Aggregated collections, digital repositories and dedicated websites offer many types of OER materials to use in whole or adapt.

Some preliminary planning helps focus your search and minimises some of the challenges in finding the right OER for course content.

Before you start searching

• Establish your learning objective(s) and outcomes
• Decide what type of material best serves your objective(s) and learning outcomes

General tips for searching

• Use keywords

Identify the main subject(s) and terms related to your learning objective(s).

Pro tip! Try our Worksheet to help identify relevant keywords to use in OER searches.

• Start broad

Get an idea of the breadth of resources in your subject area.

• Use search filters

Get familiar with the way an OER collection is tagged and indexed to make use of unique search features.

• Check relevancy

Scan a resource's description or table of content.

• Check licence

Confirm a resource is under an open sharing license or free from copyright restrictions.

• Compile a list

Keep track and document information about relevant OER.

Library help

We offer support finding suitable open resources for your course content. Send the Library OER team your question(s).