Open Educational Resources
Open Educational Resources (OER)
Open Educational Resources (OER) are educational, instructional, and scholarly materials that are openly accessible and may be freely used, adapted, shared, and reused in accordance with the terms of open licences (in particular, Creative Commons licences).
Benefits of OER for different user groups:
Free access
Full access to learning materials without financial barriers
Flexible schedule
Access to educational materials from any location and at any time
Self-paced learning
Support for individual learning pace and learning styles
Up-to-date materials
Contemporary educational resources adapted to current needs
Multiple formats
Video, text, interactive elements, and simulations.
Alternative perspectives
The opportunity to study content through different approaches and interpretations
Flexible customisation
Adapt educational materials to meet the specific needs of students
Collaboration with colleagues
Share experience and work together on educational projects
Course enrichment
Enhance existing courses with new learning materials
Open culture
Foster an academic community based on the principles of open access and knowledge sharing.
Sharing educational resources
Freely distribute your own educational materials for others to use and adapt
New ideas
A source of inspiration and innovative approaches to teaching and learning
OER are usually distributed under Creative Commons licences. Always check the terms of use (for example, whether adaptation is permitted or attribution is required). For more information, see “Using and Creating OER.”
Choosing OER
When selecting Open Educational Resources, it is important to remember that some materials may be of poor quality and may contain errors, bias, or outdated information. For this reason, OER should be selected carefully to avoid wasting time on questionable content and to maintain the effectiveness of the learning process. Carefully chosen resources improve the quality of teaching and contribute to an open and trustworthy educational environment.
A short checklist for selecting OER:
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Criterion
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Questions to consider
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Quality and relevance
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Does the material meet the learning objectives?
Is it up to date and reviewed, free from errors and bias? Does it come from a reliable source (university, library, or well-known platform)? |
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Licence and access
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Does the licence permit free use, adaptation, and sharing?
Can the material be downloaded, cited, and used for educational purposes? |
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Usability and format
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Is the resource easy to use on different devices (computer, tablet, smartphone)?
Do all interactive elements, media, links, and downloads function properly? Is the structure user-friendly, with clear sections, headings, exercises, and simulations? |
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Comparison and selection
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Have you reviewed several resources and selected the most useful and convenient one?
Does the material suit your preferred learning style (reading, practice, or visual learning)? |
Using OER
At the conceptual level, using Open Educational Resources (OER) is similar to working with your own materials. However, the freedom to use OER is always accompanied by the obligation to comply with the licence terms, most commonly Creative Commons licences.
Key aspects to consider when using OER:
Licence type
Check which type of Creative Commons licence applies (CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-NC, etc.). The licence determines whether the material may be modified, used for commercial purposes, and how attribution should be provided.
Attribution requirements
All Creative Commons licences require users to acknowledge the author, the title of the resource, the source, and the licence itself.
Restrictions on modification
Licences marked ND (No Derivatives) prohibit any modifications to the resource, including translation.
Commercial use
Licences marked NC (Non-Commercial) allow use only for non-commercial purposes (for example, in free educational courses).
Sharing adapted materials
SA (ShareAlike) licences require derivative works to be distributed under the same licence terms as the original.
Important: Not all free resources are OER. Some may only be available temporarily or may not permit copying or adaptation. If no open licence is specified, the material should be assumed to be protected by copyright (just like any other work, including your own).
Creating OER
Creating Open Educational Resources involves much more than writing text or collecting materials. It is the process of designing educational content so that other educators and learners can freely use, adapt, and share it. During development, it is important to consider technical requirements (file formats and platform compatibility), principles of inclusiveness (ensuring accessibility for people with different needs), and selecting a publication venue that guarantees open access and long-term preservation.
Key aspects of OER creation:
- Format and technology. Choose convenient file formats that are compatible with different devices and platforms.
- Inclusiveness. Provide subtitles, alternative text for images, and other accessibility features for users with different needs.
- Publication. Choose platforms where your materials will be openly available and easy to share.
Useful resources for creating OER:
- Portland Community College – Accessibility Guidelines: Guides and templates that help make OER documents and websites accessible and well structured. They include instructions for headings, tables, hyperlinks, images, graphics, colours, and fonts.
- Creating Open Educational Resources (course): A free course for those who want to learn how to create their own OER.
Recommended publication platforms:
GRAASP
An educational platform for creating interactive learning scenarios and supporting collaborative student work.
KNU Institutional Repository
Allows the publication of materials related to the university's educational process and ensures their preservation and long-term accessibility.
Zenodo
An international open-access platform for storing research and educational resources. It assigns DOIs, facilitating citation and dissemination.
NotebookLM: Analysing Open Educational Resources
Working with Open Educational Resources often involves handling large amounts of material. NotebookLM allows users to upload several sources simultaneously and analyse them together by identifying common ideas, comparing approaches, and answering specific questions.
Important: NotebookLM works exclusively with the materials you upload and does not search the internet. Therefore, it does not generate fabricated facts from external sources.
Connecting sources
Compare materials to identify shared ideas, with references to the exact location in the document.
Rapid evaluation
Assess how well the uploaded sources match your topic.
NotebookLM not only helps users understand complex materials but also presents them in a convenient format for further use. It adapts information to your preferred learning style, transforming large amounts of data into structured and understandable content for deeper learning and faster comprehension.
Creating presentations
Automatically organises key ideas from source materials into ready-to-use slide formats.
Audio overview
Enables listening to complex topics through dynamic audio discussions.
Structuring ideas
Visualises the logic of the material and highlights its key concepts.
Study guides
Automatically generates summaries and review questions to reinforce learning.
Additional Resources
DeepL Translator
Professional localisation of foreign-language sources into Ukrainian.
Claude AI
Processing extremely large volumes of text and structuring documents.
Grammarly
A tool for final grammar and style checking.
Academic Integrity and AI
The use of artificial intelligence in education requires a conscious and responsible approach. AI is not a co-author but an assistive tool: it can help, but it cannot do all the work for you. Full responsibility for the final result always rests with the individual.
Transparency
Always indicate which sections or materials were prepared or structured with the assistance of AI tools.
Fact verification
AI can make mistakes. Every statement, quotation, and date should be verified against primary sources or other reliable references.
Independent analysis
Use AI to process information, but ensure that the conclusions and synthesis of ideas are your own.
Citation ethics
Do not present AI-generated text as your own work. Follow proper citation practices, including when working with OER.
Digital Libraries of Open Educational Resources
BC Campus Open Collection
A collection of open textbooks and educational resources provided by BC Campus, a Canadian government-supported institution.
Open Textbook Library
A library of open textbooks across various disciplines maintained by the University of Minnesota.
Open Research Library
An open library of research outputs and academic publications established by the international organisation Knowledge Unlatched.
DOAB (Directory of Open Access Books)
A directory of open-access academic books covering a wide range of fields of knowledge.
OER World Map
An international mapping platform for Open Educational Resources initiatives and projects.
STEM and Multidisciplinary Resources
Multidisciplinary platforms that bring together various fields of science and technology in one place.
PhET Interactive Simulations
Free interactive simulations in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and other sciences developed by the University of Colorado Boulder. Available online and for download.
LabXchange
A platform offering resources in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, data science, global health, and education, developed by Harvard University with support from the Amgen Foundation.
GoLabz
A catalogue of interactive laboratories, simulations, and learning scenarios across STEM disciplines, supported by the European educational project Go-Lab.
Concord Consortium
An educational platform featuring numerous simulations in natural sciences, mathematics, climate science, and genetics, developed by the non-profit research organisation Concord Consortium (USA).
Vision Learning
Peer-reviewed educational modules, a glossary, and mini-courses integrating science, ethics, and education, created by a team of scientists and educators in the United States.
Wolfram Demonstrations Project
Interactive demonstrations and visualisations in mathematics, physics, engineering, and other scientific fields, developed by Wolfram Research, the company known for its Mathematica software.
Natural Sciences
Specialised resources for studying physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. Each resource focuses on a specific discipline.
BioInteractive (HHMI)
Interactive simulations and videos covering genetics, cell biology, ecology, and anatomy, developed by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
Maternity Series
Simulations in maternity care and neonatal nursing for medical students, developed by Centennial College, George Brown College, Toronto Metropolitan University and The Chang School.
Virtual Healthcare Experience
Simulations in maternity care and neonatal nursing for medical students, based on the expertise of leading medical education institutions. The portal was developed through a collaboration between professors from Toronto Metropolitan University, Centennial College and George Brown College.
OpenRN
Virtual clinical scenarios and educational modules for nursing students developed by Chippewa Valley Technical College.
Clinical Anatomy (UBC)
Visual modules and interactive resources in clinical anatomy provided by the University of British Columbia.
Boston University – Physics Simulations
More than 20 interactive simulations in mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and optics developed by Boston University.
Physclips (UNSW)
Multimedia physics resources from the University of New South Wales, including videos, animations, and explanatory materials.
ChemCollective – Virtual Labs
A virtual chemistry laboratory developed by Carnegie Mellon University, featuring experiment simulations, calculations, and interactive exercises.
Open Online Courses and Interdisciplinary Educational Resources
Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platforms and interdisciplinary educational resources covering a broad range of subjects and offering opportunities to earn certificates or simply deepen one’s knowledge.
Khan Academy
Free courses in mathematics, science, programming, history, art, economics, and many other subjects.
OpenLearn
A large collection of free courses covering diverse topics, from the humanities to natural sciences and engineering, developed by The Open University. Includes videos, texts, and interactive exercises.
Coursera
Online courses from more than 350 leading universities and companies worldwide. Many courses are available free of charge.
edX
A platform offering courses from MIT, Harvard and other universities, with free access to most course materials.
FutureLearn
A UK-based online learning platform offering courses from universities and cultural institutions in the United Kingdom and around the world.
Saylor Academy
More than 100 complete college-level and professional-level courses provided by the non-profit Saylor Academy. Subjects include business, information technology, science, and the humanities. Free access is available, with certificates offered upon successful completion.
