Different sources provide different definitions for "Open Educational Resources", and these differences crystallize around issues of material types and degree of openness. Two of the most frequently cited are:
The William and Flora Hewlitt Foundation's: Open Educational Resources are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.
And
The Creative Commons definition: Open educational resources (OER) are free and openly licensed educational materials that can be used for teaching, learning, research, and other purposes.
Confused about the difference between OER and Open Access?
The University of Hawaii, Manua has developed a guide for instructors interested in or using OER: OER Training. The guide itself is an OER resource, so that it can be used or adapted by other institutions.
In addition the following very helpful title is part of the DACC Library's Libby Collection
Best Practices in Designing Courses with Open Educational Resources
