Myth 1: OERs are the same as Open Access

Fact: Open Access is a broader concept than OERs. OERs are any resources with a Creative Commons licence that allows the work to be “used, adapted and redistributed so long as attribution is given to the creator” of the work. Open Access refers to the unrestricted online access to scholarly research publications, allowing anyone with an internet connection to access and read the output. Open Access, but not OERs, may have an additional “No Derivatives” condition which restricts adaptations of the work.

Myth 2: OERs are poor quality

Fact: OERs can be produced to the same quality standards as other academic resources. Many OERs are peer-reviewed (e.g. OpenStax textbooks) and aimed at a higher education audience. When deciding whether to use an OER, you should evaluate the resource content and creators, as you would for any teaching material.

Myth 3: Copyright for OERs is complicated

Fact: Open licensing makes OERs easy to freely and legally use because of the clarity of the license conditions. Each OER has a Creative Commons licence that specifies how the resource can be used. See the Degrees of Openness diagram in the Open Resources Library Guide. As well as being zero cost, OERs can be used to mix and match teaching content to student learning outcomes, rather than relying on a single prescribed text.

Myth 4: Our institution does not support OERs

Fact: OERs are the University’s preferred prescribed resource, as described in the Assessment, Teaching and Learning Procedures. The Library can support you to find OERs and map them to the learning outcomes of your unit or program.

Myth 5: All OERs are textbooks

Fact: OERs can include any resources which could be used for educational purposes. In addition to textbooks, OERs also include courses, multimedia, data, and supplementary materials. By definition, OERs have a Creative Commons licence which allow the resource to be adapted when designing learning content for your classes. See the Degrees of Openness diagram in the Open Resources Library Guide for more information.

Myth 6: I am still waiting for relevant OERs to be published for my discipline

Fact: The coverage of OERs differs greatly across disciplines but is continually evolving, including resources with an Australian OER focus. If you see a gap in what you need for your teaching, contact the Library to find out more about creating an OER. This could be an opportunity for a new collaboration and to establish yourself as an advocate of Open Education. It would also mean that you create an OER that meets your teaching needs, possibly with input from your students.