We have a responsibility to address the disproportionate barriers to education and reducing the cost of course materials for students can help create greater equity in access to learning resources for all.
The RRC Library team is committed to creating pathways for the RRC Polytech community to engage with Open Education—through access to open resources and support in the creation of Open Educational Resources (OER).
What are Open Educational Resources (OER)?“OER” stands for Open Educational Resources. These are educational materials shared under open copyright licenses, such as Creative Commons. They can be freely adapted and used to help your students meet the learning outcomes of your course.
OER are format-flexible—they can be used online or printed and made available to students through the Campus Store.
Using OER reduces the cost of course materials for students when they replace resources that would otherwise need to be purchased. This helps increase equitable access to the learning materials students need to succeed.
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By reducing financial barriers to education, we support the continued pursuit of equitable opportunities for all learners.
“We know that, both from decades of formal community research and informal, anecdotal discussions with Indigenous people, barriers to post-secondary education are wide-ranging. As an educational institution in Manitoba, we have a duty to address the disproportionate barriers that Indigenous communities face…”
-Jamie Wilson, Vice President, Indigenous Strategy, Research and Business Development.
What can you do with an OER?Open Educational Resources allow you freely, without requesting permission or worrying about copyright clearances allow you to perform the 5 below actions:
Retain – You can keep OER’s as long as you like.
Reuse – You have unlimited reuse of the resource.
Revise – You can adapt or modify the resource to fit your instructional needs and those of your students.
Remix – You can combine OERs or elements of them to make a new resource.
Redistribute – You can share the work with your students and other educators.
Where can I find OER?
In the RRC Library Collection – The RRC Polytech Library Resource Management team has integrated Open Resource collections into our library catalog for ease of use by Staff, Students and Faculty.
Course Materials Service – Staff and Faculty can get personalized support from the library team finding OER for use and adoption as part of a course.
Open Education Manitoba - Campus Manitoba launched the Manitoba Open Textbook Initiative in 2015. The goal of the initiative is to make higher education more accessible by reducing students’ costs through the use of openly licensed textbooks in Manitoba.
Where do I get started if I want to create an OER?Open Educational Resources allow you freely, without requesting permission or worrying about copyright clearances allow you to perform the 5 below actions:
RRC Polytech Open Education Initiative - Library and Academic Services can get you started on an OER project and support you along the way! The Open Education Initiative is a step-by-step, six-phase process for those interested in developing their own OER. It connects creators with relevant resources and supports available at the college during each project stage.
