Skip to Main Content

OER

Open and Affordable Educational Resources

Open Educational Resources (OER) Commitment

Preamble

Kean University recognizes the importance of providing high-quality education while ensuring affordability and accessibility for all students. We acknowledge the potential of Open Educational Resources (OER) to advance these goals. This guideline establishes a framework for the adoption, creation, and utilization of OER to benefit our students, faculty, and the broader academic community.

Definition

Open Educational Resources (OER): OER refers to freely accessible, openly licensed educational materials that may include textbooks, syllabi, lecture notes, multimedia content, and other resources used for teaching, learning, and research (Hewlett Foundation, 2013).

Principles

Kean University commits to the following:

  • Affordability: Kean University will prioritize the adoption and development of OER to reduce the financial burden on students and enhance their access to quality educational materials.

  • Access: Kean University will ensure that OER materials are easily accessible to all students and that no student is disadvantaged due to the lack of access to required course materials.

  • Quality: Kean University will maintain the academic rigor and quality of OER materials and ensure that faculty members have the resources and support to create or adopt high-quality OER.

Adoption of OER

  • Faculty members are encouraged to explore and use existing OER materials in their courses, where applicable, in alignment with their academic goals.

  • The institution will provide resources and support, including professional development, for faculty to identify, evaluate, and adopt OER.

  • Departments and programs will periodically assess the potential for OER adoption and report their findings to promote OER integration.

Creation of OER

  • Faculty members are encouraged to create and share OER as an integral part of their academic activities.

  • The institution will support the creation of OER by offering training, technical assistance, and grants to faculty members involved in OER development.

  • The institution will promote the open licensing of OER materials created on campus.

Intellectual Property and Licensing

  • Faculty members retain ownership of the OER they create, but they are encouraged to apply for open licenses, such as Creative Commons, to facilitate broader use.

  • OER materials developed under institutional funding or support will follow institutional open licensing guidelines.

Access and Distribution

  • The institution will maintain a central repository or platform to host and distribute OER materials. Kean University will use Digital Commons as a repository. 

  • The institution will work to ensure that all students have equal access to OER materials, addressing any technology or connectivity barriers.

Evaluation and Review

  • The OER guideline will be reviewed periodically to assess its effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.

  • The institution will collect feedback from faculty and students on the use and impact of OER in courses.

Reporting and Transparency

  • The institution will provide regular reports on OER adoption and creation efforts to relevant stakeholders.

Implementation and Support

  • The institution will provide ongoing support, including technological infrastructure, training, and expertise to promote OER use and development.

  • Faculty members, librarians, and other relevant staff will collaborate to ensure the success of OER initiatives.