Open Education Handbook/OER Resources and Handbooks

A vast amount of introductory material has already been created relating to OERs. These provide both introduction and practical examples of OER programmes and of OER creation and use.


 * OER handbook for educators. Great handbook created in 2010, so a little out of date. Created by the Center for Open and Sustainable Learning (COSL) and hosted on WikiEducator (cc-by)
 * Introduction to OERs on Wikibooks. Wikimedia project (cc-by-sa)
 * CETIS publication Into The Wild by By Amber Thomas, Lorna M. Campbell, Phil Barker and Martin Hawksey (Eds). December 2012. This book is not intended as a beginners guide or a technical manual, instead it is an expert synthesis of the key technical issues arising from a national publicly-funded programme. It is intended for people working with technology to support the creation, management, dissemination and tracking of open educational resources, and particularly those who design digital infrastructure and services at institutional and national level.(cc-by)
 * InfoKit on OER. This infokit includes information about the three year UK Open Educational Resources Programme (UKOER) (2009 - 2012) and offers links to a wide range of resources which describe the outcomes (lessons learned) and outputs (reports, guidance materials and toolkits) that emerged.(cc-by-sa)
 * OER IPR Support/Web2Rights. This website was set up to provide IPR and licensing support for JISC/HEA funded OER Phase 1, 2 and 3 projects in order to help them identify and manage IPR issues with particular emphasis on the use of Creative Commons Licences. It includes a starter pack, diagnostic tools and a range of videos.
 * UKOER synthesis and evaluation report. This site is the JISC/HE Academy OER Programme synthesis wiki. Lots of useful resources. (cc-by-nc)
 * Creating OER and Combining Licenses. Video intended to help you choose compatible resources and choose a valid license for your work. (video, cc-by)
 * Free to Learn Guide. An overview of OER for higher education and how governance officials can initiate OER at the policy level.
 * OER White Paper (pdf) by the Hewlett Foundation. The foundation's exploration to better understand how its philanthropic can help integrate OER into mainstream education.

The Commonwealth of Learning have published several books about OER on a CC BY SA licence.


 * A Basic Guide to Open Educational Resources (OER) by Asha Kanwar (COL) (Editor), Stamenka Uvalić-Trumbić (UNESCO) (Editor), Neil Butcher (Author)
 * Guidelines for Open Educational Resources (OER) in Higher Education, COL, UNESCO (November 2011)
 * A report on the Re-use and Adaptation of Open Educational Resources (OER): An Exploration of Technologies Available by Ishan Sudeera Abeywardena, COL (May 2012)
 * Perspectives on Open and Distance Learning: Open Educational Resources and Change in Higher Education: Reflections from Practice by Jenny Glennie (Editor), Ken Harley (Editor), Neil Butcher (Editor), Trudi van Wyk (Editor) COL, UNESCO (June 2012)
 * Report on the Assessment and Accreditation of Learners using OER by Dianne Conrad (Author), Wayne Mackintosh (Author), Rory McGreal (Author), Angela Murphy (Author), Gabi Witthaus (Author), COL (July 2013)
 * Copyright and Open Educational Resources by Achal Prabhala, COL (2010)
 * Perspectives on Open and Distance Learning: Open Educational Resources: An Asian Perspective by Gajaraj Dhanarajan (Editor), David Porter (Editor), COL (2010)
 * Survey on Governments’ Open Educational Resources (OER) Policies by Sarah Hoosen (Neil Butcher & Associates) (Editor), COL, UNESCO (June 2012)
 * Fostering Governmental Support for OER Internationally, COL (March 2012)
 * Exploring the Business Case for Open Educational Resources by Neil Butcher (Author), Sarah Hoosen (Author), COL (September 2012)
 * Open Educational Resources in Poland: Challenges and Opportunities by Kamil Śliwowski, Karolina Grodecka, UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (October 2013)
 * Open Educational Resources in Brazil: State-of-the-Art, Challenges and Prospects for Development and Innovation, Andreia Inamorato dos Santos, UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (2012)

Further resources

 * Additional guides may be listed at the OER Policy Registry's supporting resources
 * Bibliography of OER, ROER and related subjects