ABOUT

About

About Open Educational Resources (OER)

Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits repurposing by others. SUNY recognizes OER course sections as those where the majority of materials are openly-licensed. A SUNY OER course section provides students with a cost-effective alternative to traditional textbooks.

Other affordable learning section definitions include:

Zero Textbook Cost courses are defined as: course sections that do not require students to purchase texts or courseware. Course sections may require the purchase of ancillary supplies. ZTC course sections could use texts freely available to students through campus partners, including but not limited to openly licensed resources and library materials.

Low Textbook Cost courses are defined as: course sections that require students to purchase texts and courseware totaling $25 or less. Courses may also require the purchase of ancillary supplies.

  • Courses where student material costs charged through Inclusive Access agreements totaling $25 or less per course can be considered LTC.
  • Campuses with OER related course fees and course materials totaling $25 or less are considered LTC.

About SUNY OER Services (SOS)

SOS operates as part of SUNY’s Office of Library and Information Services. SOS works directly with SUNY campuses and faculty to provide assistance and knowledge to support the adoption of open educational resources (OER) and sustained use of OER as drivers of faculty choice and student success.

Services we provide:

  • Ready-to-adopt catalog of OER courses and seamless LMS integration
  • User-friendly technology to support adopting, adapting, and building openly-licensed content
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Networking across faculty and campuses to advance open educational practices
  • Support in establishing sustainable open education programs
  • Guidance around publishing, research, and recognition around OER
  • Funding opportunities

Please contact oer@suny.edu with any questions.

SUNY Geneseo played an important role as an early incubator for exploring the idea of SOS. An extended thanks goes to the administration, faculty, and staff at SUNY Geneseo for embracing this initial model.

SOS Advisory Board 

The SOS Advisory Board is comprised of experienced OER leaders in SUNY from various stakeholder groups, including administrators, OER campus leads, faculty governance, and SUNY Online.  The Advisory Board works with the SOS staff to provide thought leadership around System-wide OER efforts and to ensure continuous support for the growth and sustainability of OER and other affordable learning initiatives across SUNY. 

Current Board members: 

Michelle Beechey

Access Services and OER Librarian (Monroe CC)

Sophia Georgiakaki

Mathematics Professor (Tompkins Cortland CC)

John Kane

Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching Director and Economics Professor (Oswego)

Keith Landa

Director of the Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center (Purchase), and President of University Faculty Senate

Stephen Burke

Interim Associate Provost Curriculum Development, Faculty Engagement, and Academic Support Services (Rockland CC)

Erin Maney

Manager of Communications and Community Engagement (SUNY Online)

Chris Price

Academic Programs Manager (SUNY Center for Professional Development)

Nicole Simon

Engineering, Physics and Technologies Professor (Nassau CC)

 

Accessibility

SUNY OER Services is committed to ensuring accessibility is incorporated within the design, adoption, and distribution of electronic materials and related platforms. Accessibility regards inclusive engagement for individuals with disabilities, with or without the use of assistive technologies. Consistent with the values of open access and affordability, accessibility design principles improves usability and equitable opportunity. 

The content and platforms available at oer.suny.edu meet or exceed current accessibility standards. 

SUNY campuses and SUNY faculty engaged in the revising, remixing of content available on oer.suny.edu and/or creating new open content assume the responsibility for proactively adhering to accessibility design principles and practices.   That incurred responsibility includes directly responding to issues that may arise in accordance with SUNY’s Electronic Information Technology Accessibility Policy. 

SOS strives to improve the learning experience for everyone by applying the relevant accessibility standards. We welcome feedback, especially related to access barriers. Those requiring additional support or alternative accessible formats, are asked to please email oer@suny.edu. 

Partners

Learning provides affordable course materials designed to strengthen learning using open educational resources (OER). Lumen works to improve student success, affordability, and access simultaneously applying learning science insights and learning data analysis to develop continuous improvements to its courseware. Adding timely updates, learning design, and tech

Carnegie Mellon’s Open Learning Initiative provides “a collection of evidence-based tools and approaches to learning that are proven to boost student success, and enable instructors to be more effective.” Thanks to a partnership with Lumen Learning, all of OLI’s courses are available at no cost to SUNY faculty and students. 

 

rpk GROUP works with SUNY OER Services to support the implementation of SUNY’s OER Sustainability Framework. by campuses. rpk GROUP also coordinates and leads SUNY’s OER Sustainability cohorts. These two-year process provides structured support to cohorts of 15-20 campuses as campuses develop and implement sustainability plans that are reflective of their campus mission, vision, and culture.

SUNY Press is an academic unit of SUNY System Administration, with its personnel and business functions administered by the Research Foundation for the State University of New York. The SUNY Press Editorial Board is composed of faculty from campuses throughout the SUNY system.

The SUNY Online Support Services HelpDesk seamlessly connects SUNY faculty, staff, and administrators with SUNY OER Services and/or its partners.  Available over 100 hours a week, the HelpDesk provides a constant level of support for SUNY’s OER efforts. Contact the SUNY HelpDesk with OER questions at oer@suny.edu 

SUNY’s Center for Professional Developed (CPD) coordinates professional development, training and services for SUNY campuses as well as organizing all OER workshops facilitated by SUNY OER Services.  The CPD also manages processes for SUNY faculty interested in Lumen Circles.