What is OER?
We’re glad you asked! 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.We see OER as a powerful force to shape curriculum in the ways that we want, and that our students need. Let us help you make it part of your classroom.
Why does this matter?
- Free or low cost textbooks keep costs down for students.
- High quality, up-to-date content keeps your course fresh.
- Adapt content to work for your unique classroom.
- Permanent access allows student use after the course ends.
- It’s the way the world should work!
OER in the News
Governor Cuomo announces $8 million for Open Educational Resources Initiative at SUNY and CUNY to Cut High Cost of Textbooks
New York Doubles Down on Open Educational Resources
Open-NYS is the collaboration of the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY) to provide support for the implementation of Open Educational Resources (OER) across both systems.
This year, SUNY and CUNY were given $8 million by Governor Cuomo and the state of New York to implement OER in high-enrollment, general education courses.
Your guide to Open-NYS

Adopt
We outline resources and techniques. Faculty discuss how OER helped them make a difference to their students.
Where do I start?
Engage
Meet others in your discipline who are using or want to partner with you to create OER content. We also have librarians, course designers, and OER experts here to help.
Engage with the community