Myth: OER means low quality materials.
The level of assurance you can get from OER materials can be the same as with traditional materials: high when from an institutionally reviewed process, lower when not reviewed or just found on the web. Most faculty are able to screen and select their own materials and textbooks, using their reasonable judgment before using any learning resources. The truth is that the quality of “OER depends on which resources they choose to use, how they choose to adapt them to make them contextually relevant, and how they integrate them into teaching and learning activities of different kinds” (COL, UNESCO, 2011).
Myth: OER must be digital.
The core of the OER concept assumes that OER should be multi-platform. In practice, this means that they are produced as such or are able to be easily adaptable to: print version, low bandwidth, different devices, as well as accessible for users with disabilities. Though a lot of OER are presented initially online or created digitally (allowing for easier cooperation during the creation phase) there is no rule that OER is digital-only. OER can videos, pdfs, a printed book, or any form you might like. It is not about the fact that it is online or in a hard copy -- it is about the ability to adapt, improve and use.
Campus Computing Project, 2016
Education Week, 2017
Except where otherwise noted, the content and images on this page have been adapted from "OER Mythbusting!," part of the OER Policy for Europe project, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Content on this page was adapted from the OER Policy for Europe project's "OER Mythbusting!" site.
If you prefer a print version, you can download the PDF version linked here. Please note that the text in the PDF version is the original version of the "Open Educational Resource Mythbusting" guide and does not reflect the adaptations and newly created content on this page.
PDF version of "OER Mythbusting," part of the OER Policy for Europe project