Public OER Repositories

What are OER repositories?

Definition

Open Educational Resources (OER) repositories are online platforms that host teaching, learning, and research materials that are freely accessible and openly licensed for use, modification, and redistribution. These repositories centralize a wide range of resources—textbooks, lesson plans, multimedia, assessments, and course modules—to support educators and students across topics and disciplines. By emphasizing openness, OER repositories enable users to tailor materials to local contexts and evolving needs.

Types and examples

OER repositories come in several forms, each serving different communities and purposes. Institutional repositories are hosted by universities or colleges and often focus on coursework, syllabi, and lecture notes. National and regional portals aggregate resources aligned to standards and policy goals. Discipline-specific repositories curate materials for particular fields, such as science or humanities, while open textbook platforms host full, adaptable textbooks. Educational platforms exist that combine cataloging with user-contributed resources and collaborative authoring.

• OpenStax – open, peer-reviewed textbooks widely used in higher education.
• OER Commons – a broad portal with search and community features across disciplines.
• MERLOT – a curated repository emphasizing quality indicators and learning objects.
• OpenCourseWare (OCW) – university course materials made available publicly by institutions.
• Discipline-specific repositories – repositories focused on fields like biology, engineering, or language learning.

Licensing basics

Licensing is central to OER, defining how you can reuse, adapt, and share resources. Most OER materials use Creative Commons licenses, which range from permissive (for example, CC BY, which requires attribution) to more restrictive (for example, CC BY-NC-SA, which limits commercial use and requires derivatives to carry the same license). Some items are in the public domain, meaning there are no copyright restrictions. It is essential to check the license terms before reuse, ensure proper attribution, and respect any attribution, modification, or non-commercial requirements that apply.

Why public OER repositories matter

Benefits for students and instructors

Public OER repositories democratize access to high-quality educational materials. Students gain free or low-cost access to essential resources, reducing financial barriers and enabling broader participation. Instructors benefit from ready-made materials that can be adapted to suit local curricula, student demographics, and classroom formats. Open resources also support innovative teaching practices, such as flipping the classroom or pairing materials with interactive activities. When teachers can customize content, learning experiences become more relevant and engaging for diverse learner populations.

Cost savings and accessibility

Cost savings are a direct result of openly licensed resources. Instead of purchasing expensive textbooks or course packs, institutions and students can rely on freely available materials. Accessibility is another core advantage: many OER items are designed with inclusive formats—text-to-speech compatibility, alt text for images, captions for videos, and adjustable font sizes—making content more usable for learners with disabilities. Open formats also facilitate accessibility testing and conversion into alternative formats when needed.

Global impact

OER repositories have a global reach, enabling learners in underserved regions to access quality materials without prohibitive costs or inconsistent connectivity. When resources are openly licensed, educators worldwide can translate, localize, and align them with regional standards, supporting inclusive education on a large scale. This global collaboration accelerates the spread of best practices, reduces duplication of effort, and fosters a shared body of knowledge that transcends borders.

How to search and evaluate OER

Effective search strategies

To locate suitable materials efficiently, use targeted search strategies. Start with discipline-specific repositories and filter results by subject, level, and format. Use license filters to ensure the materials meet your reuse and adaptation needs. Employ metadata such as learning outcomes, alignment with standards, and keywords that reflect your course goals. Consider checking the resource’s revision history and user feedback to gauge usefulness and relevance over time.

• Filter by license: CC BY or CC BY-SA for maximum adaptability.
• Filter by level: ensure materials match your students’ prerequisites and outcomes.
• Check for up-to-date content and ongoing maintenance.

Quality indicators

Assessing quality goes beyond the surface. Look for clear authorship and credentials, explicit learning outcomes, and evidence of alignment with standards. Peer reviews, user ratings, and version histories provide insight into reliability and continuity. Materials that include assessments, rubrics, and teacher notes tend to support coherent course design. When possible, examine sample modules or chapters to judge readability, rigor, and instructional pacing.

Licensing and attribution basics

Licensing dictates how you can reuse and modify resources. Always verify the exact license and its requirements, then plan attribution accordingly. A proper attribution typically includes the creator, title, source, license, and a link to the license. If you adapt a work, indicate the changes and maintain the same license if required by the terms. When in doubt, contact the repository’s help desk or the material’s author for clarification.

How to contribute to OER repositories

Submission guidelines

Submitting resources involves ensuring the item is openly licensed, properly formatted, and accompanied by metadata. Prepare a descriptive title, subject tags, suggested grade level or course, and a brief overview of learning outcomes. Include accessible formats and, when possible, sample activities, assessments, and rubrics. Some repositories require contributor agreements, evidence of authorship, and a license declaration before submission.

Review and curation

Most repositories employ some form of quality review. Submissions may undergo editorial checks for clarity, accuracy, and alignment with standards, followed by technical checks for file integrity and accessibility. Community reviews and ratings can influence the resource’s visibility and credibility. Ongoing curation helps maintain relevance as curricula evolve and new open resources become available.

Community guidelines

Open communities thrive on respectful collaboration. Community guidelines typically cover licensing compliance, attribution practices, version control, and etiquette for feedback. They may also address content safety, inclusivity, and handling of conflicts. Following these norms helps ensure that contributions are usable, maintainable, and beneficial to a broad audience.

Best practices by education level

K-12 resources

For K–12 contexts, prioritize age-appropriate content, alignment with national or state standards, and accessibility. Resources should support differentiated instruction, offer clear learning objectives, and provide teacher guides and assessment ideas. Emphasize materials that facilitate inquiry, collaboration, and critical thinking while respecting students’ diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Higher education resources

In higher education, focus on rigor, alignment with course outcomes, and the potential for adapting content to various disciplines. Open textbooks and modular course materials should integrate with learning management systems, offer instructor notes, and include assessments. The ability to remix and localize resources is especially valuable for course customization and interdisciplinary exploration.

Open pedagogy and assessment

Open pedagogy invites students as co-creators of knowledge. This approach often pairs open resources with assignments that require students to author or revise materials, contribute to a repository, or publish openly. Assessment emphasizes transparency and collaboration, utilizing open rubrics and peer review to enhance learning outcomes. Embracing open pedagogy expands opportunities for reflection, revision, and authentic assessment.

Trusted Source Insight

UNESCO perspective

UNESCO champions Open Educational Resources and open licensing to widen access to education. It emphasizes policy alignment, capacity building, and sharing high-quality resources to support inclusive, quality education globally.

Source: https://www.unesco.org