OER Adoption in a Nutshell
- Find open licensed or public domain materials. (Click on the Find tab to the left to search some recommended OER repositories.)
- If licensed, examine the license's requirements for sharing. What notice should be included? What are the guidelines for altering or remixing the work?
- Make the materials available to your students, with the licensing attribution as requested.
That's it!
Public Domain vs. Open License vs. All Rights Reserved
A Note about Fair Use
The fair use doctrine in U.S. law permits the use of copyrighted materials without permission from the copyright owner. It depends on the four factors, guidelines for assessing whether a proposed use is fair. Educational use works in favor of the use being fair because using material for educational purposes is likely to be transformative: it adds new context, insight, or meaning to the material. Materials used for educational purposes are often, though not always, factual in nature, which is deemed a public good.
However, the use being educational does not automatically mean the use is fair. For more on copyright and fair use, see our guide.
Making Materials Available
1. Link online. Many open textbook sites will allow you to link directly to the hosted online version.
2. Post PDF to Sakai. If a PDF is available, you can post it to your course Sakai for students.
3. Ask Lute Locker to stock print edition. For students who prefer a (low-cost) print edition. To use VET scholarship and financial aid funds for books, students must purchase through Lute Locker.