Student FAQs

What are Open Educational Resources?

Open educational resources are “teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that allows for free use, reuse, modification, and sharing with others, including full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge.” Using Open Educational Resources in a class reduces the total cost of the class for students.

How do I know if my classes are using them?

UNM will develop a method for showing students which classes in the schedule are using open educational resources so that students may make informed choices at the time of registration.

Will I get the same quality of education?

UNM faculty members are responsible for ensuring the quality of education within their courses. Instructors selecting OER materials have evaluated their quality and accuracy and determined that the materials meet their needs for supporting students in their instructional goals.

Resources for Student Advocacy

Interested in supporting Open Educational Resource use here at UNM? Here are two open resources with information for students:

OER Student Toolkit from BC Open Campus

 
Making Textbooks Affordable by The Open Textbook Alliance

For more information, you can also contact UNM’s OER Librarian through the OER Library Guide or through the OER Consultations page located above.