The quality of open textbooks and other OER depends on the specific resource, as OER are not a singular resource. Like publisher textbooks, the depth and quality of the openly-licensed content can vary.
In general, OER are considered high-quality resources. A study from 2014 found that most faculty using OER consider open resources to be equivalent to, or even better than, products produced by traditional publishers (
Babson Survey Research Group).
Additionally, OER are generally updated more frequently than traditionally published resources. Since openly-licensed resources can be adapted and redistributed, they do not rely on a single creator to continually update the resource. For example,
OpenStax textbooks are high quality, peer-reviewed textbooks that are frequently updated and revised.
When selecting resources for your course:
- Use your course learning outcomes to guide your OER search; ask yourself “what resources will help my students achieve the outcomes?”
- Look for openly licensed assessments to save time.