Guide on the Use of Open Educational Resources released

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) today released the “Guide on the Use of Open Educational Resources in K-12 and Postsecondary Education.” This Guide provides a framework for understanding open educational resources (OER), and it examines development and implementation costs, current business models, government and philanthropy’s role, and other considerations around the use of OER.

The Guide includes the following:

OER Definition, including full explanations of related copyright and licensing issues

Total Cost of Development/Ownership of instructional materials, including implications for those creating and implementing OER
Business/Funding Models being used to develop and support OER by content developers and aggregators, both for-profit and non-profit
Government Initiatives, including a sampling of key federal, state and international OER policies and grants
OER Frequently Asked Questions

The Guide is available to all under a CC-BY license and is especially crafted to inform legislators, government officials, education leaders, faculty, and content developers and aggregators.