*Technically, "open" is not strictly "free" -- there are still economic dimensions to consider, such as time commitments of contributors, resources, and uncalculated monies. Some "Open" content providers like the Open Education Network's Open Textbook Library (OEN, OTL) require paid subscriptions. [Graphic from the New England Board of Higher Education's OER webinar, 2019]
David Wiley presents some good information about defining "open" and provides the ALMS framework for ensuring that technical choices -- just as much as unrestrictive license types -- make material open.
Unlike traditionally copyrighted material, OER can be used (and reused, and edited!) far more liberally. This graphic from LumenLearning shows the Five R's that are allowed under Creative Commons Licensing:
The purpose of Adams State's Open Education Initiative is to provide more affordable educational resources for our students, to empower student learning and faculty instruction, and to provide the best education possible to our diverse and underserved community. Any means by which we accomplish these goals are valued and appreciated.
The adoption of Openly-licensed content is not the only way to save students money; Affordability options like Course Reserves, use of library databases and eBooks, use of publicly-accessible newspapers or websites, or use of Open Access materials are all valid and valued ways of saving our students from struggling to pay for course materials.
The purpose of this Research Guide (LibGuide) is to compile as many useful resources as possible for both ASU affiliates and others interested in the Open Education movement. It will never be entirely comprehensive, but it should prove a useful resource for the campus for finding information. The guide is broken down into the following pages:
Home (definitions and purpose)
About (FAQ, History, Misconceptions/Myth-busting, Organizations & Partnerships, etc.)
Zero-/Low-Cost Courses at ASU (List of courses students can take to save money)
Locating Open Resources (some repositories & referatories for finding open content)
Using Nielsen Library Resources (some suggestions for other Affordability options)
Licensing & Attribution (Creative Commons Licenses, giving attribution for use of open content)
Evaluating, Adopting, & Adapting (rubrics, accessibility information, and Fair Use Best Practices)
Authoring & Publishing (tools for creating open content and distributing it)
Impact & Scholarly Research on Open (local data, video resources, and scholarly articles on Open)
Grants & Funding (financial support avenues for course redesigns or open adoption)
Open Pedagogy (approaches to education that use -- and create -- open content)
Contact ASU's Open Ed Committee (campus contact information for local support)