Creating Open Educational Resources in Health Professions Education: Lessons Learned From the University of North Carolina's Adams School of Dentistry

Open educational resources (OER) offer significant benefits in higher education; however, creation and dissemination can involve complex copyright challenges. Reusing previously published content, even one's own work, can be legally complicated given publishing contracts and copyright restrictions. Challenges can be mitigated by developing content using an OER lens in the early development phase and recruiting an interprofessional team of experts, including librarians, lawyers, educational and information technologists, and instructional designers, to help navigate scholarly communication issues. Key lessons reported include using educational theory and instructional design principles to outline content, understanding copyright laws, and carefully considering licensing from the outset of OER development. By sharing their experience, the authors aim to assist health professions educators to more effectively create and distribute OER while avoiding potential legal and distribution obstacles.