OER provides users with a variety of ways to adapt, adopt and create content. A useful way to appreciate the value of OER is to understand what you, the user of openly licensed content, are allowed to do with it. These permissions are granted in advance, and are legally established through Public Domain or Creative Commons copyrights. The 5 Rs of OER define the ways in which you can interact with OER.

The 5 Rs of OER

1. Retain – the right to make, own, and control copies of the content (e.g., download, duplicate, store, and manage)
2. Reuse – the right to use the content in a wide range of ways (e.g., in a class, in a study group, on a website, in a video)
3. Revise – the right to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself (e.g., translate the content into another language)
4. Remix – the right to combine the original or revised content with other material to create something new (e.g., incorporate the content into a mashup)
5. Redistribute – the right to share copies of the original content, your revisions, or your remixes with others (e.g., give a copy of the content to a friend)

To understand how you can use OER materials, read on about the types of Creative Commons Copyrights.

If you need further assistance or have additional questions please contact:
SUNY Online Support Services HelpDesk
1-844-673-6786 | sunyonlinehelp@suny.edu