Durham’s OER Policy

Expand the sections on this page to read Durham University’s approach to supporting and guiding the creation, use, and publication of Open Educational Resources across our teaching and learning community.

1. Background and purpose
  1. Definition
    Open Educational Resources (OER) are digitised learning, teaching, and research materials available in any format and medium, that are either in the public domain or have been released under a public copyright license that allows free access, reuse, repurposing, adaptation, and redistribution by others.
  2. Vision and Purpose
    Enabling the creation, publication, and use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) aligns with our mission to enrich lives and advance learning by making knowledge accessible to all; fostering openness, inclusivity, integrity, and collaboration, as well as showcasing materials to prospective and incoming students. OERs reflect our commitment to excellence and citizenship by promoting high-quality education and positively impacting communities, locally and globally.
  3. Sustainability
    With sustainability at the heart of our university strategy, we believe that a commitment to OERs is particularly important in helping us achieve the United Nations Sustainability Development Goal 4: Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
2. University Position
  1. Endorsement
    The University encourages staff and students to use, create, and publish OERs to enhance the quality of the student experience and to increase access to education for both local and global communities.
  2. Formats
    OERs may be created in a range of formats including but not limited to course materials, guides, images, videos, podcasts, code, simulations, and 3D graphics.
  3. Scope of Policy
    This policy applies to all Durham University staff and students who create, publish, or use OERs.
  4. Exceptions
    Materials published as OERs are expected to be discrete and small-scale digital education resources. Teaching materials considered commercially sensitive should not be published as OERs. Decisions regarding OER publication rest with Departments or Services.
  5. Restrictions
    Non-compliance with the terms of the policy may constitute a disciplinary offence. The University reserves the right to restrict access to, remove, or edit any resources it hosts that do not comply with its policies, and to request removal of resources from external repositories or sites.
  6. Intellectual Property Rights
    Anyone producing OERs must adhere to University policy on intellectual property rights. When using OERs, staff and students must comply with license terms. University data protection policies must be followed.
3. Guidance
  1. Licensing
    The University recommends sharing OERs under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) to comply with UN definitions. Other licenses may be used if necessary based on third-party content.
  2. Attribution
    OERs must visibly attribute the copyright owner(s), author(s), date, and applied Creative Commons license. The copyright owner will normally be Durham University. An example attribution: © [Author Name], Durham University, CC BY, 2025.
  3. Rights to Publish
    It is the responsibility of creators to ensure they have the rights to publish OERs and comply with all relevant laws and University policies.
  4. Quality Assurance
    All OERs should meet the standards for high-quality teaching materials as set out in the Learning and Teaching Handbook, ensuring accessibility and engagement. Staff-authored resources must undergo peer review before publication. Students creating OERs must have their work checked by a supervising staff member.
  5. Branding
    Where feasible, OERs published by Durham University staff or students must include official Durham University branding. Templates and branding guidance are available from the Marketing and Communications Office.
  6. Data Protection
    Staff and students must ensure any personally identifiable information (PII) in OERs is processed lawfully under data protection law, mindful that consent can be withdrawn.
  7. Hosting and Sharing OERs
    OERs should be hosted on suitable public-facing repositories (e.g., YouTube, Wikimedia Commons, GitHub). Creators should register their OERs with the University’s OER website and consider submitting to platforms like OER Commons and Merlot to enhance visibility.
  8. Use of Existing OERs
    Staff and students are encouraged to reuse open educational resources, ensuring quality and accessibility checks, and complying with licensing terms, including attribution.
  9. Guidance and Support
    Further guidance on publishing and using OERs can be found on the University’s OER website. For pedagogic advice on creating OERs, staff and students should consult DCAD’s Digital Learning Team in the first instance.
4. Review and Update Process
  1. Review
    The OER Policy will be reviewed annually by the University’s Digital Learning and OER stakeholder group to ensure ongoing relevance, legal compliance, and alignment with sector best practices.
  2. Updates
    Any revisions to the policy will be submitted to the University’s Education Development Committee for approval.