Open educational resources, or OERs, are freely available teaching, learning, and research materials created by others and licensed for use. They are free to use, modify, and share. These are a great tool for students and teachers alike. However, you might be wondering if they are actually useful. What are OERs? And how can they help you? Read on to find out. Listed below are three of the benefits of OERs.
OERs include teaching, learning, and research resources
The OER movement has been around since 2000. These resources allow students and educators to create, reuse, and remix them for educational purposes. This is an ideal way to expand learning opportunities while addressing global needs. OERs are also open to revision and remixing. A study conducted by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) found that OERs improve quality, flexibility, and learning opportunities. They also provide support for learner-centered learning, peer-to-peer learning, and informal learning.
They are free
The Internet is full of free education resources for K-12 educators and students. EVERFI offers free digital courses focused on real-world learning. Jumpstart offers free teaching materials for K-5 teachers, and Khan provides practice lessons and AP prep on a wide range of subjects. Teaching Tolerance is a website dedicated to social justice and anti-bias education. Teachers can use their free lesson plans and primary source sets to create lessons that incorporate these issues.
They can be reused
There are several ways to reuse educational resources. Faculty can share resources by asking colleagues to help them find them. Resources can be obtained from journals, conference presentations, or organizations like NASA or the USGS. Faculty can also advertise newly created resources to other faculty in the field. Faculty may want to use pictures, charts, diagrams, or images that they have already developed. When creating new resources, keep reuse in mind. If faculty are unsure about what resources to use, they can check the web for examples of reuse.
They can be adapted
The word adaptation has three related meanings: it is a process in evolutionary biology whereby organisms adapt to their surroundings in order to increase their fitness and evolutionary potential. It is also a state of a population during this process. It can be achieved through natural selection. Despite its three meanings, adaptation is often considered one of the most powerful tools of evolution. Listed below are three ways adaptations can benefit a population.
They can be modified
Viruses can be modified to carry genetic material. But their capabilities are limited. Some genes may be too large for some viruses to carry. And some viruses can trigger a protective immune response, which blocks gene delivery and kills cells. In this article, we’ll examine the limitations of viruses and look at alternative vectors. These vectors have many advantages, and could be the future of gene therapy. But, as with all methods, there are drawbacks.
