Digital literacies subscription and sponsorship programme

A subscription with a difference - improve digital and information literacies for your learners, while helping to democratise access to learning on a global scale.

We invite your institution or library to purchase an annual subscription to OER universitas (OERu) for US$295, to improve digital and information literacies for your students. The subscription includes online testing services for your students to gain a competency certification in Copyright and Creative Commons licensing. In return, your contribution will sponsor learners studying at institutions in the developing world to gain sustainable access to open education courses for a first year of university study.

What does my institutional subscription provide?

Unrestricted access to the OERu’s Learning in a Digital Age online micro-courses for your students to gain and improve digital and information literacies including:

The opportunity for your students to gain authentic experience and enhance skills for learning on the Internet, with international participants worldwide, using a component-based next generation digital learning environment.
An institutional enrollment key to share with your learners, to enable them to take an online competency test in Copyright and Creative Commons licensing and earn the OERu associated digital badge and certificate for free.

How will my subscription sponsor access to learning worldwide?

By taking out a $US295 subscription, you will help with the operational costs of our global open source computing infrastructure to deliver the Learning in a Digital Age micro-courses to improve digital fluency for all higher education learners worldwide.

Coordinated by the OER Foundation, the implementation of the OERu is a designated project of the UNESCO Chair in Open Educational Resources (OER) in New Zealand. As a non-profit organisation, all revenue we generate is applied exclusively to the charitable aims of the Foundation, to widen access to more affordable higher education worldwide.

With the help of the OERu sponsorship programme, institutions in the developing world, who can’t afford the annual membership fees for the OER universitas (OERu) international collaboration, can join the network for free through the Outreach Partnership Programme.

Have a question?

Please join the discussion on the OERu subscription and sponsorship programme to support digital literacies on community.oeru.org.

Frequently asked questions

We appreciate that you may have questions about this initiative, so we have prepared answers to a number of Frequently Asked Questions below. (Click on the category to show the answers.)

+ OER, OERu and the OER Foundation

What is OER?

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, which has invested over US$190 million in grants since 2001 to support institutions with the adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER), defines the concept as follows:

Open Educational Resources are teaching, learning, and research materials in any medium - digital or otherwise - that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation, and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.

What is the OERu?

The OERu is an an international innovation partnership of like-minded institutions, committed to widening access to more affordable higher education, using open educational resources (OERs). The OERu assembles university-level, open online courses based entirely on OER for learners who face financial barriers to study or for whom conventional higher education is otherwise inaccessible.

How does the OERu work?

See how the OERu works and find out about the many benefits partners enjoy as they open new doors to higher education. The OERu was established in 2011 - you can explore our history by visiting our dynamic timeline.

The OERu is establishing a leadership role in transnational micro-credentialling with pathways to achieving academic credit towards a first year of study with pathways to achieving university qualifications in Arts and Business.

Is the OERu a non-profit project?

Yes, the OERu is a non-profit international collaboration hosted by the OER Foundation (OERF). The OERF, based in New Zealand, is a registered charity (Registration No. CC40964). The OERF provides leadership, networking, and support to education institutions around the world in achieving their strategic objectives using OER. The OERu is the flagship project of the OERF.

Where do I find information about becoming an OERu partner?

Visit the prospective partners page. We highly recommend that you sign up for free information about the OERu innovation partnership.

+ Sponsorship programme

Why should my library sponsor the OERu digital literacies programme?

Because it’s the right thing for libraries to do. Libraries are a democratising force in providing access to information for the public good. Information literacies for the digital age are key enablers for citizens to locate, evaluate, use, and communicate information in various formats. Your subscription will support the OERu in broadening free access to information literacies on a global scale.

How does my institution take out a sponsorship subscription?

Please visit the sign-up page and complete the online form. Check the invoice option, and the OERF will issue an invoice which will be sent via email. Payments can be made by electronic wire transfer, as per details provided on the invoice.

Where will my sponsorship funds go?

As a non-profit collaboration, all revenue generated through subscriptions for the digital and information literacies programme is used exclusively for the charitable activities of the OERu.

Your funds help to cover the OERu operational costs and charitable initiatives, like our global open source computing infrastructure, and our OERu Outreach Partnership Programme.

What additional benefits do sponsors receive?

There are many benefits for institutions in the OERu digital literacies subscription and sponsorship programme, but a few stand out:

Contribute to education as a public good, because your subscription helps to cover the costs of the OERu Outreach Partnership Programme where qualifying institutions in the developing world who can’t afford the annual membership fee, can join the network for free.
Associate with a world-leading international OER collaboration of like-minded institutions and raise your international brand profile through acknowledgement as a sponsor on the OERu.org website.
Benefit from unrestricted access to all OERu open online micro-courses - learners are not required to register to gain access - anyone can do so anonymously if they choose.
Participate optionally in the OERu’s global community learning hub initiative, where libraries offer face-to-face support sessions for their own users participating in the Learning in a Digital Age courses.
Qualify for a joining fee discount of US$500 off the OERu membership fee for current sponsors who decide to join the OERu international innovation partnership

How do sponsorship renewals work?

Your sponsorship subscription will run for one year from date of receipt of payment. For this period, your institution will be acknowledged on the sponsors page on the oeru.org site.

The OERF will provide you with an enrolment key for the copyright and creative commons licensing competency test for the duration of your subscription - note, this is the only aspect of our courses with restricted access. Learners at your institution will have unrestricted access to all the OERu’s open online courses.

Two months before the end of your sponsorship, we will contact you requesting renewal.

+ General

I’d like to talk with someone about supporting your work!

If you are interested in contributing financially or otherwise to the OERu’s global mission of widening access to more affordable higher education, please email Dr Wayne Mackintosh, Director and UNESCO Chair for OER at the OER Foundation: wayne@oerfoundation.org.