Open Educational Resources

open sign spelled out in fluro circle

About OERs

Open Educational Resources (OERs) are openly and freely available resources that can be adopted and (in many cases) adapted under Creative Commons (CC) licences.

OERs remove the often prohibitive costs of course materials, ensuring equity of access to learning content. Such resources also provide pedagogical benefits for educators, including the capacity to innovate and tailor content for alignment with the course and unit learning outcomes.

The University encourages the adoption of Open Educational Resources, as stated in Clause 72 of the Assessment, Teaching and Learning Procedures.

In conjunction with the Council for Australasian University Libraries OER Collective SCU has contributed to the following open textbooks:

The Library has an informative Open Resources Library guide which provides an overview of open resources as a whole.

View the guide

The Library has curated collections of subject-specific Open Textbooks. All the resources in these collections are in the public domain, or have a CC licence for re-use, revision, remixing, redistribution or retention.

Browse the collection

Faculty and College Librarians can provide advice on how to source, recommend or replace prescribed texts with OERs.

Faculty and College Librarians
Student smiling with stack of books

OER grant program

In 2025 SCU Library is piloting an OER Grant program to assist SCU staff to replace commercial, prescribed textbook/s with a free for student alternative. This grant program has been made possible with the support of Higher Education Participation and Partnership (HEPPP) funding. 

Two levels of grants will be offered as part of the program:

  • $1000 to adopt existing OER and/or Library subscribed resources to replace commercial textbook/s in a unit
  • $2000 to adapt or develop OER or open textbook/s to replace commercial textbook/s in a unit (allocation exhausted).

The grants are open to any professional or academic staff at SCU who are involved in teaching or designing units at SCU. Full eligibility requirements and information about the program can be found in the OER Grant Program Guidelines.

Grants awarded

Jonathan Harlen, Faculty of Business, Law and Arts
Development grant ($2000)
Replace two textbooks in LAWS2018 Wills and estates 
Estimated saving per student $400 

Ebi Cocodia, Faculty of Health
Development grant ($2000)
Replace a commercial textbook in COUN1001, COUN1002  COUN1003, COUN2001, COUN2002, COUN2003, COUN2004, COUN2005, COUN3001, COUN3002
Estimated savings per student: $209.95

Johanna Niewoudt, SCU College and Damian Fernando, The Hotel School
Adoption grant ($1000)
Replace one textbook in HOTL1002 Accounting and Finance for Hotel Operations to achieve zero-textbook cost in the Diploma of Hotel Management
Estimated saving per student $94

Brendan Walker-Munro, Faculty of Business, Law and Arts
Adoption grant ($1000)
Replace one textbook in LAWS2016 Evidence law
Estimated saving per student $185

OER Grant Program Guidelines

To be considered for a grant, staff members should submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to library@scu.edu.au Prior to submitting an EOI carefully read:

EOIs will be assessed according to the selection criteria outlined in the OER Grant Program Guidelines (page 5). Project teams will be notified of the outcome of their application within 10 business days of submitting their EOI.

 

OER Grant Program EOI Form

EOIs open in April 2025.

EOIs close 5pm 26 September 2025, unless already allocated.

Contact library@scu.edu.au if you have any questions about the grant program.