Open Educational Resources (OER) are low-cost or free teaching, learning, and research resources in the public domain or released with an open license. They include a variety of content and formats from textbooks to simulations to assessment tools.<\/p>\n
Typically, OER can be combined or adapted by the faculty member to suit their teaching needs and methods. In addition to the pedagogical advantages of allowing faculty to assemble the resources they choose to create diverse learning environments for students, OER can also help lower the cost of education for students, thereby increasing access.<\/p>\n
The widespread adoption of OER at an institutional level began in 2016. Most recently, in fall 2021, 956 ZTC\/OER course sections were offered, benefiting more than 17,000 students.<\/p>\n
Watch: OER at Austin Community College (ACC)<\/a><\/p>\n Read: Building Better Learning: Metacognition and Free Technology<\/a><\/p>\n From spring 2017 through fall 2021, faculty who have adopted ZTC\/OER materials for their courses have saved ACC students an estimated $12 million dollars!<\/p>\n OER supports a future where students and faculty have free unfettered access to high-quality educational resources that can be easily adapted to create student-centered classrooms. Using OER can provide tremendous cost savings for students while improving student success and completion rates.<\/p>\n Faculty using OER enjoy great freedom in selecting course materials that they customize to fit the specific needs of their students and the goals of their courses. Since most OER permit adaptation, educators are free to edit, remix, and openly share OER materials.<\/p>\n The development of courses with no textbook costs, often referred to as \u201cZ-Courses\u201d (Zero Textbook-Cost Courses), is one of ACC\u2019s strategic initiatives in an effort to increase access and lower the student debt ratio for graduates. Learn about the General Studies degree<\/span><\/a>\u00a0that can be mapped out to the Z-Degree pathway. Students may\u00a0consult with an advisor<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to map out their Z-Degree pathway in General Studies.<\/p>\n Z-Degree classes use free materials and OER to save students money. Students can take an individual Z-Degree class or make them an essential part of their degree plan.<\/p>\n Full-time and adjunct faculty interested in adopting or adapting OER or developing courses with no textbook costs can get started by:<\/p>\n Want to learn more about OER and find available resources in your discipline? Check out the OER online faculty professional development training: ACC Learn OER<\/a>. Faculty can browse topics or complete module activities and assessment to receive professional development credit and a certificate.<\/p>\n 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n 2016<\/strong><\/p>\nDid you Know?<\/h3>\n
Why Use OER?<\/h3>\n
What are Z-Degree Classes?<\/h3>\n
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Getting Started with OER<\/h3>\n
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Looking for OER created by ACC?<\/b><\/h4>\n
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Training<\/h3>\n
Resources<\/h3>\n
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History<\/h3>\n
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