Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely accessible, high-quality learning materials that can be used and reused for educational purposes. OER repositories provide a vast array of resources such as textbooks, videos, quizzes, lesson plans, and more. With the rise of alternative schooling and education trends in recent years, it is important to take note of the best OER repositories available.
One notable repository is OpenStax. OpenStax provides free peer-reviewed textbooks across several disciplines including math, science, social sciences, humanities, and business courses. The content is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution licenses which make them easy to adapt or modify according to specific needs. Since its inception in 2012 by Rice University faculty members with support from philanthropic organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Hewlett Foundation; OpenStax has saved students over $1 billion in textbook costs.
Another excellent resource is MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching). MERLOT offers thousands of free resources along with peer reviews from educators on each material’s quality. The repository covers various subject areas including STEM fields like engineering and technology but also includes arts & humanities topics like history or literature.
The nonprofit organization Khan Academy provides an extensive library of video-based lessons complemented by practice exercises aligned with academic standards across different grade levels. Additionally, Khan Academy partners with institutions such as NASA offering content beyond core academics.
MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) publishes course materials used at MIT for free through their website. OCW offers access to syllabi, lecture notes & slides alongside assignments from actual courses taught at MIT covering various topics ranging from computer science to philosophy.
Lastly but not leastly is OER Commons which hosts a vast collection of open educational resources under a variety of licensing options such as Public Domain or Creative Commons Licenses making them easily adaptable for different contexts/needs globally.
In conclusion
OER repositories offer enormous value to alternative schooling and education trends. OpenStax, MERLOT, Khan Academy, MIT OCW, and OER Commons are just a few examples of the vast array of options available. With continually evolving technology and more innovative teaching practices on the horizon; it is clear that utilizing these resources will provide significant benefits for students seeking alternative paths to formal education.
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