There is obviously a need for education alternatives, and Open Educational Resources (OER) has the potential to fill in some of the gaps and meet the increased demand for education. This paper proposes that OER has the potential to aid in bridging some of the educational gaps and meet the educational needs of millions of people worldwide. OER is just starting to get established and course materials are quickly increasing, but there are still some issues that are impeding the ability for the materials to get to those who need them most, especially in developing countries. This paper will attempt to explore and describe what is meant by 'open' when discussing specifically OER, what OER is, and some of the gateways to accessing the multitude of resources available. It will also cover some of the opportunities as well as challenges of OER, and specifically how these issues relate to those people who are in need of these resources most, particularly in developing countries. A closing discussion will follow about the future of OER, and the necessity to change current teaching practices and help facilitate improved and wider uses.

Keywords

challenges · e-learning · licences · open content · open source initiatives