Find OER
Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that come in a variety of formats and can reside in many different locations. Consequently, finding OER can prove to be difficult. Below you will find methods and resources you can use to locate the learning materials that can best fit the needs of your course and students.
Finding OER Toolkit
Follow these 6 steps to begin your search for Open Educational Resources.
- Set aside time. Searching for OER takes time and persistence, just like research.
- Identify keywords. Use keywords from your content area and learning objectives to perform relevant searches.
- Locate an OER text. Browse through OER repositories to see if a full open textbook already exists for your course.
- Supplement. Continue browsing to find other content related to your search like course shells and syllabi. Remember Open Educational Resources can be combined and modified to fit the specific needs of a course.
- Review the resources. As the content expert, use any rubric you deem necessary when searching for new teaching and learning materials to use in your course.
- Ask for help! Request a consultation with, or email Gabby Hernandez, the Open Education Librarian, for support at any time throughout this process.
Adopted OER at UTRGV
Organized by College
College of Education & P-16 Integration
- Educational Psychology
- Foundations of American Education: A Critical Lens
- Social Science Research: Principles, Methods, and Practices
College of Engineering & Computer Science
College of Fine Arts
- Resonances: Engaging Music in Its Cultural Context
- Technical Theatre Practicum - Version 1
- Understanding Music: Past and Present
College of Liberal Arts
- Abnormal Psychology, 2nd edition
- American Environmental History
- American Government and Politics II
- American Yawp
- Bad Ideas About Writing
- Business Law and the Legal Environment
- Business Law I Essentials
- Communication in the Real World
- Essentials of Linguistics
- Explorations: An Open Invitation To Biological Anthropology
- Exploring Public Speaking 4th edition
- Introduction to Ethnic Studies
- Introduction to Language Studies
- Introduction to Sociology 3e
- Latinoamérica: Una Mirada
- Learning Statistics with JASP: A tutorial for psychology students and other beginners
- Legal Writing Manual, 3rd edition
- Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective
- New Directions in Chicanx and Latinx Students
- Online Technical Writing
- OpenStax: American Government 3e
- OpenStax: College Algebra Introduction to Prerequisites
- OpenStax: Precalculus 2e
- OpenStax: Psychology, 2e
- OpenStax: Statistics High School
- OpenStax: U.S. History
- Open Technical Communication
- Psychology: The Science of Human Potential
- Quick Guide to Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences
- Reflexiones Sobre Nuestra Lengua
- Research Methods in Psychology
- Social Science Research: Principles, Methods, and Practices
- Steps to Success: Crossing the Bridge Between Literacy Research and Practice
- Technical and Professional Writing Genres: A study in Theory and Practice
- U.S. Government and Politics I
College of Sciences
- Abstract Algebra: Theory and Applications
- Analytical Chemistry, 2.1
- Astronomy
- Biochemistry: Free For All
- Biology 2e
- Calculus Vol 1
- Calculus Vol 2
- Calculus Vol 3
- Chemistry 2e
- Chemistry, Atoms First 2e
- College Algebra
- College Physics
- Elementary Differential Equations with Boundary Value Problems
- Essentials of Geographic Information Systems
- Euclidean Plane and its Relatives: A Minimalist Introduction
- Intermediate Algebra
- Introduction to Astronomy
- Introductory Statistics
- Linear Algebra with Applications
- Linear Algebra, Fourth Edition
- Mathematical Reasoning Writing and Proof, Version 3
- Mathematics for Elementary Teachers
- Modern Biology
- Notes on Diffy Qs: Differential Equations for Engineers
- Physical Geology
- Prealgebra, 2e
- Precalculus
- Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation
- Tea Time Numerical Analysis
- University Physics, Volume 1
- University Physics, Volume 2
- UTRGV Calculus
Robert C. Vacker College of Business & Entrepreneurship
- Advanced Business Law and the Legal Environment
- Introduction to Marketing I 2e
- Introduction to Marketing II 2e
- Introduction to Tourism and Hospitality in BC
- Mastering Strategic Management
- OpenStax: Principles of Macroeconomics 2e
- OpenStax: Principles of Management
- OpenStax: Principles of Microeconomics 2e
School of Nursing
- NURS 3301 Professional Mobility
- Nursing Care at the End of Life: What Every Clinical Should Know
- Public Health Ethics: Global Cases, Practice, and Context
University College
OER Searching Tools
There are many places one can search for OER. It often takes searching through multiple repositories and aggregators to find something that fits your course needs. The links provided below are a good place to begin your search but are by no means the only places to find open educational resources. If you would like a librarian to assist you during this process, you can fill out the OER Request Form. A librarian will curate resources based on the information you provide.
OER Searching Guide
This linked guide can be downloaded and saved to help you search open repositories for OER. The guide ranks each repository by its ease of use but these repositories can be searched in any order.
Openly Licensed Image Searching Guide
This linked guide can be downloaded and saved to help you search open image repositories for Openly Licensed and Diverse images.
Every platform has its own unique search benefits and strategies. To help guide your searches, we have provided short videos on how to search the most popular OER searching platforms.
Searching OER Repository Tutorials
Search for OER Content
OpenStax
OpenStax, operated by Rice University, improves access to high-quality open education for students everywhere.
Open Textbook Library
The Open Textbook Library provides a growing catalog of free, peer-reviewed, and openly-licensed textbooks.
Pressbooks Directory
This directory provides an index of 3,025 books published across 109 Pressbooks networks.
LibreTexts
LibreTexts wants to unite students, faculty, and scholars to develop an easy-to-use online platform for Open Educational Resources.
OER Commons
OER Commons is a public digital library of open educational resources where educators come to collaborate and improve curriculum.
OERTX Repository
Search for OER used by institutions of higher education in Texas and across the country, including materials aligned to Texas Core Curriculum requirements.
OAISIS
Openly Available Sources Integrated Search (OASIS) is a tool that searches open content from 97 different sources.
BC Campus Open Textbooks
BCcampus uses open technology to facilitate, evaluate, and create open educational resources to share around the world.
Open ALG
OpenALG Affordable Learning Georgia is Georgia's New Home for Open and Interactive Educational Resources.
Open Michigan
Open Michigan encourages scholars and students to maximize the impact of their work through open sharing.
EdTech Books
EdTech Books provides high-quality textbooks free of cost on an open textbook publishing platform.
Mason OER Metafinder
The Mason OER Metafinder launches a real time search for OER across 22 different sources of open educational materials.
MERLOT
The MERLOT system provides access to curated online learning and support materials let by a community of educators, learners, and researches.
COERLL
The Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning produces and disseminates language OER for the internet public.
OER by Subject Guides
UTRGV Librarians have created research guides to provide faculty and students a place to find resources for their discipline and subject area. Listed below you will find links to the curated OER page for each area. If you do not see your subject area or discipline represented please contact researchandinstruction@utrgv.edu to create one.
