Essex has recently published a new Code of Practice for sharing Open Educational Resources (OER), marking an exciting step forward in our commitment to excellence in education, and a culture of openness.
Open Educational Resources are teaching and learning materials that have been released under open licences, making them freely available for anyone to access, use, adapt, and share.
The scope is broader than you might think. OER can include course notes, lecture slides, videos, images, animations, multimedia materials, artworks, textbooks, and more. Essentially, any educational material you create could potentially become an OER, contributing to a vast shared pool of knowledge.
The benefits of embracing OER extend far beyond simply sharing your teaching materials online. Creating, sharing, and using OER represents an opportunity to:
The University recognises that not all educational resources can or should be made openly available. Some materials may have ethical, legal, or commercial restrictions that prevent open sharing.
Importantly, there's no obligation to make your educational resources open – this is entirely voluntary.
However, if you're interested in creating OER, there are some important steps to follow:
Creating great content is only half the battle – making it discoverable and accessible is equally important. The University recommends sharing OER through appropriate repositories or public access websites such as The National Teaching Repository, OER Commons, or MERLOT.
Accessibility is also paramount. Any OER you recommend to students must be as accessible as reasonably possible for all users, following University guidance on web accessibility to ensure compliance with government standards.
One of the most exciting aspects of OER is the opportunity to build upon existing resources. You're encouraged to reuse and repurpose OER created by both colleagues at Essex, and educators from around the world. This might include MOOC videos, open textbooks, simulations, 3D models, cultural heritage resources, and more.
When using existing OER, always ensure you comply with licence terms and provide appropriate attribution. This maintains the integrity of the open education movement, while respecting the work of fellow educators.
For more general information, practical tips, and links to further resources on OER, head to the Library’s dedicated Open Educational Resources guide.
If you're interested in creating OER, the first step is reaching out for permission and guidance. Contact Dr Rob Singh and Lucy Johnson to request permission to share an OER. For questions about intellectual property, contact ipadmin@essex.ac.uk, and for general OER information, reach out to ressup@essex.ac.uk.
If you’d like to add some open educational resources to your reading list, take a look at our Open Access Content guide, and our Reading List guide for recommendations of where to start. You can also contact the Reading List Team via libread@essex.ac.uk.
The adoption of this Code of Practice reflects Essex's commitment to being "as open as possible, as closed as necessary". By embracing OER, we're not just sharing knowledge – we're contributing to a global movement that makes quality education more accessible and inclusive.
Whether you start by including some open educational resources on your reading list, by adapting existing resources for your teaching, or by sharing your own innovative materials, every step contributes to our mission of excellence in education and research for the benefit of individuals and communities.