LibGuides: Open Educational Resources (OER): Open Appalachia: Open & Affordable Resources Initiative

Open Appalachia: Open & Affordable Resources Initiative

The Appalachian College Association (ACA) has adopted the acronym OAR, meaning Open and Affordable Resources, as a broader umbrella term. OARs includes low-cost items and free resources that might not meet the strict, technical definition for an Open Educational Resource (OER). Below are links to the ACA's resources related to the OAR Initiative seeking to make college more affordable and accessible to all students.

OAR Guide and Contact Information

Open Appalachia: OAR Guide and Contact Information
Find tutorials and information about upcoming online trainings, as well as contact information for Sara Parme, the ACA's Open and Affordable Resources Project Director.

ACA's OAR Trail Map: Backward Design for Forward Progress

To learn more about the overall process of finding and evaluating OAR/OER materials, try out the ACA's tutorials created by Sarah Parme, the Open and Affordable Resources Project Director. Each of the three segments takes about 20 minutes, and you can even earn a certificate of completion at the end of each segment.

Part 1 - OAR Trail Map: Backward Design for Forward Progress
Backward design starts with reviewing your course's learning objective and assessments. Click the link above and scroll down to find this tutorial.
Part 2 - OAR Trail Map: Backward Design for Forward Progress
This segment focuses on searching your library, OpenStax, LibreTexts, and the Pressbooks directory. Click the link above and scroll down to find this tutorial.
Part 3 - OAR Trail Map: Backward Design for Forward Progress
This tutorial focuses on the Open Textbook Library, Open Oregon, BCCampus Open Ed, and Google. Click the link above and scroll down to find this tutorial.