The Hewlett Foundation defines Open Educational Resources (OER) as teaching, learning and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others. Open Educational Resources can be a variety of forms including full courses, videos, textbooks, and any other tools that could be used to share knowledge. OER can be accessed online, but can also be purchased in the bookstore for just the cost of printing.
Since the first OER course offered in 2016, faculty at Mid have helped reduce textbook costs and have saved students $2.3 million in textbook costs!
Currently, Mid has 21 courses that utilize OER.
Mid's Z-Degrees, Zero Textbook Cost Pathways, mean you can achieve your goal of an associate degree by completing courses with zero conventional textbook costs by using alternative instructional materials and methodologies, including open educational resources (OER). Learn more about Z-Degree pathways using the links below.
Links to overview of each program or pathway.
| heading | Degree or Credential Earned | % OER |
|---|---|---|
| Communication MiTransfer | Associate in Arts | 50% + |
| History & Political Science Transfer | Associate in Arts | 50% + |
| Liberal Studies Transfer | Associate in Arts | 50% + |
| Liberal Studies Transfer - Z-Degree | Associate in Arts | 50% + |
| Math Transfer | Associate in Science | 50% + |
| Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) | MTA Endorsement | 50% + |
| Psychology MiTransfer | Associate in Arts | 50% + |
| Chemistry Transfer | Associate in Science | Nearly 50% |
| Criminal & Social Justice Transfer | Associate in Arts | Nearly 50% |
| Physics Transfer | Associate in Science | Nearly 50% |
| Physics Transfer Math Prep | Associate in Science | Nearly 50% |
| Secondary Education Transfer | Associate in Arts | Nearly 50% |
| Social Work MiTransfer | Associate in Arts | Nearly 50% |
| heading | Course Name | OER Resource |
|---|---|---|
| AAP.264 | Business Communication II | Various OER |
| BIO.103 | Concepts of Genetics and Biotech | Various OER |
| BIO.107 | Introduction to Wildlife Management | Various OER |
| BUS.171 | Principles of Sales | Various OER |
| CHM.111 | General College Chemistry I | Various OER |
| COM.101 | Fundamentals of Communication | Various OER |
| COM.195 | Intercultural Communication | The Art of Being Human |
| COM.257 | Public Speaking | Various OER |
| ENG.110 | Academic Writing | Various OER |
| MAT.101 | Basic Mathematics | Various OER |
| MAT.104 | Basic Algebra | Various OER |
| MAT.105 | Intermediate Algebra | Various OER |
| MAT.212 | Intro to Probability & Statistics | Introductory Statistics |
| MID.150 | Career Readiness | Various OER |
| PHY.105 | Intro College Physics I | College Physics |
| PHY.212 | University Physics II | University Physics Vol. 2 |
| PSC.101 | Intro Astronomy | Astronomy |
| PSY.101 | Intro to General Psychology | Psychology |
| PSY.230 | Social Psychology: A Psychological Perspective | Various OER |
| SOC.101 | Principles of Sociology | Introduction to Sociology 2e |
| SPN.101 | Elementary Spanish I | Various OER |