We suspect that most people who come to this site know what OERs are, but in case you don’t we’ve created a YouTube playlist that sequences 10 videos together explaining OERs and related issues.

YouTube playlists also allow you to add notes to each one (although limited in characters and only visible when you view the videos on the YouTube site). This makes it possible to view a playlist as a sort of mini-course. The 10 videos take you from a general introduction, then look at some of the context, provide some examples and ends with a lecture on issues around openness. By the end of it the viewer will hopefully have a pretty good appreciation of what OERs are, how they are being used, and what some of the main issues are.

The Playlist:

1. The OERs – Open Educational Resources by intheacademia
A simple introduction to the concept of OERs

2. TEDxNYED – David Wiley – 03/06/10 by TEDxTalks
Going a bit deeper now, one of the leading educators in the OER movement sets out the rationale for open education

3. Everything Is A Remix by StarveTheSystem2
This sets the culture within which OERs operate, where remixing is a part of society

4. Creative Commons licences explained by Chris Follows
Following on from the previous video, the various types of CC license are explained here (a New Zealand context is used, but it is applicable widely)

5. The impact of OpenStax College on higher education by CLEARincNYC
Open Textbooks are a very practical example of OERs & here the benefits are set out

6. Future Learning: Richard Baraniuk by GOOD
Connexions were one of the first OER repositories & the director explains the concept here

7. Black Holes – 60 Second Adventures in Astronomy (12/14) by OUlearn
This is included as an example of an OER – a short videofrom the OU explaining black holes

8. The OER COUP by David Wiley
David Wiley gives a presentation on some OER research and a model for looking at impact

9. Bridge to Success: Why Open Educational Resources Matter by olnetchannel
An example of an OER project in a practical setting, Bridge2Success worked with community colleges in the US

10. Open Ed 12 – Gardner Campbell Keynote – Ecologies of Yearning by OpenEdConference12
A long, & thoughtful analysis on why the early promise of openness may not be turning out as envisaged