Learning Objectives

• Understand the four facets of the LibreTexts Platform, also known as the LibreVerse.

• Define OER and use it to distinguish OER from other sources. 

• Define how LibreTexts values attribution and authorship over ownership. 

• Be able to efficiently search the LibreTexts Libraries.

• Identify the use cases for each of the LibreTexts Services.

At a Glance

This course has 9 modules with 24 lessons. It should take around 1.5 hours to complete. 

There is no assessment accompanying this Introduction Course. The content is mirrored in more detail with the Introduction to OER with LibreTexts course available by the subscription to LibreTexts Academy Online. 

On the left, choose the next lesson to go to the next page.

Open Content

LibreTexts is primarily focused on Open Content over Open Source Technology. We make sharing content extremely easy while maintaining the licensing and attribution of images, pages, books, paragraphs, and questions. We allow for embedding of OER licensed H5P into textbooks and into homework problems while maintaining licensing. We allow for perusal of OER question banks by verified instructors and for embedding of those questions into textbooks, homework sets, or linked through their home institution's LMS. At its heart LibreTexts is a community of passionate educators who create quality materials and share them willingly with care for attribution and licensing. 

Technology for Teaching

In order to take down the for-profit model for publishing textbooks, we need to be more than just quality textbooks. We need to have the technologies that publishing companies bundle with their books. Thus: we house many technologies such as homework databases, homework systems, interactive H5P websites, threaded audio-visual discussion technology, interactive viewers, and much more. 

Development of Software and Technology

Some of the technology we house here at LibreTexts is off-the-shelf. Although, in reality almost none of it really is truly off-the-shelf without some major tweaking by our development team. We partner with engaged faculty to create new tools like Discuss-It within ADAPT. We partner with state-wide agencies like California Education Learning Lab to build a compatible and accessible homework system: ADAPT. Throughout our decades-long growth we have worked with education researchers to evaluate effectiveness of our tools, we have co-written grants to build new software technologies, and disseminate new pedagogies. 

Training through the LibreTexts Academy

Launching in 2025, the LibreTexts Academy expands on the existing professional development services offered by LibreTexts like Office Hours and LibreFest. With guided cohort trainings, in-person workshops, and these courses through Academy Online we aim to lower the learning curve for all faculty looking to reduce costs for their students!