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Open Educational Resources (OER) and Affordable Course Content (ACC)

Learn about OER and ACC, including how to find, evaluate and create open resources, and how to acquire affordable course materials through the libraries.

Definitions

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

The 5 "R"s of OER

Graphic showing 5 Rs of Open

From University of Ottawa Library. Available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. 

  • Retain:  Download and Save
  • Reuse:  Use as often as needed
  • Revise:  Adapt, modify, translate
  • Remix:  Blend existing content and add your own
  • Redistribute:  Share revisions and remixes

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

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

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:  

OER @ ODU & VIVA

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.

ODU Digital Commons

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:

  • ODU has access to the Open Textbook Library, a curated collection of open textbooks ready for use in the classroom.
  • The VIVA Faculty Textbook Portal is a catalog to assist Virginia public college and university faculty in finding and selecting open and affordable textbooks for their courses in one place.
  • ODU participated in the VIVA Curriculum Driven Acquisitions Program where we were able to purchase 154 e-books for online courses from 2021-22, serving potentially 3,415 students, with a total cost savings of $215,800.
  1. VIVA Open Adopt Grants :  $2,000 grants to adopt a pre-existing open educational resource for a recurring course. 

  2. 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:

  • Content Creation Grants ($5,000-$50,000)
  • Open Pedagogy Grants ($5,000-$10,000)
  • Open Ancillary Grants ($5,000-$30,000)
  • Large Scale Adoption Grants ($4,000-$20,000)

See the List of Grant Recipients. Find OER materials created from the Open Grants in VIVA Open.

  • ODU can use any number of the resources offered by VIVA's Open and Affordable Initiatives including: Knowledge Works Global - Publishing Services that support the creation of open textbooks, open monographs, and other open educational resources. VIVA Contact: Jessica Kirschner, jkirsch4@gmu.edu
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