Copyright in the Classroom

Open educational resources (OER) are free materials that can be used and usually modified or adapted for both formal and informal educational settings. OER is a capacious term and can include anything from textbooks to primary sources to entire online courses. Such resources are usually copyrighted by their author(s) or by a publisher, but they have been designated as open through a Creative Commons license or another protocol. 

OER provide a wonderful way to supplement resources already available to Ball State students through the Libraries' collections, subscription databases, and fair use of copyrighted materials. Free, web-accessible, high-quality materials are available in nearly every discipline and field and can enrich courses while also helping students save money.