Open educational resources features – UGC NET Question

Open educational resources are explicitly defined as teaching, learning and research materials that reside in the public domain or carry an open license permitting free use and adaptation. The 5R activities of retaining, reusing, revising, remixing and redistributing capture the freedoms they provide. Such resources support equity and innovation in education by reducing cost barriers. Hence the materials described in the stem are OER.

Option A:
Option A is correct because OER policy documents and international agencies consistently emphasise open licensing and the 5R permissions as core attributes. These features distinguish OER from simply free-to-view content that cannot legally be modified or shared.

Option B:
Option B, proprietary e content, is controlled by rights holders who typically restrict copying, alteration and redistribution. Even if accessible online, it does not grant the open permissions listed.

Option C:
Option C, shareware modules, may allow limited trial use but often require payment after a period and generally do not permit unrestricted modification and redistribution. They remain under conventional copyright.

Option D:
Option D, restricted courseware, indicates the opposite of openness, as it is usually confined to enrolled students or licensed institutions and prohibits broader sharing or adaptation.