Open Educational Resources (OER) 

by Nicolas Frichot

Open Educational Resources (OER) are materials that can be accessed and used for free (open license). OER can be used by learners, teachers and organizations for teaching, learning and research.

They include a wide range of content such as books, audios, videos, posters, artworks and more, which are designed to be shared, adapted, and distributed without restrictive copyright limitations.

The aim of OER is to make educational materials accessible worldwide for free, encourage collaboration and promote innovation in the education sector.

Benefits: Open Educational Resources (OER) significantly reduce the financial burden on students by providing free access to textbooks and learning materials.

They foster collaboration among educators by enabling content sharing and adaptation, leading to a diverse range of high-quality resources.

OER also facilitate continuous updates and improvements, ensuring content remains relevant and up-to-date in the rapidly evolving educational landscape.

Challenges: Ensuring quality control and accuracy of content is a great concern, as open resources can vary widely in reliability.

Additionally, sustainability of OER initiatives can be hindered by funding constraints and lack of institutional support.

Finally, issues of copyright and licensing complexity might arise when adapting or remixing OER materials.

Personal Reflection: Using OER has really improved my works’ quality. Using templates from Freepik, which inspired my artworks and getting reliable information from Khan Academy really made a difference in my learning experience at the MIE. I strongly recommend to anyone looking to ace their educational game, to make the best possible use of OERs. 

Link to OER resources (high-quality photos, vectors, videos, and mockups) :