At a basic level, textbooks, course modules, and websites are all just collections of words, images, and multimedia, organized within a familiar structure. To that end, you can create and publish open course materials using nearly any online platform, tool, or content management system that works for you, as long as you:
Explore some OER-friendly options below!
The platforms below work especially well for creating and publishing OER. They're also all free for UMD authors, except where otherwise noted. Please contact us if you'd like to discuss options!
★ (star icon): We can provide more advice and guidance for this platform.
The platforms listed first are the easiest to use for most people, while those at the bottom of the list require additional tech and web design expertise.
Want to create or edit images, audio, video, or maps? We've listed a few tools to consider. They're free for UMD authors, except where otherwise noted (and Terpware software tools are only accessible through your UMD account). Make sure to back up and save copies of anything you create!
Open and royalty-free media assets -- images, audio, and video -- are valuable for illustrating concepts, meeting different learning needs, and making your OER more engaging. Explore some recommended collections below,
Be sure to double-check the license terms for anything you reuse, and write attributions when needed. Remember that most of the images, audio, and video you find outside of collections like these are not openly licensed unless explicitly stated, even if they're free!
Currently, the U.S. Copyright Office considers AI-generated content to be public domain, meaning that AI outputs on their own can't be copyrighted or licensed under Creative Commons. However, you can use AI tools to support your OER creation process, and you can integrate AI-generated content in your OER. Explore options and considerations below.
Brave New Worlds: Teaching, Writing, and Creating with Generative Artificial Intelligence (Dr. Liza Long, OpenCon Ohio Keynote 2024)
