LoyalistLibrary: Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant: 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 Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy

Anatomy and Physiology
"Anatomy and Physiology is a dynamic textbook for the two-semester human anatomy and physiology course for life science and allied health majors. The book is organized by body system and covers standard scope and sequence requirements. Its lucid text, strategically constructed art, career features, and links to external learning tools address the critical teaching and learning challenges in the course." -- website
The Essential Guide to the Physical Therapy Aide
Evidence-Based Massage Therapy: A Guide for Clinical Practice
"This clinical practice handbook will prove essential to massage therapists, physical therapists, chiropractors, medical doctors, psychologists and other health professionals who care for people with musculoskeletal pain. It is a living document and will be continuously updated as new research becomes available." -- website
Mathematics for Public and Occupational Health Professionals
"This textbook was created to support the study of key mathematical concepts and skills among future occupational and public health professionals. Specifically, it contains material adapted from multiple existing resources on college- and university-level mathematics. The material is designed for first-year undergraduate occupational and public health students with different backgrounds in mathematics. The material is intended to prepare students for more advanced quantitative courses in biostatistics, epidemiology, and risk assessment, among others." -- 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
Vital Sign Measurement Across the Lifespan, 2nd Canadian edition
"The purpose of this textbook is to help learners develop best practices in vital sign measurement. Using a multi-media approach, it will provide opportunities to read about, observe, practice, and test vital sign measurement." -- website

Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness
"The Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness is the official peer-reviewed journal of The Society of Chinese Scholars on Exercise Physiology and Fitness (SCSEPF), the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China (HKPFA), and the Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine and Sports Science (HKASMSS)." -- website
Journal of Physiotherapy
"Journal of Physiotherapy is the official journal of the Australian Physiotherapy Association. The journal's mission is to publish significant research which has important implications for physiotherapy (also known as physical therapy)." -- website
Occupational Therapy International
"Occupational Therapy International publishes research reflecting the practice of occupational therapy throughout the world. Topics include reliability and validity of clinical instruments, assistive technology, community rehabilitation etc." -- website
Open Journal of Occupational Therapy
"The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy
is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal with a mission to publish high quality articles that focus on applied research, practice, and education in the occupational therapy profession." -- website
Physiotherapy Quarterly
"Physiotherapy Quarterly publishes papers that show depth, rigor, originality and high-quality presentation. The scope of the journal: evidence-based rehabilitation; the mechanisms of function or dysfunction; modern therapy methods; best clinical practice; clinical reasoning and decision-making processes; assessment and clinical management of disorders; exploration of relevant clinical interventions; multi-modal approaches; psychosocial issues; expectations, experiences, and perspectives of physiotherapists. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research articles are welcomed, together with systematic and high-quality narrative reviews." -- website

What are Apps?
Apps are small software applications that allow you to customize a mobile device and perform a variety of activities and functions. Some apps are free, while others are fee-based, so it is important to read terms and conditions carefully. Additionally, some apps are initially free, and then require in-app purchases if more features and functionality are desired. The Library does not endorse any fee-based apps nor it is liable for reimbursement of any apps paid for by patrons.

(Source: Austin Community College Library)

Anatomy Lite (iOS)
"This application provides a good reference for people who want to know more about Human Anatomy or study in General Human Anatomy." -- website

Afferent and Efferent Nerves
This set of slides compares and contrasts afferent and efferent nerves of the peripheral nervous system.
Bone Growth and Repair (OER Commons)
This set of slides describes the growth of a long bone, and the process of bone fracture repair.
Collagen Formation (OER Commons)
This set of lecture slides describes how collagen fibres are assembled in the formation of connective tissue.

Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant: Open Educational Resources

What are Open Educational Resources?

Where can I find OERs for my course?

Selected OERs for Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy

Keep Us Current!