Open Education Support

The Iowa State University Library supports educators in identifying, using, customizing, creating, and publishing teaching and learning materials available at no cost to ISU students. OER are free resources that are licensed to allow for revision and reuse. They can be fully self-contained textbooks, videos, quizzes, learning modules, courseware, and more. The use of OER can improve student engagement and success; provide immediate, equitable, and perpetual access to resources; save money for students; and empower educators to maximize flexible, high-quality learning materials in individualized curricula.

OER Support in the Library

Abbey Elder, Open Access & Scholarly Communication Librarian, is available for OER consultations and instruction. Support available includes:

• Financial support via the Miller Open Education Mini-Grant Program
• Assistance locating and evaluating OER
• Access to a publishing platform with robust technical support
• Training, OER presentations, and individualized consultations
• Copyright and licensing assistance

Learn More

• ISU Open Education Website: This website contains information about OER support available on campus, including how to find an open textbook, publish a new OER, and integrate OER into your teaching. 
• ISU Library Guide to OER: This guide contains information about how to find OER, including a list of repositories and curated compilations of resources by discipline. 
• The OER Starter Kit: A handbook created to provide instructors with an introduction to OER. The text is broken into five sections: Getting Started, Copyright, Finding OER, Teaching with OER, and Creating OER.