Open Educational Resources (OER): What is an Open Educational Resource?

Open Educational Resources (OER) are free electronic resources that allow you to crop, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute them.  Adopting open source textbooks saves money for students. This page and the following esources found in this library guide will get you started on establishing OER resources for your course(s) at RCTC. 

Copy and Paste this into your D2L sites:

Copyright Notice to Students

Materials used in connection with this course may be subject to copyright protection.  Retention of the materials for longer than the class term, unauthorized further dissemination of the materials, or use of copyrighted materials in any way other than intended for this class is prohibited by Copyright and Teach Act laws.

Can I show a streaming video to my class using Zoom?  It depends...

You can share your screen as you show a DVD or streaming video from the library (Films on Demand, AVON, Feature Films for Education, Swank) as long as it is to your class of registered students.

What about NetFlix or another personal streaming account?  Likely not.  Here is an opinion from Gary Hunter, MinnState System Director for Intellectual Property:

• Can instructors play a DVD movie on their computer and share their screen with students via Zoom? (Yes, but only if specific conditions are met.)

• Can instructors use their personal streaming service account (Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, etc.) to stream movies through Zoom to students? (No, for most movies.)

• Can instructors use movies purchased online and stored in the Cloud for classroom instruction? (No, for most movies.)

Read these documents for more information:

This site is from Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.

You will find Documents, Forms and Flowcharts to help you navigate Copyright, Fair Use, and the TEACH Act.

 Fair Use Checklist.

You will NOT need this if works are not protected by copyright.

Fair uses do not require permission from the copyright owner.

This checklist helps you determine if you can make a claim of fair use.

Fair Use Analysis.

This is a guide that describes the rights of copyright owners, and outlines the factors that would determine Fair Use.

Defining the "Open" in Open Content and Open Educational Resources:

The terms "open content" and "open educational resources" describe any copyrightable work (traditionally excluding software, which is described by other terms like "open source") that is licensed in a manner that provides users with free and perpetual permission to engage in the 5R activities:

1. Retain - the right to make, own, and control copies of the content (e.g., download, duplicate, store, and manage)
2. Reuse - the right to use the content in a wide range of ways (e.g., in a class, in a study group, on a website, in a video)
3. Revise - the right to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself (e.g., translate the content into another language)
4. Remix - the right to combine the original or revised content with other material to create something new (e.g., incorporate the content into a mashup)
5. Redistribute - the right to share copies of the original content, your revisions, or your remixes with others (e.g., give a copy of the content to a friend)

By making your website accessible, you are ensuring that all of your potential users, including people with disabilities, have a decent user experience and are able to easily access your information.  By implementing accessibility best practices, you are also improving the usability of the site for all users. (Usability.gov) 

GENERAL

• Consistent font, font size (12 or above)
• Compatible format of text, graphics, documents, or media with assistive technology  
• Provide closed captioned recorded audio
• Logical location of resources and materials including text headings and subheadings 
• If possible, provide partial to full presentation notes, slides, and captioned zoom scripts for all audio
• Color or any visual cues are not intended to convey content or meaning exclusively  
• Utilize pdf documents because they are universally accessible 
• Utilize software accessibility review tools for errors and content readability 

IMAGES

• Include descriptive alternative text for images and graphics
• Images that are solely decorative should be noted with alternative text or contain markup that allows them to be ignored by assistive technology.
• Appropriate color contrast of images and text

LINKS

• Descriptive text of where the link is going
• Links do not open in new windows or tabs. If a link must open in a new window or tab, a textual reference is included in the link information (e.g., [NewTab]).
• Descriptive text is preferred rather than generic text such as links for clicking "here" or "more" 

TABLES

• Add column markers and heading tabs 
• Include repeating header rows and first header rows where appropriate 
• Include descriptive alternative text for images and graphics

SEE ALSO THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES SECTION

List modified from The Check in RCTC's D2L FOT Course,   Century College Library Guide to Finding OER Resources,  MSU Library - Michigan OER Accessibility Checklist