OER stands for…

Open Educational Resources. This means that the text in question is available for both educators and students to use free of charge. These are either texts that exist within the public domain or are licensed in such a way that they are readily available to anyone who would like to use them in any way that they see fit. OER sources, including textbooks, are made with the intention that they can be used how educators and students see fit, provided they remain within the license.

What is a license?

A license most often refers to a Creative Common license, a type of copyright that makes it clear how people are allowed to use OER texts. There are six main types of Creative Commons, or CC, licenses that range in level of openness. Click here to visit the Creative Commons website and learn more about the different types of licenses.

How does this differ from ZTC?

ZTC stands for Zero Textbook Cost. Like OER, these are materials that are free to use for both educators and students. Unlike with OER, we do not have any rights to modify resources that are ZTC. Common examples of ZTC resources include online articles, YouTube videos, and material accessible through library databases.

Why should I, as an instructor, care about OER and ZTC?

As educators it is important that we are aware of the needs of our students. Not all students can afford to spend 100 dollars, or even 20 dollars, on the textbook that is required to take your course. The textbook cost of any given course can make the difference in how a student is able to perform in that course and perhaps even how quickly a student is able to earn their degree.