Begin searching for your general subject area (e.g. "sociology" or "chemistry") and then narrow down to more specific topics. If you have luck with certain search terms, remember to save them so you can reuse them in future searches.
In some large repositories, you will probably need to experiment with filters to narrow down your search results. There is just so much OER content out there!
Additionally, many OER repositories contain resources for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. If the option is available on the repository you are currently searching, be sure to limit the audience (or "education level" or "users") to undergraduate.
Are you finding high quality results? Are the OER "move-in ready", or will you need to adapt and remix them?
If you are struggling to find quality OER for your subject area, try a different repository or contact a librarian assistance.
In some large repositories, you may need to spend more time fine-tuning your keywords and filtering results to narrow in on content relevant to your needs.
Reminder: always read and understand the licensing information for a resource before using or adapting it for your course.
In some large repositories, you may need to spend more time fine-tuning your keywords and filtering results to narrow in on content relevant to your needs.
Reminder: always read and understand the licensing information for a resource before using or adapting it for your course.
Large search tools like OASIS and Metafinder help you locate OER by performing huge federated searches of multiple repositories all at once. You can find many resources with these search tools, but you may need to spend more time fine-tuning your keywords and filtering results to narrow in on content relevant to your needs.
Reminder: always read and understand the licensing information for a resource before using or adapting it for your course.
Works in the Public Domain are free from any restrictions posed by copyright, patent, or trademark. Usually, this means that the copyright protections on an older work have expired. While not originally published as OER, this content can be freely included into your course materials because they are free from restrictions on use, adaptation, and republishing.
Many Public Domain materials can be found via the library catalog or Google, but you may also want to browse the following repositories:
If you are adapting, remixing, or creating OER content, then you may need to find and incorporate images, video, and other media that are licensed for such use. Visit our Visual Resources research guide for guidance on finding open images and video available online.
Request an OER consultation.Librarians can help identify OER that might meet your needs, and also offer virtual or in-person meetings to discuss options with you.
Whether you have specific goals in mind, or have only just started to explore, we're here to help.
