Support for Open Education

Open Educational Resources are any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or that come with an open license (Creative Commons license, such as CC BY and CC BY-NC). Because they’re published under open licenses, you can use, share, adapt, and remix them to fit your own learning or teaching style. (See also this definition by UNESCO). In other words, any teacher is legally allowed to use (parts) of the Open Educational Resources in their own course or use them as an inspiration. 

By using and sharing Open Educational Resources, you can:

• Access and contribute to a growing pool of high-quality teaching materials.
• Innovate by remixing and adapting content to fit students' needs and the latest insights.
• Collaborate across disciplines and work with peers worldwide to develop and refine educational resources.
• Remove financial and institutional barriers to education.
  

• edusources – A Dutch repository for a large variety of educational resources, and expert communities. Material can be in Dutch or English.
• For a complete overview, please read thesupport knowledge article on Finding, using, and sharing Open Educational Resources.

When you want to share teaching material like images, videos, infographics, assignments or assessments, we recommend using a Creative Commons licence. In this way, your work is not only freely available, but others also know what they may do with the material.
As stated in the Open Educational Resources Policy, the default licence for sharing WUR materials is CC BY-NC. This licence permits you to reuse, modify and adapt your work, except for commercial purposes.

Wageningen University and Research is transitioning to SURF sharekit and edusources as the standard platforms for finding and sharing WUR Open Educational Resources. By uploading your materials to SURF sharekit, you can share them publicly, with a specific group or consortium, or only with WUR colleagues. The materials will then be made available on edusources, where either everyone or designated users can find and download them for reuse.

It is also possible to share your materials on other platforms. In the knowledge article on sharing and creating open educational resources, you can find detailed guidance.

Benefits of open textbooks:

• You can create and use materials reflecting the latest scientific insights; unlike print textbooks, they are not static.
• Content can be adapted to fit specific courses, institutions, or student needs.
• Students benefit from free, online, and downloadable access (PDF/ePub) and retain access after graduation, supporting lifelong learning.
• Institutions reduce dependence on commercial publishers, avoid delivery delays, and ensure availability.