Online courses allow learners to connect across locations and time zones. Increase the accessibility of your course by considering Open Educational Resources in place of traditional textbooks, which may be cost-prohibitive or unavailable in some locations.
Open Educational Resources (OERs) are books, creative elements, journals or publishing that are for online consumption and free to use. These materials have copyright conditions that allow instructors to use them for teaching purposes and specify the permissions and limitations for copying, distributing, altering, or attributing them. OERs are almost always peer reviewed by a highly acclaimed institution.
OERs allow instructors to offer support material at a low cost. It can save students money by offering material that they do not have to pay for, such as a required course textbook. These resources unlock new levels of accessibility and affordability. 60% of students have delayed purchasing textbooks until they’ve received their financial aid. With OER costs are cut drastically and increased access is driving improved student learning outcomes.
Instructors can expand beyond traditional teaching methods by making the most of OERs. Customization provides more control over the material to support your course. Additionally, material is easily adaptable, which increases course relevancy by keeping materials up to date.
OERs seek to motivate students to publish their own contributions as well. It allows them to practice their research skills and write for the public. This content moves knowledge from student to student, creating an actively collaborative learning community.
Not all OERs are created equal. There are some limitations and information to keep in mind when using an OER in your online course. Always check links. They may change or become invalid which will provide misinformation or lead your students to a dead end.
Note the publisher of the OER. OERs published by a university or organization have likely undergone an approval process and are generally of quality. If the OER is a website, it may be hard to tell what outside proofreading or editing process it went through. It is wise to always review the content held within an OER before using it. Reviewing the entirety of an OER ensures quality.
Clemson has over 1,000 free resources for education. You can search for a general OER or by subject, format, or utilize the OER librarian. You can gain more information about Clemson’s extensive OERs by visiting the Clemson Library OER site.
Whether taking a face-to-face course online or building a new one from scratch, designing an online course takes time and planning. Join this presentation to learn about which course elements to start with and how to build an effective plan for developing an online course.
Facilitated by Leslie Fuller, Ph.D., Digital Learning Strategist.
Modality: Virtual and synchronous—an Outlook Calendar invite, with the Zoom link, will be sent.
Registration: Planning an Online Course on November 15th .
Join this training to have your questions about Zoom answered. Whether you have a specific question or want a Zoom topic demonstrated, this training opportunity is your time to work with one of our Zoom admins. When registering, choose whether to have a specific topic covered, enter your question, or both.
Facilitated by our Learning Technology Team.
Modality: Virtual and synchronous—an Outlook Calendar invite, with the Zoom link, will be sent.
Registration: Quick Hits: Zoom Webinars/Events on November 30th .
Review our Fall 2023 Events Calendar to see what Online Instruction Development opportunities await!
We have a robust Summer lineup of topics and live training formats to support your use of Canvas and other e-learning tools. Topics cover demonstrations of using Kaltura, presentations on inclusive practices for online education, and workshops to get your Canvas site ready to teach!
All of our live training is recorded. Registrants will automatically receive a link to that day’s video after it has been processed.
Contact James Butler with any questions regarding these sessions.
Clemson Online – Where Tech and Teaching Meet
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