Open Educational Practices Toolkit

Overview of Open Educational Practices

What is OER (Open Educational Resources)?

• Open Educational Resources (OER) Toolkit — Center for Instructional Innovation, Western Washington University
• What the Heck is OER? — Edutopia

Moving from OER (Open Educational Resources) to OEP (Open Educational Practices)

• 7 Things You Should Know About Open Education: Practices — Educause
• What is Open Pedagogy? — David Wiley, Improving Learning
• The Values of Open Pedagogy — Educause Review
• Examples of Open Pedagogy — Open Pedagogy Notebook
• Critical Open Pedagogy [Podcast] — Rajiv Jhangiani, Teaching in Higher Ed
• What's Open About Open Pedagogy? [Slideshare] — Christina Hendricks

OEP and Social Justice

• Open Pedagogy and Social Justice — Pressbooks
• OER: Bigger than Affordability — Inside Higher Ed.
• #84. 3 Ways to Use TED Talks with MLs — Tan Huynh, Empowering ELLs

Moving to Renewable Assignments

• Renewable Assignments: Student Work Adding Value to the World — Christina Hendricks, University of British Columbia
• Toward Renewable Assignments — David Wiley, Improving Learning 
• How Do Faculty Benefit from Renewable Assignments? — BCcampus
• Examples of Structured Renewable Assignments — University of Washington

Open Pedagogy

• Open Pedagogy Approaches — Alexis Clifton & Kimberly Davies Hoffman

Curating Content

Reframing Text

• Students as Producers, Students as Partners — Inside Higher Ed.
• Open Pedagogy: Students as Content Creators — University of Northern Iowa 
• Open Educational Resources and Open Textbooks: Open Pedagogy — University of Washington 

Licensing (CC/Public Domain)

• Creative Commons — Creative Commons
• Creative Commons Toolkit — Center for Instructional Innovation, Western Washington University
• Open Educational Resources (OER) Toolkit — Center for Instructional Innovation, Western Washington University

Open Textbooks

• Use Open Textbooks — BCcampus
• Open Textbook Library — Open Textbook Library
• Open Washington — Open Washington
• OER Commons — OER Commons

Interactive Learning Materials or Objects

• New Media and Education: Interactive Learning Objects — Madison Technical College
• Interactive Learning Object — Johns Hopkins University 
• Interactive Learning Materials Evaluation Criteria — University of Hawai'i at Mānoa 

Podcasts

• Podcasting in Education: What Are the Benefits? — The Podcast Host
• Using Podcasts for Education — Higher E-Learning
• The Value of Using Podcasts in Class — The Atlantic

TED Talks

• Using TED Talks in the Classroom — Cambridge University
• 25 Reasons to Use TED in the Classroom — Class Tech Tips
• How to Use TED-ED: Ideas for the Flipped Classroom [Video] — Russell Stannard

Creating Content as a Practice

Instructor Producers

Learn to Screencast

• How to Create a Screencast — wikiHow
• How to Screencast Like The Khan Academy — Teach Thought
• The Best Screencasting Software for Teachers — Andrew Douch
• Getting the Most from Screencasting — Teaching in Higher Ed
• Screencasting to Engage Learning — Educause Review

Blogging

• Teaching with Blogs — Inside Higher Ed
• How to Use Blogs in The Classroom Education — eLearning Industry
• Getting Students Ready to Blog — University of Michigan
• Integrating, Evaluating, and Managing Blogging in the Classroom — The Chronicle of Higher Education
• 6 Best Blogging Platforms in 2026 (Expert Picks) — wpbeginner
• Wordpress.com Basics — University of Michigan
• How to Start a Blog: A Simple Stey-by-Step Guide — Smart Blogger
• Curated List of Blogs and Multimedia Resources About Learning and Teaching in Higher Education — Elon University 
• Ten Reasons Every Educator Should Start Blogging — Mohamed Khafaja, Edublogs 

Produce a Podcast

• There's Something in the Air: Podcasting in Education — Educause Review
• Podcasting 101 - How to Start a Podcast — The Podcasters' Studio
• Teaching Podcasting: A Curriculum Guide for Educators — NPR
• Project Audio: Teaching Students How to Produce Their Own Podcasts — The New York Times
• The 10 Technology Items You'll Need to Start a Podcast — Entrepreneur 

Student Producers

Podcasts

• Starting Your Podcast: A Guide for Students — NPR

Blogs

• Why Blogging is Key to the Future of Higher Ed — Campus Technology
• 101+ Blog Examples for Students: Templates & Ideas (2026) — Outrank's Blog 
• Why Universities Should Encourage Students to Run a Blog — Cornell University 
• Do I Need a Blog as a College Student? — Carolina VonKampen, LinkedIn 

Social Media

• Social Media in Higher Education: 14 Tips for 2026 — Hootsuite
• Recommendations for Using Social Media in the Classroom — University of Washington
• Teaching with Social Media — University of California, Berkeley 
• Social Media in the Classroom: Opportunities, Challenges & Recommendations — University of Washington 

Learning Activities

Using Open Data

• Open Data as Open Educational Resources: Case Studies of Emerging Practice — Javiera Atenas & Leo Havemann
• What Is a Data Repository? (Definition, Examples, & Tools) — Data Insider
  • See Also: Open Educational Resources (OER) Toolkit

Using Open Research

What is Open Research?

• What is Open Research? [Video] — Wellcome
• Open Science — European Commission
  • See Also: Open Educational Resources (OER) Toolkit

Class Blog Examples

• Class Blogs Support — University of Chicago 
• Sample Blog Post Assignment #1 — University of Notre Dame 

Platforms to Use to Create Class Blogs

• Wordpress
• Blogger
• Wix
• Weebly
• Medium

Creating Wikis

• Teach with Wikipedia — WikiEdu 
• Wikify your Course: Designing and Implementing a Wiki for your Learning Environment — Educause Review
• Collaborative Projects — Carleton College 
• 50 Ways to Use Wikis for a More Collaborative and Interactive Classroom — Vanderbilt University 
• How to Use Wiki in the Classroom — eLearning Industry
• Renewable Assignments and WikiEducation — Christine Johnston, Fostering Agency in Learning Innovative Teaching Showcase 2025-26, Western Washington University 

Class Curated Syllabus

• Syllabus Co-Creation: Inviting Students to Collaborate About What They Are Learning — Teaching & Learning Co-operative, Western Washington University 
• Curriculum is Power, So Co-Create It With Students — Education Week
• Creating a Syllabus — Baylor University 

Creating Textbooks

• A Guide to Making Open Textbooks with Students — Rebus Community

Books and Other Sources

Impact

• Open Educational Resources and Perceptions of Financial Aid — Samuel Abramovich & Mark McBride, The Internet and Higher Education 

Podcasting

• Podcasting in Higher Education: What Are the Implications for Teaching and Learning? — Steven Lonn & Stephanie D. Teasley, The Internet and Higher Education 
• Podcasting in Higher Education: Students' and Lecturers' Perspectives — Carvalho et al., Education and Technology for a Better World 

Students as Producers

• Student as Producer and Open Educational Resources: Enhancing Learning Through Digital Scholarship — Sue Watling, Enhancing Learning in the Social Sciences 

Blogs

• Blogging as an Instructional Tool in the ESL Classroom — Susan Mary Featro & Daniela DiGregorio, The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language 
• Using Blogs to Enhance Critical Reflection and Community of Practice — Shih-Hsien Yang, Journal of Educational Technology 

Wikis

• Wikis and Collaborative Learning in Higher Education — Melissa Niiya, Binbin Zheng, & Mark Warschauer, Technology Pedagogy and Education 
• Collaboration and Learning with Wikis in Post-Secondary Classrooms — Joan E. Hughes, Journal of Interactive Online Learning 
• Uses and Potentials of Wikis in the Classroom — S. Pixy Ferris & Hilary Wilder, Innovate: Journal of Online Education 
• Wikis as a Tool for Collaborative Language Learning: Implications for Literacy, Language Education and Multilingualism  — Selami Aydin, Balikesir University