Why OER?

OER Metafinder

George Mason University Libraries has created the OER Metafinder, a robust search engine for discovering OER resources. The Mason OER Metafinder searches sixteen targets in real-time, returning the top several hundred or so relevant hits from each site. Because it is a real-time search, it takes a bit longer than searches of pre-indexed content; however, as compensation the results returned are absolutely up-to-the-minute for each search target. Additional results will trickle in as the search continues running and you begin examining your results.

Search the Mason OER Metafinder
 

OER Research

What are Open Education Resources?

As defined by UNESCO (2002 Forum on Open Courseware):

  • “Teaching, learning and research materials in any medium, digital or otherwise, that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions. Open licensing is built within the existing framework of intellectual property rights as defined by relevant international conventions and respects the authorship of the work.”

As defined by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation:

  • "Teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others. Open educational resources include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge."

OER Resources