Open Educational Resources (OER) provide abundant free teaching materials

Open Educational Resources (OER) can refer to free textbooks, which are usually in ebook or PDF form, and other learning objects and resources. Here are two recent articles that provide a nice introduction to the topic:

• Morris, “Contemplating open educational resources”
• McKenzie, “Alternative textbook providers on the rise”

The following list provides links to providers of free or less expensive textbooks and other learning materials. Most of these would be in digital format, but some provide the option to purchase a print copy. OpenStax, which provides 40 OER textbooks, is the most popular and best-known resource. Worldwide, more than 3 million students are using their textbooks, providing an annual savings of more than $200 million.

• Openstax
• Open Textbook Library
• Lumen Learning
• College Open Textbooks
• FlatWorld
• WikiBooks
• Saylor Academy Open Textbooks
• Milne Open Textbooks
• GALILEO Open Learning Materials

Many of those textbooks also include instructor helps, such as PowerPoint slides, answers to textbook questions, test questions, etc. For those interested in free teaching materials to use in the classroom, check out these repositories:

• MERLOT
• OER Commons
• Wikimedia Commons
• MIT OpenCourseWare
• Open Culture
• Open Learning Initiative
• HippoCampus.org
• SmartHistory
• NOBA (resources in psychology only)

An Internet search can also turn up materials. Follow these steps:

1. Do a search in Google on the topic you’re trying to hunt down.
2. In the results page, choose Settings / Advanced search.
3. Scroll down to “usage rights” and pick one of the “free to use” options, depending on your needs.

The U.S. government also provides many free teaching resources.