Educational materials which use a Creative Commons license or which exist in the public domain and are free of copyright restrictions are open educational resources.
OER can encompass a wide range of materials, including:
Textbooks: Digital versions of textbooks that can be freely accessed, downloaded, and customized.
Lesson Plans: Detailed guides for teachers on how to structure units and conduct classes.
Videos: Educational videos that explain concepts or provide instruction along with films and culturally significant videos.
Quizzes and Assessments: Tools for evaluating student understanding.
Interactive Activities: Digital simulations or exercises that allow students to explore concepts in a hands-on way.
Course Materials: Entire courses that are available for anyone to use, including lecture notes, assignments, and readings.
Ancillary Materials: Educational materials that support the textbook, like powerpoint presentations, question banks, etc.
Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC)was defined in SB 1539. Courses that use digital materials that are free of charge to students and may have a low-cost option for print versions. These courses may leverage copyrighted materials that are available to students for free, such as library resource like eBooks, videos, articles, and more.
ZTC can be achieved in many ways including using library resources, faculty created materials, using open educational materials, and more.
How does a course get the ZTC Icon in the Class Schedule?
When a class is labeled as ZTC (Zero Textbook Cost) that means any required textbook can be accessed online for free, or that there isn't a required textbook assigned for the class.
Why OER Matters
Textbook costs are a significant barrier to student success. OER solves this by providing free, customizable materials, which research shows improves retention and success rates. Beyond cost savings, OER promotes equity by making education more accessible to all students, regardless of income or background.
The costs of textbooks can impact students in multiple ways - attempting the course without the materials, taking fewer courses, avoiding courses or dropping a course with high textbook costs.
The 4-minute video below does a great job describing the why and what of OER, feel free to turn on the captions or read through thetranscriptinstead.
Summary of Benefits of OER
Cost-Effective: They eliminate or reduce the cost of educational materials for students, which can make education more accessible.
Customizable: Educators can adapt OER to fit their specific teaching needs, update content to keep it current, and create new resources based on existing ones.
Accessibility: OER can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection, breaking down barriers to education and providing opportunities for learners worldwide.
Collaboration: They encourage collaboration among educators, who can share and improve upon each other’s resources.
Barriers to Adopting OER
Faculty can encounter many barriers when it comes to adopting OER. The most common are concerns over the quality of OER materials, availability of OER materials, and confusion regarding licensing.
The 5 R's of OER
OER are licensed to give users free and perpetual permission to engage in what are known as the 5R activities:
Retain- the right to make, own, and control copies of the content
Reuse- the right to use the content in a wide range of ways
Revise- the right to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself
Remix- the right to combine the original or revised content with other material to create something new
Redistribute- the right to share copies of the original content, your revisions, or your remixes with others
Myth #1: OER materials are inferior to publisher materials
As with the selection of textbooks, the responsibility for determining rigor and quality of OER materials rests with the faculty member. It is true that there are materials touted as OER that lack sufficient rigor. The COOL4Ed pageLinks to an external site.includes OER resources which have been peer reviewed by faculty in at least two of the public systems of higher education in California.
Additionally, the 5Rs of OER allow for faculty to revise and remix content to improve the quality or add missing content.
Myth #2: There aren’t OER materials available for my discipline/courses
While this lack of materials is true in some areas, it is becoming increasingly less of an issue especially as the ASCCC invests in creating ZTC pathways for students. While not all courses may have a dedicated text(s) available, more materials are becoming available every month. The change in the availability of text equivalents and ancillaries over the past few years is staggering in many disciplines. You can find updates for individual disciplines on the ASCCC OER Resources by DisciplineLinks to an external site. page.
Using OER resources has significantly helped our students, in more ways that just cost savings!
ZTC courses have higher success rates and higher enrollment rates on average across the district.
Student Perceptions
In the last survey of SDCCD students, here are some the key findings:
25% aware of the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) filter when using the class search
63% availability of free course materials was either very or extremely important in their decision to enroll
Latina/o/e/x and Black students indicated that OER/ZTC courses are more important factor in enrollment decisions than other groups
73% course materials in their OER or ZTC section were representative
Non-Binary/Gender Non-conforming/Gender Fluid students indicated OER materials were representative of diverse perspectives, cultures, and backgrounds at higher rates than in online classes in general.
District Adoption
The table below shows overall adoption of OER and ZTC across the four campuses
Sections Offering Cost Savings for Students
Fall 2023
Institution
Total Sections Fall 2023
OER
No Textbook Required**
Total sections using no cost resources
Total sections using Low cost
% Total sections using no cost or low cost
City
1,604
40
186
226
7
14.5%
Mesa
2,140
80
212
292
24
14.8%
Miramar
1,096
51
104
155
1
14.2%
Continuing Education
939
890
19
909
0
97%
Credit Colleges
4,840
171
502
673
32
14.6%
District Total
10,619
1,232
1,023
2,255
64
22%
**Free non-OER has been included in the No Textbook Required category
versus ZTC 