In this section, we’ll provide you with detailed instructions on how to use, adapt, and contribute to this resource. Whether you’re a faculty member looking to integrate AI into your teaching practice or an educational leader seeking to share resources with your institution, this guide is designed to support your needs. Let’s get started.

This text is structured to be read from beginning to end; however, depending on your needs, you may interact with it as you see fit. The text is also an excellent scaffold for a learning community model.  In future iterations, we will share our experience in using it within a faculty learning community setting at the University of Virginia.

Next, let’s discuss how to modify and adapt this resource for your needs.

Overview of Open Educational Resources (OER)

To better understand the potential of this text for use and adaptability, it’s important to gain a working understanding of the principles of OER. If this information is familiar, please feel free to skip this portion.

OER are educational materials available for use, remixing, and redistribution. These resources encompass a wide range of content types, including textbooks, lesson plans, videos, quizzes, and interactive simulations. What sets OER apart is their open licensing, which typically allows users to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute the materials without encountering legal or financial barriers.^[1]

How OER Works

OER function within a framework of openness and collaboration, facilitated by digital technologies and open licenses. Here’s an overview of how OER work:

• Creation and Curation: OER are created by educators, scholars, and content creators who develop educational materials and release them under open licenses. These materials can be newly created resources or existing materials that have been repurposed for open sharing.
• Licensing: OER are typically licensed under Creative Commons licenses, which specify the permissions granted to users. Common licenses for OER include CC BY (Attribution), CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike), CC BY-NC (Attribution-NonCommercial).  These licenses allow users to freely access, use, and modify the materials while providing appropriate attribution to the original creators. The CC0 (Public Domain Dedication) license indicates content creators have dedicated their work to the public domain without need for attribution.  
• Access and Distribution: OER are freely accessible to anyone with an internet connection. They can be shared and distributed through various channels, including institutional repositories, open educational platforms, and individual websites. Users can download, view, and interact with OER without encountering access restrictions or paywalls.
• Adaptation and Modification: One of the key features of OER is their adaptability. Users are encouraged to modify and customize the materials to suit their specific needs and preferences. This may involve translating content into different languages, updating information to reflect current developments, or tailoring resources to align with specific educational objectives.
• Sharing and Collaboration: OER foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among educators and learners. Users can share their modifications and adaptations with others, contributing to a collective pool of resources that benefits the broader educational community. This collaborative ethos promotes innovation, diversity, and inclusivity in education.

By leveraging the principles of openness, collaboration, and accessibility, OER empower educators to create, share, and adapt high-quality educational materials that enhance teaching and learning experiences for all learners, regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic status.

Our License

This OER guide is published under a Creative Commons license, specifically the CC BY NC SA license. This means:

• Attribution: You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
• Non-Commercial: You may not use the material for commercial purposes .
• Share Alike: If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.  You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

How to Adapt/Modify the Content

Adapting and modifying the content of this OER guide is encouraged to meet the specific needs of your context. This text was created in Pressbooks, an open-source platform designed for creating and publishing digital books. Due to its ability to distribute content in a variety of digital formats (including PDF, EPUB, MOBI, and other web-based formats), it is an agile authoring and distribution tool for OER.

To learn more about adaptation and modification, we encourage you to review the chapter “Clone a Book” in the Pressbooks User Guide.

While we have used Pressbooks to create this book, you are free to use this material in any authoring platform you choose.

You will encounter interactive H5P content throughout this text. At the present time, the option to embed or download this content into your own work is disabled. Once we have finalized the content, those settings will be modified to make all content truly open.  Stay tuned!

Best Practices for Adaptation and Modification

When adapting or modifying this OER guide, consider the following best practices:

• Ensure that your modifications align with the learning objectives and goals of the original content.
• Provide clear explanations or annotations for any significant changes or additions you make.
• Respect the integrity of the original content and avoid misrepresenting the author’s intentions or ideas.
• Incorporate diverse perspectives and inclusive language to enhance the accessibility and relevance of the content.

Contributions

We welcome contributions to this resource.  As you come across additional content that might improve this OER, please consider contributing by using the form on this page.

Ways you may consider contributing include:

• Suggesting Resources 
  • We welcome the addition of articles, books, websites, or tools that you believe would enhance this text.
• Submitting Examples of Application 
  • If you have created an activity, lesson, or syllabus that includes application of AI, please consider sharing.
• Providing Feedback 
  • We welcome feedback on existing resources on our list, including any updates or corrections you think necessary.