Open Education Resources (OER): Finding OER

Where to start your search for OER

For an initial search of any OER content, we recommend you start with Mason OER Metafinder (MOM) which has broad, real-time search capabilities. It will enable simultaneous searches across 21 different sources of open educational materials, including well-known OER repositories such as OER Commons, MERLOT, and OpenStax, and also sites such as HathiTrust, DPLA, Internet Archive and NYPL Digital Collections.

For an initial search of OER textbooks, we recommend starting with the top five major textbook platforms: MERLOT, Open Textbook Library, OpenStax, OASIS, and BC Open Textbook Project.

Finding OER

The website Creative Commons Search offers a convenient way to search for content provided by independent organisations. You can limit to the type of resource you are searching for example YouTube or Google Images. Be aware that the results displayed may not always be under a CC license. You should always verify the CC license before using the content.

Image and Video Resources

The video below shows how to find creative commons videos on YouTube.

Finding and reusing OER

1. Need for a resource
   Decide what you need and the format required.  It could be an image, video, interactive, textbook, lecture slides, lesson plans or an assessment activity.
2. Search
   Use the different Creative Commons search tools and resources to find what you need.  Check the CC license to see how you can use the resource.
3. Adapt
   If the CC license permits, edit the resource to suit your particular needs. 
4. Reuse
   Use the resource in your learning materials.  Don't forget to add attribution.
5. Share
   Share the resource with others.  Include the resource on OER repositories.