UWM Libraries Research and Course Guides: Open Educational Resources (OER): OER Science Content

Science and Technology OER

MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare offers full online courses which include insight from instructors, lecture notes, textbook materials, assignments, exams with answers, and multimedia resources. All course content is downloadable.
Phet Interactive Simulations
Founded in 2002 by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman, the PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado Boulder creates free interactive math and science simulations. PhET simulations are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, game-like environment where students learn through exploration and discovery.

OpenStax
OpenStax from Rice University offers free, online educational materials and textbooks, some of which can be printed at an affordable price
Open Textbook Library
The Open Textbook Library is supported by the Center for Open Education and the Open Textbook Network. These books can be downloaded for no cost, or printed at low cost and have been reviewed by faculty from a variety of colleges and universities to assess their quality.

OER by Discipline Directory
The BCcampus Open Education OER by Discipline Directory lists a wide range of open educational resources organized by discipline. This directory is updated as new resources are identified.

Find, Reuse and Retain Simulations and other Course Assets

Open Educational Resources are ideal for online learning. They are free to reuse and redistribute to your students in Canvas. You can also retain a digital copy of a resource so that it is available to you for future semesters. You may also customize or remix content. When evaluating simulations, labs, etc. be selective about the source file and presentation format. For example, avoid content created with Flash which is largely not accessible and will no longer be supported after 2020. HTML5 files, on the other hand, can be viewed in most browsers and work with iOS devices. HTML5 can also be edited for customization or innovation purposes.

Find and Reuse: Scientific Illustrations

Online open textbooks are a great resource for scientific illustrations. Images can be reused in slides, handbooks, and virtual labs.