Learn about OER and Affordability efforts at BYU
What are open educational resources (OER) and affordability?
Affordability: This refers to efforts used by educational institutions to reduce or eliminate course materials costs while maintaining the expected high quality of a higher education experience.
Open Educational Resources: “teaching, learning, and research materials that are either (a) in the public domain or (b) licensed in a manner that provides everyone with free and perpetual permission to engage in the 5R activities,” (Creative Commons) that is, retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute (Wiley). Further, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation defines open education as “the myriad of learning resources, teaching practices and education policies that use the flexibility of OER to provide learners with high quality educational experiences.”
Open Educational Resources: “teaching, learning, and research materials that are either (a) in the public domain or (b) licensed in a manner that provides everyone with free and perpetual permission to engage in the 5R activities,” (Creative Commons) that is, retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute (Wiley). Further, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation defines open education as “the myriad of learning resources, teaching practices and education policies that use the flexibility of OER to provide learners with high quality educational experiences.”
News & Highlights
BYU Faculty Highlight
Thom Edlund--OER in Russian Literature
Not only is Thom Edlund a Senior librarian at BYU's Harold B. Lee Library, but he also teaches Russian literature classes. He has found that teaching using Open Educational Materials benefits the students as they are able to explore a greater breadth of literature options.
Recent OER & Affordability News
Higher Ed, Lower Costs
Dr. Royce Kimmons of the Instructional Psychology and Technology department is working hard to help students reduce their course materials costs. His work is reported in the Spring 2024 issue of Y Magazine.