Open Textbook Repositories
- André Dietrich
- Article
- June 19, 2024
This alphabetically sorted overview is fare from being complete, but it should give you a good starting point to find open textbooks for your courses. If you want to collaborate with us in order to translate such books into LiaScript, have a look at the following blog-post.
What Do Poland and Arnold Schwarzenegger Have in Common?
… for translating open textbooks into interactive LiaScript books. But, based on our discussions at the eLearning Africa Conference we realized that there is a need for open textbooks for various purposes.
If you know of any other repositories, please let us know and we will add them to the list.
BCcampus OpenEd
BCcampus OpenEd provides open textbooks for the most highly enrolled first and second-year post-secondary subjects in British Columbia, Canada. It includes additional resources to support faculty in adopting and adapting OER, aiming to make higher education more accessible and affordable.
Flexbooks Project
https://www.ck12.org/fbbrowse/
CK-12 is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, high-quality educational resources to students and educators worldwide. The CK-12 FlexBook platform offers a vast library of open textbooks and educational materials across various subjects and grade levels. These resources are designed to be flexible and customizable, enabling teachers to adapt content to meet the specific needs of their students. With a focus on interactive and digital learning, CK-12 also includes simulations, videos, and practice exercises to enhance student engagement and understanding. By promoting open education and technology, CK-12 aims to make learning more accessible, affordable, and effective for everyone.
LibreTexts
LibreTexts is an extensive collection of open textbooks for subjects such as chemistry, biology, and engineering. The platform supports the sharing and customization of educational materials, aiming to provide a comprehensive and accessible resource for students and educators.
Lumen Learning
Lumen Learning offers open courses and learning materials, focusing on improving student success through the effective use of OER and data-driven teaching practices. It provides resources that are customizable to fit specific educational needs.
MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching)
MERLOT is a curated collection of free and open online teaching, learning, and faculty development services contributed and used by an international education community. It offers resources across a wide range of disciplines, supporting educators in discovering and integrating high-quality content into their teaching.
MILNE Open Textbooks
https://milneopentextbooks.org
MILNE Open Textbooks is an initiative by SUNY Geneseo’s Milne Library, dedicated to providing free, openly licensed textbooks to support higher education. The platform offers a diverse collection of high-quality textbooks across various disciplines, all reviewed and selected for their academic rigor and relevance. By making these resources freely available, MILNE Open Textbooks aims to alleviate the financial burden on students and promote the adoption of open educational resources (OER) in academic institutions. The initiative also encourages faculty to contribute to and customize these materials to better fit their teaching needs, fostering a collaborative and inclusive approach to education.
MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare is a repository of course materials from virtually all of MIT’s courses, freely available to anyone. It includes lecture notes, assignments, and exams, providing a valuable resource for self-learners and educators worldwide.
Norwegian Digital Learning Arena (NDLA)
The Norwegian Digital Learning Arena is an innovative educational platform that provides free, high-quality digital learning resources for secondary education in Norway. Supported by the Norwegian government, NDLA offers a comprehensive range of materials, including interactive courses, textbooks, videos, and multimedia content, all tailored to the national curriculum. The platform encourages collaboration among educators, allowing them to contribute, share, and enhance resources to better meet the needs of students. NDLA’s mission is to promote equal access to education, fostering an inclusive and engaging learning environment through the use of digital technology.
OERCommons
OER Commons is a dynamic digital library and network that offers a comprehensive collection of open educational resources (OER) to support teaching and learning at all levels. Developed by the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME), OER Commons provides educators, students, and institutions with access to freely available teaching materials, including lesson plans, full courses, textbooks, and multimedia content. The platform fosters collaboration and sharing among users, enabling them to create, modify, and contribute resources tailored to their educational needs. OER Commons emphasizes inclusivity and accessibility, aiming to democratize education by breaking down barriers to high-quality learning materials worldwide.
OpenLearn
https://www.open.edu/openlearn
OpenLearn is provided by The Open University and offers free courses and educational resources across a wide range of subjects and academic levels. It aims to make learning accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances.
OpenStax
OpenStax is a non-profit educational initiative based at Rice University that offers free, high-quality, peer-reviewed textbooks for college and high school courses. By providing openly licensed textbooks that can be freely downloaded, edited, and distributed, OpenStax aims to make education more accessible and affordable for students everywhere. The project collaborates with educators and subject matter experts to create and maintain its extensive library of textbooks, which cover a wide array of disciplines from mathematics and science to the humanities and social sciences. OpenStax also supports instructors with supplementary resources, including test banks and lecture slides, ensuring comprehensive support for teaching and learning.
OpenStax CNX (Connections)
OpenStax CNX is a platform for open textbooks and educational modules, allowing users to view, share, and modify content. It supports a wide range of academic disciplines and promotes the creation and dissemination of high-quality educational materials.
Open Textbook Library
https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks
The Open Textbook Library, hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Open Education, is an extensive online catalog offering free, openly licensed textbooks for a wide array of subjects. This initiative aims to make higher education more affordable and accessible by providing students and educators with high-quality, peer-reviewed academic resources that can be freely downloaded, edited, and shared. The library’s collection spans numerous disciplines, ensuring that educators can find materials that align with their course objectives. By fostering the adoption of open textbooks, the Open Textbook Library supports academic freedom and the customization of educational content to enhance teaching and learning experiences.
Open Textbooks for Hong Kong
https://www.opentextbooks.org.hk
Open Textbooks for Hong Kong is a project that provides free, high-quality, openly licensed textbooks to support higher education in Hong Kong and beyond. The platform offers a diverse collection of textbooks across various subjects, all curated to align with academic standards and enhance learning experiences. By providing these resources at no cost, the initiative aims to reduce the financial burden on students and promote the adoption of open educational resources (OER) within the academic community. Open Textbooks for Hong Kong also encourages educators to customize and adapt the materials to fit their specific teaching needs, fostering a collaborative and flexible approach to education.
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is primarily known for its extensive library of free eBooks, but it also offers a variety of textbooks and educational resources freely accessible to anyone. It focuses on the digital distribution of books that are in the public domain.
Teaching Commons
This is an online platform dedicated to sharing open educational resources (OER) and best practices among educators to enhance teaching and learning. Hosted by the California State University system, the Teaching Commons provides a wealth of resources, including textbooks, course materials, multimedia content, and professional development tools, all freely available to educators worldwide. The platform encourages collaboration and innovation in education by allowing educators to create, adapt, and share resources tailored to their specific teaching needs. Through its commitment to open access and community engagement, the Teaching Commons aims to support educators in delivering high-quality, inclusive, and effective educational experiences.
Twillo
https://www.twillo.de/oer/web/
Twillo is a German platform dedicated to providing open educational resources (OER) to enhance teaching and learning experiences. The platform offers a wide range of free, high-quality educational materials, including textbooks, lesson plans, and multimedia content, suitable for various educational levels and subjects. Twillo aims to promote the use and creation of OER by enabling educators to share and customize resources to meet their specific needs. By fostering a collaborative and innovative educational environment, Twillo supports the democratization of knowledge and the reduction of educational costs, making learning more accessible and effective for students and teachers alike.
Wiley’s Open Education Resources
https://hub.wiley.com/community/exchanges/discover-open-education-resources
Wiley’s OER provides free access to high-quality educational materials and resources for educators and students across various subjects. Wiley supports the adoption of OER to enhance teaching and learning experiences.
WikiBooks
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page
Wikibooks is a free, collaborative online platform that provides a vast repository of open-content textbooks. As part of the Wikimedia Foundation’s family of projects, Wikibooks allows anyone to create, edit, and improve educational resources on a wide range of subjects, from the sciences and humanities to languages and technology. The initiative aims to democratize access to quality educational materials by ensuring they are freely available to everyone. Wikibooks also supports multiple languages, making it a global resource for learners and educators alike. The platform’s open-editing model ensures that the content is continually updated and improved by a community of contributors, fostering an ever-evolving and comprehensive educational tool.
Zintegrowana Platforma Edukacyjna (ZPE)
ZPE is a comprehensive Polish educational platform designed to provide free access to a wide range of high-quality educational resources for students, teachers, and parents. Managed by the Ministry of National Education in Poland, ZPE offers an extensive library of materials, including textbooks, lesson plans, interactive exercises, and multimedia content, all aligned with the national curriculum. The platform supports personalized learning and teaching experiences by enabling users to create and share their own resources, collaborate with others, and track educational progress. ZPE aims to enhance the quality of education in Poland by making learning more engaging, accessible, and effective through digital innovation.