What is OER?
Open Educational Resources (OER) are "teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under a license that permits their free use, reuse, modification, and sharing with others." (US Dept of Education, 2017). OER come in many types and formats of resources including:
Textbooks / Courses / Course Materials / Lesson Plans / Videos / Tests / Software / & more
ODU POLICY: Course Materials Adoption Policy (PDF – Links to an external source and may not be accessible) (approved April 25, 2019)
In accordance with the Code of Virginia §23.1-1038, it is the policy of Old Dominion University to encourage efforts to minimize the cost of course materials for students while maintaining the quality of education and academic freedom. In addition, pursuant to §23.1- 1308, Old Dominion University shall implement guidelines for the adoption and use of low-cost and no-cost open educational resources in courses offered at the University.
Video from The Council of Chief State School Officers, CC BY 4.0
From University of Ottawa Library. Available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. 
Creators of OER are free to assign creative commons licenses that let users know how they can use the materials without seeking permission -- ideally the CC-BY license will be used indicating that any of the 5 Rs are permissible. More about Creative Commons & Copyright.
Affordable Course Content (ACC) are materials that are available at varying cost levels to the student, ranging from full cost to no cost. Library Resources, free to students, are useful and available as affordable course content. See the Affordable Course Content via Library Resources section on this guide and/or contact your library liaison to request a library e-book.
Open pedagogy is the practice of engaging with students as creators of information rather than simply consumers of it. It's a form of experiential learning in which students demonstrate understanding through the act of creation. The products of open pedagogy are student created and openly licensed so that they may live outside of the classroom in a way that has an impact on the greater community. Open projects frequently result in the creation of open educational resources (OER). [UTA Libraries]
More about Open Pedagogy:
Open Education Resources (OER) Committee
Established in 2019, an OER Committee is responsible for establishing overall policy and guidelines for implementation and expansion of OER course materials.
Course Materials Adoption Policy (PDF – Links to an external source and may not be accessible)
In accordance with the Code of Virginia §23.1-1038, it is the policy of Old Dominion University to encourage efforts to minimize the cost of course materials for students while maintaining the quality of education and academic freedom. In addition, pursuant to §23.1- 1308, Old Dominion University shall implement guidelines for the adoption and use of low-cost and no-cost open educational resources in courses offered at the University.
The following requirement was added to the Code of Virginia §23.1-1038:
The registrar or another appropriate employee of each public institution of higher education shall identify conspicuously in the online course catalogue or registration system, as soon as practicable after the necessary information becomes available, each course for which the instructor exclusively uses no-cost course materials or low-cost course materials.
The institutional repository at Old Dominion University can host your OER materials.
Virginia Course Materials Survey 2021
ODU participated in a state-wide survey to find out what impact course material costs have on educational equity and what course content materials students find to be most beneficial to their learning? Full results are available on the VIVA website: https://vivalib.org/va/open/survey ODU results are available here: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/libraries_reports/19/ Contact Karen Vaughan kvaughan@odu.edu for more information.
Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA) Offerings:
VIVA Open Adopt Grants : $2,000 grants to adopt a pre-existing open educational resource for a recurring course.
VIVA Open Course Grants : These grants support individuals and teams in adopting, adapting, and creating free and affordable course content. In Fall 2023, they were broadened to include different categories:
See the List of Grant Recipients. Find OER materials created from the Open Grants in VIVA Open.