Open Educational Resources (OER)

Open educational resources are teaching and learning materials that are readily available via the Web, at no or low-cost, that you can use to learn about almost any topic. OER is presented in a variety of formats that support different learning styles.

Prominent U.S. educational institutions including MIT and Carnegie-Mellon University started the OER movement by putting their course materials online for anyone to access. Many other institutions, from small community colleges to prestigious research universities, now contribute content to OER sites.

Using OER in Your Studies

When preparing for Excelsior College® Examinations, UExcel® exams, or taking courses at Excelsior, OER can introduce you to new information, broaden your knowledge of particular subject matter, and enrich your understanding of exam and course topics.

OER can also help lower the overall cost of earning college credit by reducing reliance on more expensive sources of information.

We have prepared A Guide to Open Educational Resources (PDF) with OER courses – matched to our credit-by-examination program – that have been identified by the College as academically sound and applicable to the topics covered on the exams.

Finding OER Resources

If you want to explore OER beyond what we have identified as suitable for Excelsior College Examinations and UExcel exams, here are some options:

University Sponsored OER
Most university-based OER content can be found using these sites:

• OpenCourseWare Consortium
• OER Commons

Independently Sponsored OER
Examples of Web sites that specialize in OER Web courses designed by college professors under contract with the site sponsor include:

• saylor.org
• HippoCampus
• Open Course Library

Limited-scope OER Options
Brief lessons on very specific topics rather than full courses are available on sites like Khan Academy and iTunes U. While full courses are available on iTunes U, the sheer volume of the offerings makes them challenging to find.