The VitalSource Resource

Since the conception of VitalSource, accessibility has been something we've held with utmost importance, but it's also something we know can always be improved upon.

In the ever-changing landscapes of digital learning, accessibility, and higher education, it can seem a daunting prospect to stay on top of it all.

Accessibility is an issue that is becoming more and more prevalent in the modern world, with new technologies presenting new challenges. But what do we mean when we talk about this, and in particular, what do we mean by web accessibility?

With a number of different organisations offering a plethora of OER content, the sheer amount of choice can often be overwhelming. The OER Commons alone “provides a single point of access for over 30,000 items.” OER can also come in many forms: complete courses, single modules, textbooks, or even podcasts and videos. So where is the best place to start?

 In 2002, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) first adopted the term open educational resources (OER), setting the scene for the learning landscape to embrace the reusing, revising, remixing, and redistributing of content. But in 2019, the use of OER in the UK is still very much localised, relying on specific projects for support.