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If you have adopted or created open course materials, you will find many reasons to share (not to mention requests to share). Sharing is what the open movement is all about: modifying, customizing, and sharing course materials is at the core of OER work. 

This section outlines some reasons for making your materials discoverable, as well as best practices for making your content as open and available as possible.  

Best practices

Communicate with the bookstore

Even though you may not be using materials that students have to purchase, the bookstore is often the first place students look for course materials. If you are using open materials, respond to the "Book Order" emails that go out each term from the bookstore and work with them to create an appropriate materials listing.

You can also work with the CMU bookstore to offer optional printed copies of your open materials. 

Create a Resource List 

Having all of your open materials in one place is handy for sharing and for reporting your work within your institution. If you use a variety of open resources (articles, ebook chapters, videos, etc) in your class, create a document that collects all of the links. 

Hosting

You will need to have your OER hosted somewhere online for others to find it. At CMU, there are two institutional options:

Institutional options

Other options
  • Host externally on a class wiki or personal website
  • Google Drive

Accessibility

Contact Educational Access Services to request an an accessibility evaluation of the materials or to request technical assistance for making your materials more accessible.