Open Educational Resources

Explainer

Open Educational Resources (OER): Overview and Definition
Here are answers to basic questions about OER, the movement to share free educational resources and learning materials online.
Federal Open-Ed Resources Get Attention in Proposed Ed. Dept. Regulation
Any educational resources created with federal grants would have to be openly licensed under a proposed regulation.
Michele Molnar, October 29, 2015
5 min read
Curriculum Open Ed. Resources Would Get Boost Under Education Department Proposal
A proposed federal regulation would require any content developed with grant funds from the U.S. Department of Education to be openly licensed.
Benjamin Herold, October 29, 2015
5 min read
Curriculum Once Micro-Credentials Are Explained, Teachers Are Willing to Pursue Them, Survey Finds
Despite formidable barriers to adoption, a recent study suggests micro-credentials and digital badges could revamp teachers' professional development.
Leo Doran, October 20, 2015
3 min read
Federal Ed. Department Gets a New 'Open Educational Resources' Guru
Andrew Marcinek will be the first staff member at the agency ever to serve in the role. He will work out of the office of educational technology under its director, Richard Culatta.
Andrew Ujifusa, September 16, 2015
3 min read
Classroom Technology Open Education Resources Get an Adviser at U.S. Ed. Department
Andrew Marcinek will advise state and district officials, content developers, and others on the free, re-usable instructional materials.
Sean Cavanagh, September 15, 2015
3 min read
Cable T. Green from Creative Commons says educators should be skeptical of approaches that rely entirely on computer algorithms.
<b>Cable T. Green</b> from Creative Commons says educators should be skeptical of approaches that rely entirely on computer algorithms.
Classroom Technology Ambitious Initiative Blends Adaptive Tech, Open Ed. Resources
The creation of an online platform by ed-tech company Knewton marks the most aggressive attempt yet to mix adaptive tools with open content.
Benjamin Herold, September 8, 2015
6 min read
Privacy & Security Are Open Education Resources Ready for Adaptive-Learning Technology?
Ed-tech company Knewton launches a new platform that aims to make "open" educational content adaptive and available directly to students and teachers.
Benjamin Herold, August 26, 2015
8 min read
Classroom Technology MOOC Provider Pledges 'Open' License Option
MOOC provider edX says it will take steps to allow its authors to license their content as "open educational resources."
Sean Cavanagh, June 10, 2015
4 min read
Fourth grade teacher Kassie Hibbard leads a math lesson in her classroom at Nelson Elementary School in Bethel school district.
Fourth grade teacher Kassie Hibbard leads a math lesson in her classroom at Nelson Elementary School in Bethel school district.
Ian C. Bates for Education Week
Curriculum Districts Put Open Educational Resources to Work
A pair of K-12 systems in Washington state have devoted a lot of time and money to adopting the digital materials, efforts they believe will pay off.
Sean Cavanagh, June 10, 2015
4 min read
Curriculum Teachers, District Devote Time to Open-Resource Transition
The Bethel, Wash., district expects to save between $500,000 to $800,000 over 10 years by switching from commercial to open resources, which teachers are trying to master.
Sean Cavanagh, June 10, 2015
3 min read
Curriculum District Makes Far-Reaching Change to Open Resources
The Grandview, Wash., school system has made an unusually ambitious move to replace its entire Pre-K-10 math and English/language arts curricula with open resources.
Sean Cavanagh, June 10, 2015
3 min read
Curriculum Multistate Effort Brings 'Open' Content to Broad Audience
The K-12 OER Collaborative is supporting the creation of open educational resources, which can be built upon by educators as well as for-profit and nonprofit entities.
Sean Cavanagh, June 9, 2015
2 min read
Curriculum N.Y. 'Open' Education Effort Draws Users Nationwide
A free online library of instructional materials created in New York state to align with the common-core standards has generated a vast audience.
Sean Cavanagh, June 9, 2015
9 min read
Federal 'Open Educational Resources' Promoted in U.S. Senate Proposal
A move in Congress to promote schools' use of free learning resources could have a major impact on the development of curricula.
6 min read