Overview
The 5Rs Topics
The Retain permission focuses on copies of the original, not on derivatives. With this permission, you can own copies, archive copies, and make copies.
Additional Considerations
Though retain and reuse cover much of the same territory, retain stands alone to show a distinction with publishers' and bookstores' embracing of models which provide students only limited access, either through DRM, through rental/lease agreements, or limited-time access codes. Beyond the legal right or permission given to own copies, archive copies, and make copies of openly licensed resources, there are questions within the community about the value of and reasons for retaining learning and teaching materials, about the pros and cons of encouraging or discouraging deposit of OER in multiple/many repositories, logistics of versioning, and the dangers of putting all your eggs in one repository.
You can get a sense of some of these ideas by reading this blog post and its comments: https://opencontent.org/blog/archives/3221
The Reuse permission allows others to use the work in various ways, including in different contexts and for different purposes, with the freedom to display, perform, or use the material in its original form. The reuse permissions includes reusing for commercial purposes unless the work uses a Creative Commons license that includes the Non-Commercial attribute.
Additional Considerations
Certain assumptions within the OER community can influence how reuse is perceived and implemented. For instance, much of the OER content and support is designed with the incorrect assumption that users have reliable internet access, basic digital literacy, and the skills needed to navigate digital platforms. This assumption can discourage use and reuse in contexts with limited connectivity, low digital literacy, or reliance on offline learning materials.
There is often an unspoken expectation that OER will be reused in traditional educational settings, like schools or universities, or by organizations with aligned values. This focus can unintentionally discourage more experimental, informal, or unconventional uses of OER, such as in community-driven workshops, artistic projects, or entrepreneurial ventures, which might engage new audiences or serve different educational purposes.
When commercial companies incorporate OER into their platforms—particularly when they charge for access (e.g., publishers' automatic textbook billing "inclusive/equitable access" programs, administrative "OER course fees") or build paid services around the content (as with Lumen Learning) — community members may voice concerns. Purely profit-focused ventures like publishers' "inclusive/equitable access" aside, this can lead educators or developers to avoiding commercially oriented use cases for fear of community pushback, even if these uses might support sustainability or innovation.
The Revise permission allows others to adapt, modify, or alter the content to suit their needs. This flexibility supports customization of educational resources, enabling educators and learners to tailor materials to different contexts, languages, accessibility needs, or pedagogical approaches.
Additional Considerations
While revision is one of the most essential aspects of OER, it also introduces several challenges. A common challenge is the technical and logistical complexity of transferring revised resources across platforms. Unique formats, metadata standards, and version-control systems often disrupt the structure, interactivity, and multimedia components, discouraging revision and limiting resource sharing across repositories.
Tracking clear attribution and provenance across multiple versions is challenging. As users fork and revise resources on different platforms, it’s hard to record contributions and modifications, which can fragment the resource's history and reduce its trustworthiness. Relatedly, when significant changes are made, who should be credited—the original author, the reviser, or both? And what about ongoing revisions in a collaborative setting? There is a natural tension between versioning, interactivity, and group authorship.
The Remix permission allows users to combine the original content with other openly licensed resources to create a new work. This permission encourages the integration of diverse sources and ideas, enabling users to craft tailored, interdisciplinary, or innovative educational materials by merging resources.
Additional Considerations
Remixing faces logistical hurdles, especially around compatibility between different licenses. Combining resources with different licensing terms (such as mixing a CC BY license with a CC BY-NC license) can create complex legal constraints, as the final work must comply with all terms. This limitation can prevent users from mixing resources as freely as they might wish, which sometimes discourages the full creative potential of remixing.
Some OER repositories require detailed attribution for each remix or reuse, and the processes to ensure that each contributor is credited can be time-consuming and complex. This can dissuade individuals from mixing multiple resources, especially if they lack the technical means to track and display attribution accurately.
LibreTexts is an example of a platform which has put remixing at the core of its development. Below is a comprehensive demonstration of their OER Remixer which they released in 2019:
The Redistribute permission allows users to share copies of the original work, revisions, or remixes with others. This permission enables wide dissemination of resources, allowing users to freely distribute OER to new audiences, whether in print, digital formats, or other mediums.
Additional Considerations
There are several complexities in redistribution when practiced, including questions around quality control and representation. As resources are distributed more widely, it becomes challenging to ensure that end-users receive the latest, most accurate version. It would be ideal if there was clear guidance on where to find the most up-to-date versions of any OER, though in practice, not all redistribution channels offer easy ways to track updates.
Another consideration is attribution and credit for redistributed materials. As resources are shared more broadly, it can be difficult to ensure that original creators or revisers are consistently credited.
Within the OER community, there are differing views on how freely redistribution should be practiced. Some advocates feel that materials should be widely shared, regardless of context, to promote access. Others believe that redistribution should be more intentional, shared in well-known and trusted repositories with users who will best respect the purpose and integrity of the original work.
This tension reflects a broader debate about the goals of open education: is it enough to simply increase access, or is it also about ensuring resources are used in ways that honor the creators' educational aims?