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We get it - switching from familiar
academic publishers to OERs can feel a bit strange at first. After all, you
want your students to have access to the best possible learning materials. But
here’s the good news: there’s a growing body of research showing that OERs
aren’t just free - they’re high quality and can actually boost
student learning outcomes (Cozart et al., 2020; Tlili et al., 2023).
Still wondering about quality? Here
are a few points to keep in mind:
- Academic experts write OER textbooks – just like they do for commercial publishers.
- OER publishers like JCU Open eBooks have solid editorial and peer review processes to ensure quality.
- Many OER repositories let academics leave public reviews, so you can see what others think before you adopt.
Benefits
that speak for themselves
OERs aren’t just free - they’re created by experts in the field,
held to rigorous publishing standards, and are often peer-reviewed. Choosing
published OERs means you can rely on solid, credible content while still having
the freedom to adapt materials to suit your teaching style and your students’
needs.
Want to explore OERs for your subjects?
Choosing
already published OERs is easier than you might think. It’s just like identifying
and evaluating a prescribed textbook from an academic publisher.
Start by
checking out the JCU Library’s OER Discovery Collections, organised by discipline. You might be
surprised by what’s already available!
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