Get a Sneak Peek at Courses with OER OUM

Everyone knows first impressions count.

For OUM, giving people the right idea of what studying is like at the country’s premier open and distance learning institution is an important part of making our best first impression.

Enter OER OUM, a portal that showcases open educational resources (OER) created based on the University’s course modules. Not only does OER OUM offer a great first look into what is available at OUM, it is also virtually free and can be viewed by anyone, anywhere.

Through the effort of the Centre for Instructional Design and Technology (CiDT), selected content from modules are transformed into high-quality and attractively designed videos, flipbooks, interactive books and quizzes. Each topic is part of actual courses offered at OUM, so people can get a sneak peek into subject matters that interest them. If they like what they see, they can choose to sign up for the corresponding programme at the University.

Comprising instructional designers, editors, graphic designers, desktop publishers, multimedia programmers and video editors, this creative team at CiDT has been working on OER OUM since November 2021.

A wide range of topics are currently available, from early childhood education to psychology, public speaking, Islamic studies, and even occupational hygiene. By the end of March, a total of 48 OER have been developed, and CiDT is working on introducing even more within the next few months.

The OER uses the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND (non-commercial, no derivatives) licence. What this means is that people can download the content and share it with others as long as they credit the original work. Users also cannot change the original work in any way or use it for commercial purposes.

Take a quick look at what you can enjoy at OER OUM!

The OER OUM frontpage shows all the exciting options available in a wide range of topics.

An interactive book like this one includes an easy-to-read layout, pictures, videos, and even quizzes.

As you go through the OER, you will find quizzes like this, which assesses your understanding of the subject matter.

Some OER don’t come with words, they are explained through videos.

Here is another video-based OER. This one includes narration by a subject-matter expert on the topic.

For those who like the look of an actual page-turner, the flipbook is a great resource also available on OER OUM.

By Tengku Amina Munira