Open and Renewable
Practices in Teaching
What Are Open & Renewable Practices?
Open and renewable practices go beyond using OER–they involve creating, adapting, and sharing materials in ways that allow them to be continuously improved and reused.
These practices support collaboration among faculty and engage students as contributors to knowledge.
What Makes a Resource "Renewable"?
A renewable resource is one that:
- Can be revised and updated over time
- Can be reused across courses or terms
- Can be shared with others
- Can be improved by students or instructors
Examples of Open & Renewable Practices
- Students create study guides that are shared with future classes
- Faculty adapt and improve OER textbooks each term
- Course materials are openly licensed and shared across departments
- Students contribute to public knowledge projects (e.g., blogs, wikis)
Benefits for Teaching and Learning
- Encourages student engagement and ownership
- Supports collaboration among faculty
- Reduces duplication of effort
- Improves materials over time
- Expands access to learning resources
Getting Started
- Start with one assignment or module
- Choose materials that can be updated and shared
- Apply an open license when appropriate
- Encourage students to contribute and reflect
Important Considerations
- Ensure materials are accessible (ADA/WCAG alignment)
- Clearly communicate expectations to students
- Review and update materials regularly
- Respect licensing requirements when sharing
Ready to incorporate open and renewable practices?
- Explore OER resources
- Apply a Creative Commons license to your materials
- Start small and build over time
“Creative Commons License Materials” by Creative Commons is licensed under CC BY 4.0 and available from CreativeCommons.org .
Text and instructional content on this page are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license .
Images and third-party materials are used under license and may not be reused without
permission.
