Open Educational Resources

No cost course materials

When the cost of course materials is prohibitive, the classroom is no longer equitable. In addition to being completely free to use and access, OER is available in digital format and can be printed and bound at low cost. See how OER has impacted Northwestern students.

Available on the first day of class

In a recent survey, 45% of Northwestern students reported trying to get by in their classes without purchasing the required textbook. Since OER doesn't need to be purchased or ordered, it can be embedded into your Canvas course and made available to students on day one. Learn how to find OER in your subject area.

Completely adaptable and customizable to your course

Unlike commercial textbooks, OER can be adapted to suit your teaching context. You can remove, reorder, or rewrite chapters as needed. Librarians are available to assist with adaptation projects both large and small. Learn more about library services for customizing OER.

Promotes diversity and inclusion

The open licensing aspect of OER enables students to become contributors of knowledge rather than just consumers. Incorporating student voices into course material promotes diversity and inclusion, and provides opportunities for instructors to transform their teaching with open pedagogy. Learn more about open pedagogy.

Provides opportunities to contribute to globally shared scholarship

OER published by Northwestern faculty and instructors will raise the quality of OER in all fields, and will give underrepresented areas such as the languages, humanities, and social sciences new content to be shared and used globally. See examples of OER created at Northwestern.