C/7.2 Open educational resources

Policy Owner	University Librarian
Approval Date	29/04/2021
Approval Authority	Council
Date of Next Review	30/04/2024

7.2.1 Purpose
7.2.2 Application
7.2.3 Roles and responsibilities
7.2.4 Obligations
7.2.5 Open access repositories
7.2.6 Definitions
Related Documents
Modification History

7.2.1 Purpose

QUT is committed to the creation and dissemination of knowledge for the benefit of society. This includes supporting the use and sharing of Open Educational Resources (OERs) to widen access to education, and to improve both the cost-efficiency and quality of teaching and learning outcomes.

QUT encourages the adoption, adaptation, and creation of high quality OERs where they contribute to quality learner experiences and success, and where QUT's reputation and priorities are promoted, including aspiration and inclusion.

The purpose of this policy is to provide clear direction to the University’s staff and students with relation to the adoption, adaptation, or creation of OERs.

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7.2.2 Application

This policy applies to all QUT staff (whether academic or professional), visitors and any person enrolled as a student of QUT, or in a course or program of study conducted by or on behalf of QUT, who are engaged in QUT related activities involving:

the adoption and adaptation of externally sourced Open Educational Resources to develop learning and teaching materials for QUT; or
the creation of education resources where QUT owns the intellectual property.

This policy does not apply to Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) produced by QUT.

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7.2.3 Roles and responsibilities

Position	Responsibility
Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)	approves guidelines for the use and licensing of education resources as Open Educational Resources or under other types of non-monetised licences which support the implementation of this policy
University Copyright Officer	provides guidance on copyright and licensing
QUT staff adopting external Open Educational Resources	ensure that the materials are fit for purpose, are of high quality, will enhance learning for students and support achievement of course learning outcomes follow the licensing terms associated with each Open Educational Resource comply with Guidelines for QUT Open Educational Resources
QUT staff seeking to adapt and create Open Educational Resources	ensure that the materials are fit for purpose, are of high quality, will enhance learning for students and support achievement of course learning outcomes ensure that approval process is followed, and comply with Guidelines for QUT Open Educational Resources, including application of appropriate licence and distribution on suitable platform ensure that all associated materials are free of third-party copyright material or have appropriate approval from the copyright owner and comply with QUT Copyright policy (F/5.1) ensure that a copy of Open Educational Resources approved for publication, together with relevant licence information, is held on QUT systems in accordance with the Records governance policy (F/6.1)
Heads of school (or equivalent)	approve QUT materials to be published as Open Educational Resources, with consideration to whether the resource comprises a significant component of a curriculum, offers potential for commercialisation, and / or supports university strategy ensure that decisions are recorded in accordance with the Records governance policy (F/6.1)

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7.2.4 Obligations

Ownership of intellectual property produced by QUT staff, students and visitors is outlined in the Intellectual property policy (D/3.1). Where QUT owns the copyright in educational resources, the moral rights of the creator must be appropriately acknowledged when releasing materials under an open licence. Where the intellectual property in educational resources is personally owned by students or visitors, they may grant the licence themselves to release content under an open licence.

Open licensing may not be appropriate where education materials are to be commercialised, contain confidential information, or where releasing the material would infringe a legal commitment by the University and/or author.

QUT supports the use of Creative Commons licensing when making QUT learning and teaching materials available as Open Educational Resources.

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7.2.5 Open access repositories

Educational resources approved for publication, together with relevant licence information, are to be made available from an appropriate repository with a copy held on QUT systems.

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7.2.6 Definitions

Open Educational Resources (OERs) are educational materials which are licensed in ways that provide permissions for individuals and institutions to reuse, adapt and modify the materials for their own use (as per the OER Foundation definition). Open Educational Resources may include all materials that are used in supporting learning and teaching, such as entire courses, units or components such as study guides, videos, podcasts, assessment items, software, simulations, or online tools.

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Modification History

Date	Sections	Source	Details
04.01.23	All	Council	Revised policy
29.04.21	All	Council	Revised policy
20.04.16	All	Council	New policy

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