What are Open Educational Resources (OER)?
Open Educational Resources (OER) are high-quality teaching and learning materials that are free for educators and students to use, customize, and share. The use of such resources addresses the rapid increase in the cost of textbooks and other learning materials in the last two decades and supports instructional innovation.
How is MHEC addressing OER in the Midwest and beyond?
MHEC supports its member states as they increase their capacity to implement OER and establish sustainable use of them at the institutional, system, and state levels. This work at MHEC started in 2018 with a kick-off at the OER Implementation and Policy Summit for the MHEC States. In 2020, the four regional compacts formed a nationwide network of OER support known as the National Consortium of Open Educational Resources (NCOER). Each regional compact received an 18-month, $250,000 grant from the Hewlett Foundation to increase OER capacity and implementation in its member states, to share best practices, scale successful efforts, and leverage collective resources to enhance OER implementation across the county. In September 2022, MHEC received an additional $432,400 grant from the Hewlett Foundation to continue the work with the Midwestern states and the collaboration with the NCOER.
Together, we are engaging in new opportunities to build capacity for policy and effective practice, enable substantial research, develop open education solutions that promote equitable learning, and support coordination across regions to scale and sustain use of OER across the country.
Stay in Touch
Sign up for our MHEC OER Newsletter.
Join an OER State Action Team.
OER Resources
In the side navigation you will find links to resources to support your work in OER, including links to repositories to find OER, research on the efficacy of OER, state and leader advocacy resources, and details about past events sponsored and hosted by MHEC.
Course Marking
MHEC Conducts Survey on OER Course Marking Landscape Analysis
In May 2023 MHEC invited participation in a survey designed to assess the landscape of course marking of OER in postsecondary institutions and systems in the United States. This survey is a collaborative effort of NCOER. Those who completed the survey, contributed knowledge to assist in communication and development of promising practices related to the collection, sharing, and analysis of course marking related to OER. These practices will help institutions and students. A copy of the questions is available. Contact OER@mhec.org with any questions.
The survey closed on June 16. Stay tuned for more upcoming information related to this survey.
