Libraries Learning Commons: Open Educational Resources (OER): Adapt OER

Adapt OER

There are three important steps involved with adapting an OER for your class:

1. Find an OER you want to reuse.

eCampusOntario's Open Library is a great place to start if you are looking for textbooks.

There are a number of rubrics available to help you choose an OER, here are a few evaluation tools to consider:

Visit the "Find OER by Subject" section of this guide to find OER specific to your program area.

2. Check the licensing to see if you can alter the OER.

Every OER will outline the permissions granted for its reuse. Frequently, a Creative Commons licence is attached to OER:

It is important to make sure the Creative Commons licence does not have a "No Derivatives (ND)" designation, this means you cannot alter the material. Make sure you provide any attributions that may be required by the licence or creator.

Visit the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Open Educational Resources, especially Appendix Three: Educational Fair Dealing in Canada for information on what could be considered fair when using copyrighted material in OER.

Read Section 4.4 (Remixing CC-Licensed Work) of Creative Commons Certificate for Educators, Academic Librarians and GLAM for helpful information about how to navigate CC licensing and adaptations.

3. Contact your campus library for advice and options on how to move forward with altering the OER.

Your campus library can advise you on how to get started and move through the editing process. We can help connect you with the right contacts, assist you with software, such as Pressbooks, and our Exploratory Digital Media Lab can provide equipment and space so you can create your own content.

More information on creating OER is available in the College Libraries Ontario's OER Faculty Toolkit

Create OER

There are two important steps to get started with creating your own OER:

1. Gather your ideas.

Begin by formulating a plan for the content you would like to develop and what format you will use (online module, textbook, etc.). Investigate what related OER already exists, visit the Find OER by Subject section of this guide or contact your library for help locating resources.

2. Contact your campus library.

Your campus library can advise you on how to get started and move through the creation process. We can help connect you with the right contacts, advise you on Creative Commons licensing, assist you with software, such as Pressbooks, and our Exploratory Digital Media Lab can provide equipment and space so you can create your own content.

More information on creating OER is available in the College Libraries Ontario's OER Faculty Toolkit

Tools for Re-Mixing and Creating OER

The following tools are useful for re-mixing or creating your own OER:

eCampusOntario H5P Studio
Sign up for a free account with your college email address to access the eCampusOntario H5P server to create and reuse learning objects.
eCampusOntario H5P Studio is your one stop shop to create, share, and discover interactive learning objects. This site uses H5P, an open source plugin, to allow content authors to easily create interactive content for their courses or other instructional projects. For more information about H5P, please refer to their website: h5p.org.
The H5P PB Kitchen
Tips and ideas for using H5P in Pressbooks; developed for BC Campus grant awardees, but most resources are available to everyone.
LibreTexts
Access, build and remix open textbooks across multiple disciplines from this open textbook platform.
MERLOT's Open Content Builder
Access templates for creating tailored websites with a variety of designs, including e-portfolio structures, lesson plans, online courses, and others.
Open Author
Open Author provides a place where educators can build and share high-quality open educational resources (OER), such as courses, units, lessons, activities and presentations, to meet teaching and learning needs around the globe.
Pressbooks
Easily create ebooks, typeset PDFs, and webbooks. Choose from professionally designed book themes. One button publishing.
The Rebus Guide to Publishing Open Textbooks (So Far)
The Rebus Guide to Publishing Open Textbooks (So Far) is a living repository of collective knowledge, written to equip all those who want to publish open textbooks with the resources they need. Representing two years of collaboration, innumerable conversations and exchanges, and a wide range of collective knowledge and experience, the Guide is a book-in-progress and will evolve and grow over time.
Softchalk
Create custom lessons by combining your own materials with interactive learning content. The mixture of personalized content, embedded assessment, and interactivity will increase student engagement and improve learning outcomes.
Steps to Submitting Your Material to eCampus' Open Library
Instructions on how to submit your material to eCampusOntario's Open Library
TED-Ed
Build a lesson around any TED-Ed Original, TED Talk or YouTube video.
WikiEducator
The WikiEducator is an evolving community intended for the collaborative:
-planning of education projects linked with the development of free content
-development of free content on Wikieducator for e-learning
-work on building open education resources (OERs) on how to create OERs
-networking on funding proposals developed as free con