LoyalistLibrary: 911 and Public Safety Communications: Open Educational Resources

What are Open Educational Resources?

"Open Educational Resources, or OER, refer to any teaching and learning materials that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license, such as a Creative Commons License or GNU General Public License, that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution with no or limited restrictions".

(Source: The OER Toolkit, Colleges Library Ontario)

Where can I find OERs for my course?

There are a variety of sources for OERs! This is only a small selection. For more, check the Library's OER Research Guide.

AMSER (Applied Math and Science Education Repository)
"AMSER (the Applied Math and Science Education Repository) is a portal of educational resources and services built specifically for use by those in Community and Technical Colleges but free for anyone to use." -- website
B.C. Open Collection (formerly BC Campus OpenEd)
"The B.C. Open Collection is a curated selection of open educational resources (OER) that can be accessed by educators in B.C. and beyond to use in the classroom, in an institutional learning management system, or on other teaching and learning platforms. All materials are openly licensed. This means they are free to use, customize, and share. The collection includes courses and textbooks, and new resources are being added all the time." -- website
Directory of Open Access Journals
"DOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals." -- website
eCampus Ontario Open Textbook Library
"In partnership with BCcampus, and in the footsteps of other provincial online learning centres like OpenEd Manitoba, eCampusOntario has created this new virtual Open Textbook Library, established to offer learners a repository of resources which are licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed." -- website (A link to eCampus is also available at LoyalistLibrary.com, under the Collections tab.)
OER Commons
"OER Commons offers a comprehensive infrastructure for curriculum experts and instructors at all levels to identify high-quality OER and collaborate around their adaptation, evaluation, and use to address the needs of teachers and learners." -- website
Open Educational Resources Research Guide
The Loyalist Library has its own guide to open educational resources. This guide acts as a starting point, with background information, links to OER's, and more.
Open Textbook Library
"Textbooks in the Open Textbook Library are considered open because they are free to use and distribute, and are licensed to be freely adapted or changed with proper attribution." -- website

Selected OERs for 911 and Public Safety Communications

Interpersonal Communication: A Mindful Approach to Relationships
"Interpersonal Communication: A Mindful Approach to Relationships helps readers examine their own one-on-one communicative interactions using a mindfulness lens." -- website
Medical Terminology for Healthcare Professions
"Medical Terminology for Healthcare Professions is an Open Educational Resource (OER) that focuses on breaking down, pronouncing, and learning the meaning of medical terms within the context of anatomy and physiology. This resource is targeted for Healthcare Administration, Health Sciences, and Pre-Professional students."
Northern and Indigenous Health and Healthcare
"The provision of northern health care entails many unique challenges and circumstances that are rarely represented in mainstream health sciences education. This open access, online resource consists of 38 short chapters from a variety of experts, academics, and practitioners in northern and Indigenous health and health care from around the Circumpolar North on the following themes: health issues in northern and Indigenous communities; health systems and governance; the social determinants of health in northern and Indigenous communities; culture and health; and professional practice in rural/remote/isolated communities. The learning objectives for this open textbook include: understanding the unique healthcare needs and professional responsibilities that result from remoteness and population sparsity; identifying the social, environmental and cultural aspects of a community that inform and impact care needs; appreciating traditional and Indigenous medicines and approaches to healing as part of a holistic care system; and exploring the similarities and differences in northern health care across the circumpolar region." -- website
Supporting Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities & Mental Illness
"This multidisciplinary resource develops topics of interest to all those who care about and for individuals with co-occurring intellectual disabilities and mental illness." -- website

Mope open journals coming soon!

What is a MOOC?
MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, are online courses, often offered for free or at minimal cost. Many MOOCs include audio or video lectures, assignments, readings, quizzes, and interactive forums and discussion boards. Many MOOCs are offered by large institutions, and some will offer course credits for completed MOOCs, usually for a small fee.

(Sources: MOOC.org, "Massive Open Online Course", from Wikipedia)

Psychological First Aid (Johns Hopkins via Coursera)
"Utilizing the RAPID model (Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition), this specialized course provides perspectives on injuries and trauma that are beyond those physical in nature. The RAPID model is readily applicable to public health settings, the workplace, the military, faith-based organizations, mass disaster venues, and even the demands of more commonplace critical events, e.g., dealing with the psychological aftermath of accidents, robberies, suicide, homicide, or community violence. In addition, the RAPID model has been found effective in promoting personal and community resilience." -- website
Suicide Prevention (Wesleyan University via Coursera)
"This course will explore the science of suicide research, prevention, and intervention. The field of suicide research is young and knowledge is rapidly changing. Topics will include terminology, epidemiology, historical and contemporary theories of suicide, modern approaches to suicide research, empirically supported approaches to prevention and intervention, the lived experiences of those with suicidal thoughts and attempts. Note: this course is not designed to address personal experiences with suicidal thoughts, suicide loss, or mental illness nor will it address assessing suicide risk among friends or family members. If you are thinking about suicide or are worried about someone else – please contact your local suicide prevention crisis center as soon as possible. Your life matters and help is available." -- website