{"id":20541,"date":"2025-06-08T22:49:40","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T02:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pacificopencourses.col.org\/ds4tc21\/?page_id=20541"},"modified":"2025-06-08T22:49:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T02:49:40","slug":"utilising-open-educational-resources-oer-ethically","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pacificopencourses.col.org\/ds4tc21\/learning-pathways\/module-3-creating-accessible-and-interactive-digital-content\/utilising-open-educational-resources-oer-ethically\/","title":{"rendered":"Utilising Open Educational Resources (OER) Ethically"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely accessible, openly licensed materials, such as videos, lesson plans, diagrams, and assessments, that you can use as they are, adapt to suit your needs, and share to enhance trade education. Building on your accessible content skills, this section explores how to ethically use OER to enrich vocational lessons.
\nCreative Commons (CC) licences, like CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike), allow users to adapt materials freely, provided they give proper credit and share their work under the same terms. Ethically using OER means respecting these licences and clearly crediting the original creators. These practices align with Module 2\u2019s focus on digital citizenship and academic integrity.
\nNow that you understand the importance of ethical use, the next step is to find high-quality OER you can confidently use in your trade teaching. You may already be familiar with OER Commons<\/b><\/a> (introduced in Module 0)<\/a>, a global platform offering a wide range of educational resources. In this section, we focus on SkillsCommons<\/b> (www.skillscommons.org)<\/a>, a specialised repository dedicated to trade and workforce education. It includes resources such as carpentry safety guides<\/a>, all shared under Creative Commons licences to support your vocational teaching.\n<\/p>\n

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Ethical Use of OER<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Using OER ethically is essential to respect creators\u2019 rights, ensure legal use, and model academic integrity for your students. It also supports the spirit of openness, as many creators share their work for free under Creative Commons licences with the expectation that they will be acknowledged. When you give credit, you not only meet the legal requirements of CC licences like CC BY (where \u201cBY\u201d means \u201cBy Attribution\u201d) but also encourage continued sharing and collaboration within the education community.\n<\/p>\n

One key and non-negotiable aspect of ethical use is attribution, which means clearly giving credit to the original creator. To properly attribute an OER, include the following four elements:\n<\/p>\n

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  1. Title<\/b> of the resource\n<\/li>\n
  2. Author<\/b> or creator\n<\/li>\n
  3. Licence type<\/b> (e.g., CC BY 4.0)\n<\/li>\n
  4. Source or link<\/b> to where the resource was found\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Recommend Format:<\/b> \u201c[Resource Title] by [Author], licensed under [Licence Type], from [Source URL].\u201d\n<\/p>\n

    Example:<\/b> \u201cWorkplace Safety Poster by Jane Doe, licensed under CC BY 4.0, from https:\/\/www.skillscommons.org.<\/a>\u201d\n<\/p>\n

    You can also use the free Attribution Builder<\/a> tool to quickly generate accurate attributions for any OER you use.<\/b>\n<\/p>\n

    When reusing or adapting OER (e.g., in slides, handouts, or videos), always include the attribution clearly at the bottom of the material.\n<\/p>\n

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    Try It Yourself:<\/b> Find and attribute an OER for your trade lesson. Follow the steps:\n<\/p>\n

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    1. Watch the following video on how to browse for resources on the SkillsCommons<\/a> library: https:\/\/youtu.be\/WO1isgCq3_A <\/a>\n<\/li>\n
    2. Find an OER relevant to your trade subject.\n<\/li>\n
    3. Create a proper attribution. Use the Attribution Builder<\/a> to generate a correct attribution.\n<\/li>\n
    4. Share the resource with your students by using it in a lesson slide, handout, or activity. If needed, adapt the content to suit your lesson and ensure the attribution is clearly shown at the bottom.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \nSelf-Reflection:<\/b> How does using OER support both your teaching and your students\u2019 learning? How helpful was the Attribution Builder in making it easier to give proper credit?\n<\/p>\n

      Post your reflection here<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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