Chico Affordable Learning Solutions (CAL$)
CAL$ Team

Beth Shook
CAL$ Coordinator and Faculty Mentor
Faculty, Anthropology Department
bashook@csuchico.edu
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The Office of Faculty Development
fdev@csuchico.edu

The California State University
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Adapting or Creating OER

This section is adapted from Instructors’ Guide for Explorations(opens in new window) in Explorations: An Open Invitation to Biological Anthropology(opens in new window).

OER support academic freedom because they promote adapting content by revising and remixing material. When you adapt content, you are able to customize the resource(s) to the topics you teach, the order in which you teach them, your teaching style, and the preparation of your students. 

Adaptation refers to modifying, revising, expanding, contracting, or otherwise altering the text. The changes you make may be small or large scale. For example, you could: 

  • make word-level edits to make the writing more accessible to your readers; 
  • remove some sections;
  • use only a portion of the text;
  • update with current information; 
  • add media or links to other resources;
  • add your own (or other openly licensed) case studies; or
  • translate the entire manuscript into another language. 

Unlike copyrighted materials that forbid the manipulation of the work, OER encourage it. 

Faculty often write their own material - Consider sharing your own work as an OER!  

Below are some resources to aid in the development and customization of OER.