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Open Educational Resources

An introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER) for students and faculty members who are interested in incorporating these resources into teaching and learning.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Licenses

Creative Commons spectrum

Creative Commons: less restrictions than standard copyright but author retains full right

  • Simplified standardization of granting copyright permissions
  • Spectrum of permissions ranging from All Rights Reserved (most restrictive) to Public Domain (least restrictive)
     

Students and faculty who wish to use resources under a Creative Commons License should pay special attention to the type of license indicated by the author. For full description of license types and permissible use, please visit the Creative Commons website or check out the video below.

Types of Licenses

Open copyright symbol

OPEN- free to share; adapt or modify
Free access symbol

FREE- free to access; not necessarily allowed to share, adapt or modify
Fair use symbol

FAIR USE- permits limited use of material for educational purposes without acquiring permission from the copyright holder
Public domain symbol

PUBLIC DOMAIN- works that are publicly available because intellectual property rights have expired or have been forfeited
Paid content symbol

PAY- faculty adopts a book from a traditional publisher; students pay for textbooks (physical or eBook)

Full Copyright

All Rights Reserved ©


The phrase "All Rights Reserved" indicates that the copyright holder reserves, or holds for their own use, all the rights provided by copyright law, such as distribution, performance, and creation of derivative works. Copyright law in most countries does not require such notices.


Unless the author explicitly gives up their copyright using Creative Commons licenses, the author reserves full copyright for that resource, and it cannot be used without permission.